Electrified Single Stage Ammonia Cracking to Compressed Hydrogen

Project Information

SINGLE

Grant agreement ID: 101112144

DOI

10.3030/101112144

EC signature date 3 May 2023

Start date 1 May 2023

End date 31 October 2026

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 2 997 449,50

EU contribution

€ 2 989 671,25

Coordinated by

COORSTEK MEMBRANE SCIENCES AS
Norway

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SINGLE (Electrified Single Stage Ammonia Cracking to Compressed Hydrogen)

Reporting period: 2023-05-01 to 2024-10-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Due to its low energy density as a gas under standard conditions, hydrogen is better transported over long distances in liquid form or by bonding it with other molecules to create hydrogen carriers. Ammonia is emerging as a promising hydrogen carrier, with ammonia dehydrogenation (ADH) later used to recover hydrogen. The standard multistage process—ADH, separation, and compression—suffers from energy efficiency losses.
SINGLE aims to demonstrate a proton ceramic electrochemical reactor (PCER) that integrates ammonia dehydrogenation, hydrogen separation, heat management, and compression into a single stage. Combining these four process steps into a single reactor allows the technology to achieve unprecedented energy efficiencies, with a project target of demonstrating greater than 90% efficiency (High Heating Value) at the system level. The PCER-ADH technology will directly delivers purified, pressurized hydrogen at 20 bar.
SINGLE will showcase its innovation at a scale of 10 kg H2/day in a demonstration plant, paving the way for future scale-up systems ranging from small (e.g. fueling stations) to large, centralized deployments (e.g. at harbors).

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the first eighteen-month phase, SINGLE optimized the catalytic membrane reactor and demonstrated improvements in ADH conversion efficiency at low temperatures. Reactor components were produced, assembled into stacks, and validated in Norway, demonstrating the reproducibility of the production process. Several ammonia-based degradation studies were conducted to select suitable alloys and ensure durability. The plant design was finalized, and assembly began in Spain.
To optimize hydrogen production in the context of fluctuating green energy loads, a multiphysics model of the cell was developed for advanced process control. Additionally, two preliminary value chains were established, and an initial life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

At the 18-month mark, the project achieved the following results:
• Improved catalytic membrane reactor with enhanced performance.With high ammonia conversion at low temperature.
• Functional, full-sized reactor stack
• Surrogate model at the stack level, demonstrated as an effective alternative to the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, enabling rapid adaptation to intermittent and time-varying renewable energy sources.
The full impact of these advancements will be better assessed once the full-scale demonstration plant begins producing hydrogen.

M6 Consortium Meeting

New Ammonia Lab opening - Ribbon cutting

Project Logo

New Ammonia Lab opening

Autumn School in Valencia

Autumn School in Valencia