Combustion research using ammonia as a fuel for low-carbon energy is relatively new. In order to achieve carbon neutrality, low-carbon energy (ammonia and hydrogen) must be widely introduced not only in the commercial power generation field, but also in the industrial, consumer, and transportation fields. However, the social implementation of ammonia fuel is not clear. In this article, a low-carbon power generation system is proposed from the viewpoint of expanding the application of ammonia. The unit operations of the system: ammonia reforming catalyst, selective non-catalytic reactor, and pure hydrogen production technology are described.
Ammonia has the inherent challenge of burning very slowly compared to hydrocarbon fuels such as methane. The laminar combustion rate equivalent to that of CH4 can be obtained with gas mixture of H2/NH3 = 0.5. Combustion of fuels containing NH3 generates NOx. The reaction temperature range of SNCR can be lowered by adding H2 to the exhaust gas. The added H2 produces OH, which in turn produces NH2, and then NH2 promotes the de-NOx reaction.
A plasma membrane reactor has been developed to produce pure hydrogen for fuel cells. The reactor can separate pure hydrogen at lower temperatures than conventional membrane reactors.
