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Techno-Economic Analysis of Onsite Sustainable Hydrogen Production via Ammonia Decomposition with Heat Recovery System

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  • Jian Tiong Lim

    (School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore)

  • Eddie Yin-Kwee Ng

    (School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore)

  • Hong Xun Ong

    (School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore)

Abstract

Hydrogen offers a promising solution to reduce emissions in the energy sector with the growing need for decarbonisation. Despite its environmental benefits, the use of hydrogen presents significant challenges in storage and transport. Many studies have focused on the different types of hydrogen production and analysed the pros and cons of each technique for different applications. This study focuses on techno-economic analysis of onsite hydrogen production through ammonia decomposition by utilising the heat from exhaust gas generated by hydrogen-fuelled gas turbines. Aspen Plus simulation software and its economic evaluation system are used. The Siemens Energy SGT-400 gas turbine’s parameters are used as the baseline for the hydrogen gas turbine in this study, together with the economic parameters of the capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operating expenditure (OPEX) are considered. The levelised cost of hydrogen (LCOH) is found to be 5.64 USD/kg of hydrogen, which is 10.6% lower than that of the conventional method, where a furnace is used to increase the temperature of ammonia. A major contribution of the LCOH comes from the ammonia feed cost up to 99%. The price of ammonia is found to be the most sensitive parameter of the contribution to LCOH. The findings of this study show that the use of ammonia decomposition via heat recovery for onsite hydrogen production with ammonic recycling is economically viable and highlight the critical need to further reduce the prices of green ammonia and blue ammonia in the future.

Suggested Citation

  • Jian Tiong Lim & Eddie Yin-Kwee Ng & Hong Xun Ong, 2025. "Techno-Economic Analysis of Onsite Sustainable Hydrogen Production via Ammonia Decomposition with Heat Recovery System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-21, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:12:p:5399-:d:1676811
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Usman, Muhammad R., 2022. "Hydrogen storage methods: Review and current status," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    2. Devkota, Sijan & Cha, Jin-Young & Shin, Beom-Ju & Mun, Ji-Hun & Yoon, Hyung Chul & Mazari, Shaukat Ali & Moon, Jong-Ho, 2024. "Techno-economic and environmental assessment of hydrogen production through ammonia decomposition," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 358(C).
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