A TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC COMPARISON OF CO2 REMOVAL TECHNOLOGIES IN AMMONIA PRODUCTION PLANTS

Abstract

The utilization of natural gas as a primary feedstock in ammonia production has resulted in significant carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, raising environmental concerns. Consequently, several technologies have been developed to capture and remove carbon dioxide. In this study, a comparison was conducted between two CO2 removal technologies (Amine and Benfield) in an Ammonia production plant. The evaluation was performed using rate-based modelling techniques in Aspen Plus software. A base case simulation was built and validated using figures obtained from various literature studies. Optimization and sensitivity analyses were conducted to determine optimal operating conditions. The optimized parameters were used to perform an economic analysis of both technologies based on the energy consumption, solvent regeneration efficiency, and CO2 removal efficiency. The results obtained from the comparison showed that the amine technology was more economical than the Benfield technology in terms of cost and plant efficiency. The economic analysis revealed that the amine technology had a lower Net Present value, and a shorter payback period compared to the Benfield technology. Overall, this study provides insight into the economic and operational considerations of CO2 removal technologies in ammonia production plants and recommends the use of amine technology as the preferred technology for CO2 removal in ammonia production plants.