📋 Case Study
Ammonia Cracker Retrofit: On-Site PEM Hydrogen Supply
Mismatch between cracker inlet specs (40 bar, 400°C, <1 ppm CO) and PEM output (30 bar, 60°C, saturated)
🏗️ Project Overview
Retrofit of existing ammonia cracker facility in Rotterdam to accept green H₂ feed
🎯 Challenge
Mismatch between cracker inlet specs (40 bar, 400°C, <1 ppm CO) and PEM output (30 bar, 60°C, saturated)
🔧 Design Approach
Multi-stage compression + catalytic dehumidification + CO-selective methanation + electric preheater cascade
📐 Key Calculations
Compression Ratio per Stage
(P_out/P_in)^(1/n)
Result: 2.3
Limits discharge temp to <120°C
Methanation Catalyst Volume
F_H2 × X_CO / (r × ρ_cat)
Result: 0.42 m³
Ensures <0.1 ppm CO at outlet
📊 Results
Zero downtime during transition; 99.999% H₂ purity maintained across full 5–100% load range; passed API RP 752 siting review💡 Lessons Learned
- •PEM moisture must be removed before compression
- •Methanation requires precise stoichiometric control
- •Cracker control system needed full OPC UA integration
✅ Key Takeaways
- 1PEM moisture must be removed before compression
- 2Methanation requires precise stoichiometric control
- 3Cracker control system needed full OPC UA integration