Ammonia cracking is a chemical process that breaks down ammonia into its component elements of nitrogen and hydrogen. The process typically involves high temperatures and the use of catalysts.
While it is used in a variety of industrial processes, ammonia cracking is attracting more and more interest lately because it offers practical benefits for both the storage and long-distance transport of hydrogen, a green energy source that is experiencing widespread adoption around the world.
Unlike hydrogen, ammonia is easy to store in liquid form. Moreover, the infrastructure for transporting massive quantities of ammonia already exists within the agriculture industry.
Once the ammonia is transported to its destination or taken from storage, it can be converted to hydrogen via ammonia cracking. Then the hydrogen can be used in fuel cells and as a green alternative to fossil fuels.
Advantages of Equilibar® regulators for ammonia cracking
In the ammonia cracking process, the ammonia is heated to an elevated temperature in the presence of a metal catalyst. The ammonia molecule then breaks down into nitrogen and hydrogen.
Equilibar® regulators are uniquely suited to controlling pressure in this process for several reasons.
First, Equilibar back pressure regulators (BPRs) are easily customized for high temperature using elastomer O-rings for service up to 327°C; graphite gasket seals for use up to 450°C ; and metal C-rings for use up to 648°C.
Equilibar devices can also be configured for harsh chemistries, which is a benefit when working with ammonia.
In addition, the multi-orifice design of Equilibar BPRs is well suited for mixed-phase flow of liquids and gases together, as can occur in the ammonia cracking process, and their dome-loaded design makes them easy to automate.
Please see our new Ammonia Cracking Application Page for more information on this exciting new field. And, as always, we hope you will contact one of our experienced application engineers to discuss your specific fluid control challenge. They look forward to hearing from you.
