Project title: Hydrogen Storage and TRansport using Ammonia
Funding programme: Horizon Europe
Action type: Research & Innovation Action (RIA)
Duration: 01/06/2022 – 31/05/2025
Overview of the HySTrAm project
The HySTrAM project aims to build a plant at Technology Readiness Level (TRL5) which demonstrates a production process of green ammonia that is equally cost effective and commercially attractive. The system will test a combination of porous materials and reinforced pressure vessels that will demonstrate lower pressure alternatives for hydrogen storage and safer transport options.
Additionally, the use of ultra-porous materials and pressure vessels will facilitate stable operation parametres for the ammonia synthesis reactor. The employment of sorbents in the synthesis reactor will increase the ammonia conversion thus eliminating the need of the reactant recirculation. This is expected to improve the performance, efficiency and lifetime of the operating system, but also to unlock a descentralised ammonia (NH3) production plan.
Project objectives
- Development of functional catalyst/sorbent materials for ammonia synthesis;
- Development of new ultra-porous materials with high H2 capacity;
- Realisation of a lightweight composite vessel for physical-adsorption hydrogen storage;
- Design, construction, optimisation and demonstration of dynamically operated packed bed reactors for ammonia synthesis;
- Demonstration of the overall HySTrAm solution at TRL5; and
- Validation of a business case.
In addition, during the project the system will be modelled at different levels i.e.
- quantum level and microkinetic level simulations of the reactions
- higher level simulations of the reaction and process with machine learning and AI
- process level simulations
This holistic modelling approach will ensure that all aspects will be considered and make possible more robust results.
Our involvement in the HySTrAm project
Within the HySTrAm project, PNO Innovation Belgium leads the development and implementation of the dissemination, communication and clustering strategy. In addition, PNO is also a key contributor in shaping the stakeholders engagement and exploitation tactics of the project. A particular focus is placed on identifying and engaging with relevant stakeholders for further exploitation activities, as well as market and business analysis to support the consortium into bringing the technologies available.
