[ software demonstration ]
The system configuration includes the following components :
• Wind farm
• Desalination and water treatment plant
• PEM electrolyzer plant
• Air separation unit
• Compression unit
• Hydrogen storage tanks
• Haber-Bosch reactor Optimal component sizes will be determined using the optimization tools included in the Southern Lights software .
The project ’ s goal is to produce at least 124,100 tons of ammonia per year , with the lowest possible levelized cost of ammonia ( LCOA ).
Location The Magallanes region , located in the southernmost part of Chile , boasts abundant wind resources , making it an ideal site for renewable energy projects . The proposed location is south of a small area called ‘ La Portada ,’ characterized by its access to the Strait of Magellan and exceptional wind potential . Figure 3 provides a satellite image featuring a heat map of the average wind speed across the region . Figure 4 highlights the site with a yellow polygon , indicating where the entire system could be installed .
Fig . 4 . Proposed location for the system in the Magallanes region of Chile
Electricity Due to the characteristics of the project , a new wind farm is required . The plant size optimization will be addressed in a later section of the article . For the proposed location , a preliminary assessment indicates that the potential plant factor is 63.3 %.³
These results were obtained based on historical databases and wind simulation tools . Figure 5 shows the variation in the capacity factor of the proposed system . Vestas V90-2.0 MW turbines were considered in the simulations .
Since the scope of this study is hydrogen and ammonia production , the wind farm will be considered an external asset that provides renewable energy at a price of € 35 / MWh , which is based on an estimation of the LCOE that could be reached for these capacity factors and the project scale at this location .
Fig . 3 . Heat map of historical wind speeds in Magallanes
Water The selected location can utilize surface water ( rivers ), groundwater ( aquifers ), and seawater from the Strait of Magellan for the plant . Based on preliminary simulations , the total water consumption is estimated to exceed 60 m ³/ h . Given this requirement
34 Hydrogen Tech World | Issue 19 | December 2024