Many rapidly developed hydrogen production technologies have emerged. Taking hydrogen production from methanol cracking and ammonia cracking as a comparison, what are their respective characteristics and how should we choose between them?
Below, Suzhou Jiarui Gas, a manufacturer of catalysts for methanol cracking to hydrogen, will share with you a detailed analysis.
Suitable Scale
Hydrogen production from methanol cracking is suitable for capacities below 1500 Nm³/h, while ammonia cracking is suitable for capacities below 800 Nm³/h.
Application Scenarios
Methanol cracking to hydrogen is generally used in medium-scale applications requiring high-purity hydrogen.
Ammonia cracking is applied in small-scale hydrogen production scenarios with no special requirements for nitrogen.
However, hydrogen produced from liquid ammonia contains N₂, which is difficult to separate and results in high power consumption costs.
Safety
Liquid ammonia used in ammonia cracking must be stored under pressurized liquefaction, which is relatively dangerous.
In contrast, methanol for methanol cracking can be stored at normal temperature and pressure, making it much safer.
Investment Cost
Ammonia cracking has relatively high requirements for equipment and special material specifications, leading to large upfront investment, with hydrogen cost around 2.0–2.5 yuan/Nm³.
Methanol cracking requires less investment: a 200 Nm³/h methanol-to-hydrogen unit costs about 1.5 million yuan, with hydrogen cost around 1.8–2.5 yuan/Nm³.
In summary, compared with ammonia cracking, methanol cracking to hydrogen features more convenient and safer raw material storage and more cost-effective investment.
The above is the comparison between hydrogen production from methanol cracking and ammonia cracking provided by Suzhou Jiarui Gas, a manufacturer of methanol cracking catalysts. We hope this information is helpful to you.
