# US 12,000,333 B2 · Systems and methods for processing ammonia > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,000,333 B2 - Document ID: US12000333B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/889,256 - Filed: 2022-08-16 - Published: 2022-12-08 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2021-05-14 - Assignees: AMOGY Inc. - Applicants: Amogy Inc. - Inventors: Young Suk Jo; Hyunho Kim; Gregory Robert Johnson; Matthew Jacob Montgomery - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12000333B2 ## CPC - F02C 3/22: the fuel or oxidant being gaseous at standard temperature and pressure (F02C3/28 takes precedence) - F02C 3/30: Adding water, steam or other fluids {for influencing combustion, e.g. to obtain cleaner exhaust gases (F02C7/141, F02C7/30, F01D21/00, F01K21/04, F23D11/10 take precedence)} - B01J 8/001: {Controlling catalytic processes (B01J8/1809 takes precedence)} - B01J 8/0496: {Heating or cooling the reactor} - C01B 3/047: Decomposition of ammonia - F02C 7/14: of fluids in the plant {, e.g. lubricant or fuel (F02C7/185 takes precedence)} - F02C 7/22: Fuel supply systems - B01J 2208/00415: electric resistance heaters - B01J 2208/00504: by means of a burner - B01J 2208/0053: Controlling multiple zones along the direction of flow, e.g. pre-heating and after-cooling - B01J 2208/00539: Pressure - B01J 2208/00548: Flow - B64D 37/30: Fuel systems for specific fuels - C01B 2203/0277: containing a catalytic decomposition step - C01B 2203/066: with fuel cells - C01B 2203/0822: the fuel containing hydrogen - F05D 2220/323: for aircraft propulsion, e.g. jet engines - F05D 2260/213: by the provision of a heat exchanger within the cooling circuit - Y02E 60/36: Hydrogen production from non-carbon containing sources, e.g. by water electrolysis - Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells - F02C: GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS (construction of turbines F01D; jet-propulsion plants F02K; construction of compressors or fans F04; generating combustion products of high pressure or high velocity F23R; using gas turbines in compression refrigeration plants F25B11/00) - B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS - C01B: NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; {METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C} - B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT - F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract The present disclosure provides systems and methods for processing ammonia. The system may comprise one or more reactor modules configured to generate hydrogen from a source material comprising ammonia. The hydrogen generated by the one or more reactor modules may be used to provide additional heating of the reactor modules (e.g., via combustion of the hydrogen), or may be provided to one or more fuel cells for the generation of electrical energy. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of ammonia decomposition, comprising: (a) decomposing ammonia (NH3) using one or more catalysts of one or more reactors to generate at least hydrogen (H2) and nitrogen (N2), wherein a plurality of heating elements are in thermal communication with the one or more catalysts, wherein the plurality of heating elements comprise at least one electrical heater and at least one combustion heater, and wherein the NH3 is provided to the one or more reactors from one or more storage tanks in fluid communication with the one or more reactors; (b) using the at least one combustion heater, combusting at least a portion of the H2 generated from the one or more reactors to heat the one or more reactors to a temperature within a target temperature range; (c) using a fuel cell to consume a first fraction of the H2 provided from the one or more reactors to generate electricity; and (d) reducing the electricity generated by the fuel cell while maintaining the one or more reactors within the target temperature range. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising using one or more pressure sensors to measure one or more pressures of at least one of: the one or more reactors; the at least one combustion heater; one or more incoming flows of the NH3 from the one or more storage tanks; or one or more H2/N2 flows from one or more adsorbents configured to filter or remove at least a portion of the NH3 that is not decomposed in the one or more reactors. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein (a) comprises using one or more valves or one or more pumps to provide the NH3 to the one or more reactors, and wherein the method further comprises adjusting the one or more valves or the one or more pumps to modulate one or more NH3 pressures based at least in part on the measured one or more pressures. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising using one or more flow regulators to maintain one or more pressures of one or more exit flows from the one or more reactors at a target pressure range while the one or more flows from the one or more reactors are increasing or decreasing. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises using one or more heat exchangers to exchange heat between one or more incoming flows of the NH3 from the one or more storage tanks and one or more exit flows from the one or more reactors. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises at least partially evaporating the one or more incoming flows of the NH3: (1) before providing the one or more incoming flows of the NH3 to the one or more heat exchangers; (2) at the one or more heat exchangers; or (3) before providing the one or more incoming flows of the NH3 to the one or more heat exchangers and at the one or more heat exchangers. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising using one or more adsorbents to filter or remove at least a portion of the NH3 that is not decomposed in the one or more reactors. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising using one or more pressure drop elements to increase flow uniformity between the one or more reactors. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising using one or more temperature sensors to measure one or more temperatures of the one or more reactors. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising reducing heating power from the at least one electrical heater based at least in part on the one or more temperatures of the one or more reactors being equal to or greater than a predetermined target temperature. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising increasing heating power from the at least one electrical heater based at least in part on the one or more temperatures of the one or more reactors being less than a predetermined target temperature. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein combusting in (b) further comprises using one or more air supply units to supply at least oxygen to the at least one combustion heater. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising using the one or more air supply units to decrease a flow rate of the at least oxygen supplied to the at least one combustion heater based at least in part on the one or more temperatures of the one or more reactors being equal to or greater than a predetermined target temperature. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising using the one or more air supply units to increase a flow rate of the at least oxygen supplied to the at least one combustion heater based at least in part on the one or more temperatures of the one or more reactors being less than a predetermined target temperature. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising using one or more temperature sensors to measure one or more temperatures of at least one of: the at least one electrical heater; the at least one combustion heater; the one or more reactors; or one or more adsorbents configured to filter or remove at least a portion of the NH3 that is not decomposed in the one or more reactors. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising combusting a second fraction of the H2 provided from the fuel cell in the combustion heater to heat the one or more reactors. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising supplying the electricity to one or more motors, drive units, or electric batteries of a mobile vehicle. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first fraction of the H2 is consumed by the fuel cell at a hydrogen consumption rate or hydrogen utilization rate that is less than a predetermined threshold value. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the hydrogen consumption rate or hydrogen utilization rate is configured so that the fuel cell consumes at least about 40% of the H2 generated from the one or more reactors. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the combustion of the second fraction of the H2 is sufficient to provide self-sustaining auto-thermal operational conditions in the one or more reactors. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising increasing the electricity generated by the fuel cell while maintaining the one or more reactors within the target temperature range. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein reducing the electricity generated by the fuel cell comprises turning off the electricity generated by the fuel cell. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, further comprising turning on the electricity generated by the fuel cell while maintaining the one or more reactors within the target temperature range. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one electrical heater and the at least one combustion heater are within a same housing. ### Claim 25 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein less than about 30% of the H2 generated by the one or more reactors is combusted to maintain the one or more reactors within the target temperature range. ### Claim 26 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein (d) is performed in response to detecting a fault, wherein the fault comprises an NH3 concentration being greater than a predetermined threshold concentration, wherein the NH3 concentration is measured in at least one of (i) one or more adsorbents configured to remove a portion of ammonia that is not decomposed in the one or more reactors, or (ii) the fuel cell. ### Claim 27 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein (d) is performed in response to detecting a fault, wherein reducing the electricity generated by the fuel cell comprises turning off the electricity generated by the fuel cell. ### Claim 28 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein (d) is performed in response to detecting a fault, wherein the fault comprises (i) a fracture of the one or more reactors, (ii) a leakage of ammonia, or (iii) an offset of a measured temperature of the one or more reactors from the target temperature range. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The method of claim 28, further comprising increasing an NH3 flow rate to the one or more reactors and increasing an air flow rate to the at least one combustion heater based at least in part on increasing the NH3 flow rate. ### Claim 30 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising increasing an NH3 flow rate to the one or more reactors based at least in part on a measured temperature of the one or more reactors being greater than a predetermined threshold temperature.