A Benchmark Simulation Model of Ammonia Production: Enabling Safe Innovation in the Emerging Renewable Hydrogen Economy

The green transition accelerates innovations and developments targeting the integration of green hydrogen in the chemical industry. However, all new hydrogen pathways and process designs must be tested on operability and safety. A big challenge is the typical�fluctuating characteristic of green hydrogen supply that contrasts�the steady-state operation of most conventional chemical processes. Therefore, to adequately assess control and monitoring techniques, a benchmark model tailored to the relevant aspects of the hydrogen economy is required. We introduce a benchmark model based on the production of green ammonia using the Haber-Bosch process that remains operable when coupled to a fluctuating hydrogen supply from water electrolysis. The main section of the process model is an adiabatic indirect cooled reactor system that provides realistic modeling of industrial applications. Like the ammonia reactor, all process units and the underlying control structure are precisely dimensioned to ensure feasible operation across various hydrogen supply rates. Eventually, the flexible operating ammonia benchmark model can serve as a new benchmark for analyzing process safety and control aspects.