The pump is compatible with the use of liquid ammonia for thermal power generation, which aims to both reduce CO2 emissions and ensure a stable supply of electricity by gradually converting the fuel for coal-fired power generation to ammonia.
Ammonia co-firing, in which ammonia is mixed with boilers for coal-fired thermal power generation, can reduce CO2 emissions in accordance with the co-firing rate.
Due to the toxic and odorous nature of liquid ammonia, leakage to the outside must be prevented. For this reason, all of the pump’s parts other than the pipework are immersed in the liquid.
To prevent the motor from deteriorating due to exposure to the corrosive liquid ammonia, a canned motor pump design has been adopted in which the motor is built into the pump and sealed off from the liquid flow path.
Nikkiso has already delivered several thousand liquid ammonia canned motor pumps for ammonia refrigeration and agricultural fertiliser production plants worldwide, and is using this experience with the new pump. Cryogenic pump technology is also applied to achieve high pumping capacities.
The new pumps are also being considered for use in receiving and discharging applications at ammonia terminals, where higher heads and higher flow rates are required than in fuel co-firing, based on the pumps’ experience in LNG terminals.
In addition to the sale of pumps, Nikkiso will also focus on the sale of packaged products that combine pumps with the necessary equipment to suit the application.