ABSTRACT

Ammonia plays a crucial role in the transition to a sustainable economy due to its potential as an energy carrier, fertiliser and industrial feedstock. Low-carbon ammonia can be produced from fossil fuels enabled by carbon capture and storage or electrolysis powered by low-carbon sources. The location of renewable or carbon capture, utlisation and storage low-carbon ammonia projects typically prioritise locations with abundant wind and solar resources and low energy costs or proximity to carbon sequestration resources. However, in Australia these areas are often remote from demand centres and export route to market by tanker shipping is required. Furthermore, there is often no access to existing port facilities, requiring construction of a new seaborne tanker loading system. This paper identifies and assesses the options for ammonia shipping tanker export and loading systems, including jetties and floating offload technologies. The comparative assessment identifies what factors influence the selection of a loading system and where jetties are preferable over floating systems and vice versa. The system design considerations for each type of loading system are assessed, including the thermal design and the impact on the onshore storage, boil-off gas and export pumping requirements. These can influence the selection of onshore liquefaction technologies and cooling requirements. The paper will also present a typical floating export system via a buoy and will outline the subsea system components, including pipeline insulation requirements, definition of operating modes and subsea system functional design.