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Introduction to
Ammonia Production
VENKAT PATTABATHULA
Ammonia is critical in the manufacturing
INCITEC PIVOT, LTD.
JIM RICHARDSON of fertilizers, and is one of the largest-volume
CATALYSTS AND CHEMICALS, LLC
synthetic chemicals produced in the world.
This article explores the evolution of
ammonia production and describes the
current manufacturing technologies.
ost people associate the pungent smell of ammo- chemistry at the Univ. of Berlin, developed a process to
200
Modern production processes
The tremendous increase in ammonia demand from 1950
..; 180
to 1980 necessitated larger, Illore-energy-efficient plants.
E
c 160 ! Those decades also saw a change in design philosophy. Until
.Q
~
c
20 / (MWK) at Texas City, TX, with a capacity of 544 m.t./day.
The single-train design concept (Figure 3) was so revolution-
o ~ ary that it received the Kirkpatrick Chemical Engineering
1946 1954 1962 1970 1978 1986 1994 2002 20102014
Achievement Award in 1967.
.A. Figure 2. Worldwide ammonia production has steadily increased from The plant used a four-case centrifugal compressor to
1946 to 2014. compress the syngas to a pressure of 152 bar, and final
Fuel
Steam
Drum Primary
Reformer
Gas to
1,\ I 1,\,\ ,\ I I /\ ,\ I I' I Purification
I, ,I I, \I \I ,I I, \ I \ I I' I
If " ".." I, • \1 I '\1
Air BFW
Heat Recovery
Heat Recovery Section Condensate
.--r+Purge NH -
Coared
Condenser
Compression
Raw ~"L---'
Flash
Synthesis Gas
Gas
Water Ammonia
.. Figure 3. KBR designed one of the first single-train, large-capacity ammonia plants.
produce ammonia with an energy consumption of28 GJ/m.t. Approximately twice as much catalyst was required
In addition to the design, mechanical, and metallurgical at 152 bar as at 324 bar, an increase that seemed econom-
improvements made during this time, the operating pressure ically feasible. Although the converter would need twice
of the synthesis loop was signifi cantly reduced. When the the volume, the lower operating pressure would reduce
first single-train plant was built in the 1960s, it contained the required thickness of the pressure shell. As a result, the
a high-pressure synthesis loop. In 1962, MWK received weight of metal required for the converter plus the catalyst
an inquiry from Imperial Chemical Industries (lCI) for a remained about the same. The lower-pressure synthesis
proposal to build a 544-m.t./day plant at their Sevemside loop also allowed the use of centrifugal compressors instead
site. MWK proposed a 152-bar synthesis loop instead of a of reciprocating compressors. Another improvement was
324-bar loop. recovering heat to generate high-pressure steam for steam
Because the development of kinetic data for the turbine drives.
ammonia reaction at 152 bar would take more time than
MWK had to respond to the ICI inquiry, they contacted Plant designs in the 21st century
Haldor Tops0e to support their plans. Tops0e had data During the first few years of the 21 st century, many
covering the entire pressure range of interest to MWK. In improvements were made in ammonia plant technology that
addition, they had a computer program for calculating the allow existing plants to increase production rates and new
quantity of catalyst that was required at the lower operat- plants to be built with larger and larger capacities. Compe-
ing pressure. Even though ICI chose Bechtel to design tition between technology suppliers is quite fierce. Three
the plant, MWK was able to develop a flowsheet for a technology licensors -- KBR (Kellogg Brown and Root),
544-m.t./day design with centrifugal compressors and a Haldor Tops0e, and ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions
low-pressure synthesis loop, which some people consider (TKIS) -- currently dominate the market. Ammonia Casale,
the single most important event in the development of the which offers an axial-radial catalyst bed design, is a market
single-train ammonia plant. leader in revamps of existing plants.
Air Compressor
Natural Gas Feed
Feed Gas
Compressor
Sulfur ;--"---,
Removall----t-__...I
Process Stream
CO
Absorb er
Purifer
• Figure 4. Modern ammonia plants deSigned by KBR employ its proprietary Purifier design.
Feed §
. ~'1f
'§' ~
Primary
Reformer ~
Secondary
Reformer ~ Temperature ; - Temperature
Shift Shift
-
CO,
Removal I-- ~'1f
~'1f
Ammonia
SyntheSiS ---.
NH
<:Jl'<> ~~
Purge Gas
Separation
~o<:::- Pressure
~~'1f Isothermal Ammonia
Feed ~v
Primary
Reformer Shift
Swing Synthesis ~
",v Adsorption NH
<:l'
Nitrogen
Air Unit
... Figure 7. The Linde Ammonia Concept (LAC) features a pressure-swing adsorption unit for high-purity hydrogen production and an air separation unit for
high-purity nitrogen production.
of this design is axial-radial technology in the catalyst from the primary reformer stack, making the process more
bed (Figure 8). In an axial-radial catalyst bed, most of the environmentally friendly.
synthesis gas passes through the catalyst bed in a radial Even though some ammonia producers advocate for
direction, creating a very low pressure drop. The rest of the distributed production of ammonia in small ammonia plants,
gas passes down through a top layer of catalyst in an axial most companies prefer to build large facilities near cheap
direction, eliminating the need for a top cover on the catalyst raw material sources and transport the product by ship, rail,
bed. Casale's axial-radial catalyst bed technology is used in or pipeline to the consumers.
both high-temperature and low-temperature shift converters,
as well as in the synthesis converter. Ammonia from coal
China produces more ammonia than any other
Other technologies country, and produces the majority of its ammonia from
Some technology suppliers have offered gas-heated coal (Figure 9).
reformers (GHRs) for the production of ammonia in The basic processing units in a coal-based ammonia plant
small-capacity plants or for capacity increases. Unlike are the ASU for the separation of 02 and N2 from air, the
conventionally designed plants that use a primary
reformer and secondary reformer operating in Coal
series, plants with GHRs use the hot process gas ~ Air
from the secondary reformer to supply heat to
the primary reformer. This reduces the size of the
Air
primary refonner and eliminates CO 2 emissions Separation
Unit
(ASU)
N, to
~ Figure 8. Ammonia
Syngas
Saturation
and Sour Shift
N, Wash
Unit
-
Tail Gas
to Boiler