Knowledge Sheet

Topsoe Academy™

HOW TO
Optimize the ammonia production
Why: To ensure optimal performance of the ammonia synthesis catalyst
When: Operating conditions are changed

Quick guide
For the optimization it is presumed that the converter is operating at stable conditions in terms of
flow, gas composition, temperatures, and pressure.
Please note the following nature of the ammonia reaction: The optimal inlet temperature to a bed à
largest temperature increase (exotherm, ∆T) across the bed à highest ammonia concentration
outlet the bed.
1. Increase the inlet temperature to the first bed by 3-5°C and allow the converter to stabilize at
the new conditions for 2-4 hours
2. If the changed inlet temperature causes the ∆T across the bed to increase, the inlet
temperature should be increased further. However, if the higher inlet temperature has
resulted in a lower ∆T across the bed, the steps should be in the opposite direction and the
inlet temperature to the first bed should be decreased instead
3. Step 1-2 should be continued until the optimal inlet temperature, resulting in the largest
possible ∆T across the bed, has been found
4. While the inlet temperature to the first bed is maintained at the optimal value, the optimal
value of the inlet temperature to the second bed is determined as per step 1-3 above
5. If there are more beds, these are then optimized in turn as per the above
6. As temperatures are regulated through flow and all flows are influenced by the others, the
procedure should be repeated once or twice
The procedure is summarized in Figure 1. The procedure should be repeated each time the
operating conditions are changed.

Figure 1: Procedure for optimizing the ammonia production

Additional info
The purpose of the present procedure is to describe a systematic approach for optimizing the
catalyst bed inlet temperatures in order to achieve the maximum converter conversion rate.
Owing to the temperature dependence of the equilibrium for the ammonia reaction, the lower the
inlet temperature to the catalyst bed is the higher will the equilibrium conversion be. On the other
hand, the lower catalyst temperature, the lower rate of reaction. For each catalyst bed there will
therefore exist an inlet temperature at which the conversion (and correspondingly the temperature
rise (exotherm) across the bed: ∆T = Tout – Tin) is maximum.
The optimal inlet temperature for each catalyst bed can be illustrated by a plot of the equilibrium
curve for the ammonia reaction (see Figure 2, here for a 2 bed converter):

Figure 2: Ammonia equilibrium curve

As seen in the figure, operation at an inlet temperature which is too low means that the reaction is far
from equilibrium. At a too high inlet temperature the equilibrium is reached in the reactor at a too
high temperature, which results in a lower ammonia production.
Operating at the optimal inlet temperature will correspond to an outlet temperature close to
equilibrium (approach to equilibrium (ATE) is 10-20°C at optimal conditions, however, please be
informed that for certain types of converters with more than two beds, it can be difficult to reach a
low approach in the first bed(s)).
Optimization of the converter inlet temperature is therefore a trial-and-error search for the inlet
temperature at which the ∆T and thereby the conversion will be maximized.
Please note that each set of operating conditions (i.e. inlet flow and gas composition) will require
different bed inlet temperatures in order to optimize the operation. Also changes in catalyst activity
(ageing, poisoning) will lead to changes in the optimal inlet temperatures. The above procedure
should therefore be repeated each time the operating conditions are changed significantly.

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Join a Plant Assessment/Optimization training course at Topsoe Academy™.
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