Omar Yara A.

Valenzuela Quirs

Ostwald Process to produce HNO3

Is based on the catalytic oxidation of ammonia.

The procedure consists in reacting in a reactor a

mixture of ammonia and air enriched with oxygen over a catalyst, a platinum mesh to obtain selectively nitric oxide and water at temperatures between 820-950 C and pressures of 1-12 bar. The process is exothermic. (H = -295.5 kj/mol) Rxn(overall): NH3 + 2O2 HNO3 + H2O

Raw Materials used in the process

Ammonia
Air Oxygen Water platinum catalyst

Block Diagram
Clean Air

Compressor

Reactor

Heat Exchanger

NH3
To Nox Treatment Plant

Vaporizer and super-heater

H2O

Nitric Acid Storage

Stripper

Absorption Tower

Air

Flow Diagram
NH3
mix
Heat Recovery

NH3
oxidation

To effluent stack

Air

Air filtering & compression

Air Pre-heat

Catalyst Recovery

NOx Emission Control

Absorption Tower

H2O

HNO3 APPROXIMATELY 65%

Mass Balance
Ammonia 98% pure needed to produce 400 ton/day of

65 wt % nitric acid NH3 + 2O2

400 x

HNO3 + H2O

0.65 = 260 ton/day HNO3 95% efficiency 260/0.95 = 273.68 ton/day HNO3 273.68 ton/day HNO3 x (17 g/mol NH3 / 63 g/mol HNO3 = 73.85 g/mol NH3
98% Ammonia @ 25 C and 1 atm 73.85/0.98

= 75.36 ton/day NH3

Mass Balance
Air necessary for oxidation of ammonia in the reactor

NH3 + 2O2

HNO3 + H2O

1 mole NH3 require 2 mole O2

73.85 ton/day NH3 x

(1 mol NH3/ 17 g/mol NH3) x ( 2 mol O2 / 1 mol NH3) x 32 g/mol O2

= 278 ton/day O2

Mass Balance
Water requirement: is produced in the process,

however the final product is 65 wt % solution of nitric acid. NH3 + 2O2 HNO3 + H2O 400 ton/day HNO3 65% x 0.35 = 140 ton/day Water produced by reaction is equal to: (73.82/17) x 18 = 78.20 ton/day H2O

Mass Balance
Water entering with ammonia (98% pure)

75.36 x 0.02 = 1.51 ton/day

Water requirement

140-78.20-1.51 = 60.29 ton/day

With 95% efficiency, water requirement

60.29-0.95 = 63.46 ton/day

Overall Material Balance

N2: 915.16 ton/day Ammonia 98% NH3: 73.85 ton/day H2O: 1.51 ton/day

The entire process

HNO3 65 wt %: 260 ton/day H2O: 140 ton/day

Air O2: 278 ton/day N2: 915.16 ton/day Un-reacted Material NH3: 3.69 ton/day O2: 13.9 ton/day

Water: 63.46 ton/day