Ammonia

Basic Flowsheet Elements

Chemistry of the Ammonia Process
Simplified Block Diagram of a Typical
1000 t/d Ammonia Plant
 Simplified Block Diagram of a 2000
MTPD Methanol Flowsheet
Steam Raising

Water

VSG-Z101
VHT-S103 VSG-A101
40 m³
20 m³
Feedstock 200 m³
Methanol
VSG-Z101
(CH )
4 40 m³

VSG-EZ200

Purification Compression Distillation

Reforming Synthesis
Simplified Block Diagram of a
Hydrogen Flowsheet
Natural Gas Feed Steam
Hydrogen

VHT-S101
PSA
VSG- VSG- VSG-
Cl101 Z101 F101
etc
VSG-
EZ200

High Temperature
Desulfurization
CO Shift
Primary Reforming
 Simplified Flowsheet for a Typical
Ammonia Plant
Hydrodesulphuriser Primary Secondary High Low
Reformer Reformer Temperature Temperature
Air Shift Shift
Steam

Cooling
Steam 550o C
400o C 350o C
200o C

H2
Steam
Natural superheater
Gas
30 o
220 C
bar 1000o C 420 C o
o Steam Steam Heat
o 790 C Recovery
390 C raising raising
Preheater o Process
150 C
290o C Condensate

CO2 Ammonia Quench

Catchpot
Quench 400o C
Refrigeration
Cooling
330o C Steam
220 bar
Heat o
Reboiler Recovery 470 C
Cooling Boiler

Cooling Liquid Ammonia

Cooling Condensate Purge Gas
CO 2 Removal Carbon Dioxide
Methanator Ammonia Synthesis
 Modern Conventional Flowsheets

 Main process steps are the same for all plants

 Main differences in equipment design

 Uhde
 Top fired reformer
 Proprietary exit header design
 Secondary reformer has a riser
 HP loop with radial flow converter
 Modern Conventional Flowsheets

 HKBR
 Primary reformer with manifold/riser

 Haldor Topsøe
 Side fired reformer
 Radial flow converter
 S-200
 S-250
 Other Flowsheet Options
 Braun Purifier
 ICI AMV
 ICI LCA
 Dual Pressure Uhde Process
 HKBR KAAP (with/without purifier)
 Linde LAC
 H2 Recovery is used on most
modern plants
 Braun Purifier Process

 Primary reformer exit temperature is 700°C

 Excess air is added to the secondary reformer
 Methane slip typically around 2-2.5 mol %
 Excess nitrogen (and methane) cryogenically
removed downstream of methanator
 Also removes water - ammonia synthesis catalyst
poison
 Improved synthesis lives
 Can reduce SC ratio to 2.7-3.0
 Small primary
 Braun Purifier Process
Purified Syn Gas
Waste Gas
Cold Box
Raw Syn Gas

Feed Effluent Exchangers

 ICI AMV Process

 As with Braun - utilizes excess air to secondary

 Excess nitrogen is passed to the loop
 Loop runs at low pressure (80-110 bara)
 Use ICI LP Catalyst (74- Series)
 Uses a saturator to saturate feed gas
 This raises around 50% of the required steam
 Can use SC ratio of 2.8
 H2 Recovery in loop at loop pressure
 ICI LCA Process

 Aim at small plant capacities (500 mtpd)

 Uses the GHR-Secondary concept
 Excess air is utilized to close heat balance
 Utilizes an ITS rather than HTS and LTS
 A saturator for steam raising
 A PSA system to remove the CO2 and excess N2
 A low pressure loop (80 bara)
 A tube cooled converter or Casale converter
 No longer actively marketing
 Dual Pressure Uhde Process
Off-Gas

Second
ammonia PGR Unit
converter

HP- HP-
steam steam
First
ammonia
converter
NH3 NH3
C.W.

LP
casing HP
casing
Note: Molecular
Sieves not shown

Once
through
ammonia Ammonia
C.W. NH3 C.W. converter from
NH3 HP loop
HP-
steam

H 2O

Make up gas
from frontend C.W.
Ammonia from once through conversion
 Dual Pressure Uhde Process

 Benefits of such a scheme realised at 3,000

mtpd +
 Although this is large capacity - all equipment is
proven
 Note the low pressure converter between stages
of synthesis gas machine
 Makes machine smaller
 Makes loop pipework 24”
 Uses Comp. J catalyst
 HKBR Purifier and KAAP
To Fuel

Feed
Shift &
Primary Secondary Meth’n
CO2 Purifier
Reformer Reformer Dryers
Removal

Recycle Purge

KAAP Compression
 Linde LAC

 Key features are

 No secondary reformer
 Nitrogen is generated cryogenically and
added after a PSA unit
 No HTS/LTS - only Isothermal (ITS) shift
 No methanation
Linde LAC
Desulfurization Nitrogen Unit

Primary Reformer

Isothermal Shift

PSA

Ammonia Synthesis
 Other Flowsheet Options

 Use Gas Turbine to drive process air

compressor
 Can use effluent as combustion air
 Has 16-17% O2 and is at 500°C
 Braun plants
 Install pre reformer
 HT Retrofit
 Many other reasons
 Remove heat from duct
 Uprate plant
 Other Flowsheet Options

 Synthesis Gas driers

 Reduces H2O in syn gas
 H2O is a poison
 Activity increases
 Ammonia Wash
 As per Syn Gas driers
 Booster converters
 Drop load on loop and allow overall output
increase
 Quenches in Shifts
 Ammonia Flowsheet Data Analysis
Tool - VULCAN CERES
 Looks at all catalytic unit operations
 Highlights potential issues/in-correct data
items
 Functionality to address flowsheet options
 Kellogg risers
 Differential flowsheet conditions (Braun)
 Use as a basis for
 Predictions of future performance
 Predictions of new catalyst options
 Uprates