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Storage and Transport of Ammonia
Storage and Transport of Ammonia
Storage and Transport of Ammonia
Presented by:-
Bitan Mondal
UG 2nd Year
Roll no.- 328
Dept.- Industrial & Applied Chemistry
Guided by – Prof.(Dr.) Uttam Kumar Ghorai
INDEX
❑ Ammonia
❑ Manufacturing processes
❑ Methods of storage
❑ Storage tanks
❑ Transportation of Ammonia
❑ Precautions and preventive measures
❑ Merits and demerits
❑ Economic study
❑ Case study
❑ Conclusion
❑ References
❑ Acknowledgement
What is Ammonia? 1
An inorganic
chemical compound A colourless gas
of nitrogen and with a distinctive
hydrogen with the pungent smell.
formula NH3.
Source: Quora
Commercially
produced by Around 70% of
Haber-Bosch ammonia produced
process. industrially is used to
N2+3H2⇌2NH3 make fertilizers.
NH3 Manufacturing Processes 2
• N2+3H2⇌ 2NH3
• High temp and pressure required. Fe catalyst used.
Haber-Bosch • Currently main industrial procedure for the production of ammonia.
Process Responsible for approximately 1.8% of global CO2 emissions.
▪ Stored at ambient temperature (25°C) ▪ Stored at 0°C and 3-4 bar of gauge
and 16-25 bar pressure required. pressure is required.
▪ Stored in two types of tanks- ▪ Normally spherical vessels are used.
Cylindrical (capacity- 150 tonnes) & (capacity- about 3000 tonnes).
Spherical (capacity- 250-1500 tonnes). ▪ Much lighter steel tanks are used.
▪ High-strength or fine-grained steels are ▪ Utilize the single-step refrigeration
used in tanks. compressor system.
▪ Suitable for storing small quantities of ▪ Less expensive and sophisticated than
NH3. low-temperature storage
Source: www.iqsdirectory.com
https://ptx-hub.org/
Low-temperature storage Solid-state storage
▪ Stored at -33.4°C and in normal ▪ To enhance safety and prevent leakage storing
atmospheric pressure. NH3 in solid form has also been developed.
▪ Cylindrical vertical storage tanks are ▪ Metal halides (MXm) absorb NH3 at room
used. (capacity- 50,000 tonnes). temperature and form solid metal ammines.
▪ Utilize a two-stage refrigeration MXm+ nNH3 ⇌ M(NH3)nXm
compressor system. ▪ Ammonia can be extracted very easily by
▪ Normalized carbon-manganese steel is desorption when heated or depressurized.
used for construction. ▪ Reversibility of reaction reduces volatility and
▪ Two types of storage tanks are used- release rate at room temperature of NH3.
Single wall steel tank & Double wall ▪ These metal ammines have a great gravimetric
steel tank. hydrogen density of about 10 wt%.
Source: https://ptx-hub.org/
Ammonia storage tanks
Nowadays for large-scale production of NH3, it has become common to store it at -33°C
under ambient atmospheric pressure.
The main types of atmospheric tanks operating at -33°C are-
Source: https://ammoniaknowhow.com/
Transportation of Ammonia
# Transport of liquid NH3 is much safer, low-risk prone and cost-
effective via pipeline.
# Requires to heat NH3 at least up to 2°C to avoid brittle fracture in
pipeline.
# Transportation should be at a minimum pressure of 20 bar to
prevent gas formation.
# Stainless steel is used in the transfer lines as it is highly corrosion-
Source: https://t8.ru/?p=11058&lang=en
resistant to NH3 but very expensive.
Pipeline transportation
➢ Ocean transportation of ammonia is done by ammonia tankers and
river and coastal transportation by barges.
➢ NH3 tankers can be semi-refrigerated (4-8 bar, -10°C) or fully
refrigerated (atmospheric pressure, -50°C to -30°C). Barges
typically carry refrigerated loads, but some are pressure vessels (17-18
bar).
➢ Semi-refrigerated carriers contain up to 15,000 m3 whereas, fully
refrigerated carriers contain 50,000 tonnes of NH3. Barges have a
loading capacity of 400-2500 tonnes. Source: https://lloydslist.com/LL1137516/Ammonia-hype-builds-in-shipping-market
➢ Shipping containers constructed of quenched and tempered steel Ocean and barge transportation
with 0.2 wt% of water.
✓ Distribution of NH3 through railways is mainly done for shorter
distances than barge and pipeline transportation.
✓ Vehicle capacity- 70-72 tonnes and some are larger, of 90 tonnes. Tanks
usually have a 1.75cm thickness and are covered with a 0.32cm jacket.
✓ NH3 is transported as a pressurized liquid at a pressure of 15-16 bar,
provided with pressure relief devices.
✓ Loading of NH3 is in between 57%-85% of the tank’s volume to avoid
thermal expansion in case of temperature increase.
✓ Generally, rail transport is more expensive, and harmful to the Source: https://www.railway.supply/en/rwe-and-vtg-organize-the-delivery-of-ammonia-by-rail/
Source: https://dogumak3.en.ec21.com/Anhydrous_Ammonia_Transportation_%28NH3%29--10510561_10511373.html
Truck transportation
Be cautious!!
• Pungent odour of NH3 is perceptible by humans
at a shallow concentration in the air. (20 ppm).
So, small leaks can be detected easily.
• Liquid NH3, High percentage NH3 water and
highly concentrated NH3 gas will irritate human
skin and cause severe burns. Increase in
concentration leads to paralysis of respiratory
organs.
• Maximum possible conc. in a working area over
8 hrs is approximately 25 ppm.
• Terylene boiler suits should be worn with rubber
ankle or knee boots and protective gloves made
of rubber or PVC. Lightweight PVC suits are
preferable for more risky zones.
• For leak detection, soap water solution can be
applied to doubtful areas with a brush.
Formation of bubble indicates leakage. Source: https://emiri.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/221109-ammonia-transport-and-storage.pdf
per year.
Source: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1998871#:~:text=The
• ACME and Japanese heavy industry major IHI signed one of the largest
pacts to supply Green Ammonia from India to Japan. The Green
Ammonia will be produced at ACME’s 1.2 MMTPA Green
Ammonia project being developed at Gopalpur in the state of
Odisha. Total investment for 1.2 MMT per annum plant will be 5
billion USD. The term sheet between IHI and ACME covers the supply
of 0.4 MMTPA of green ammonia from Phase 1 of the Odisha project in
Source: https://www.indianchemicalnews.com/general/scatec-acme-group-to-jointly-build-a-large-scale-
Gopalpur on a long-term basis.
green-ammonia-facility-in-oman-12760
Conclusion
Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. Same in the storing and transporting of Ammonia. It can be easily
stored and transported in ambient conditions. However, it is harmful due to less stability, short explosion range and
health hazards. So, we have to handle it carefully keeping the risks in mind.
Also, research is still going on to develop
NH3 as a better alternative fuel to conventional fuels. Already many attempts have been made in the lab or
commercially to use it as fuel in vehicles or for other purposes directly or indirectly but it is still an underdeveloped
sector. But, it is a very demanding sector in the market now and soon with the view of various severe threats to the
environment and ecosystem. Proper infrastructure and market policies can surely help to grow the sector.
Source: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/12/3062
References
❑ https://ptx-hub.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/International-PtX-Hub_202401_Ammonia-transport-and-
storage.pdf
❑ https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/12/3062
❑ https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/17/6192
❑ https://ammoniaknowhow.com/ammonia-storage-tanks/
❑ https://environmentclearance.nic.in/writereaddata/online/EC/24032022qftuvp51xo218669481Annexures-2.pdf
❑ https://emiri.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/221109-ammonia-transport-and-storage.pdf
❑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonia_production
❑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonia
❑ https://irc.wisc.edu/export.php?ID=17
❑ https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1998871#:~:text=The
❑ https://royalsociety.org/-/media/policy/projects/green-ammonia/green-ammonia-policy-briefing.pdf
❑ https://www.acme.in/media-release/19/acme-inks-land-agreement-to-set-up-green-ammonia-and-green-
hydrogen-facility-at-oman
Acknowledgement
Thank you for joining me for this presentation. I want to take a moment to express my
gratitude to my project guide, Dr Uttam Kumar Ghorai, for his unwavering support and
invaluable advice. I would also like to thank the other Research Scholar seniors for their
helpful suggestions that helped to improve the overall quality of this presentation.
Additionally, I would like to thank all my friends and seniors for their assistance, guidance,
and support throughout this project.
Lastly, I thank everyone in attendance for their attention and interest. If you have any
questions or concerns, you can ask.
THANK YOU!