Ammonia synthesis revamps

John Brightling
25 Mar 2015
Westin Hotel Gurgaon, India

Targets and Requirements of a Revamp

Typical targets for a revamp of a fertilizer plant:
Capacity increase
Reduction of operating cost / energy consumption
Environmental improvements
(e.g. reduction of emissions)
Increase of reliability and availability
Change of Feedstock
Important things to consider to make the project a success:
Use a well proven and reliable technical concept
Keep the plant downtime for implementation and modification as short
as possible

Reactor development
Quench

Heat exchange

% NH3
Equilibrium curve

20

15

heat exch.

10

400

450

500
Temperature C

Max Appl, IFA Technical Conference, September 25.-26., 1997, Sevilla, Spain
3

Converter Retrofits
Interchanger rather than quench
Convert to axial-radial or radial flow
Utilise smaller catalyst
Since reaction is diffusion limited increases reaction rate and
therefore increased production
Can improve efficiency by 0.5-1.0 GJ/t

Most plants have done this

Reactor development

120
Relative Activity

100
80
60

40
20
0
0

10

12

14

Particle Diameter (mm)

Additional Converter Volume Options

A couple of revamp options:
Booster converter in the synthesis loop
Once through synthesis converter

Booster converter (e.g. additional 4th bed)

4th Bed booster
3 bed converter
Equilibrium

Booster low pressure OT Scheme

NH3 Once Through
Synthesis

Synthesis
Reactor
S: Separator
WC: Water Cooler
CH: Chiller with
NH3-refrigerant

HP Steam

Purge Gas

R
NH3 - Synthesis
Loop

S
Synthesis Gas
(Make up gas)

WC H2O

S
WC

CH

CH CH

H2O
NH3 Product

Revamp Case Study 1 - Once through

Duslo Ammonia Plant 950 TPD Europe, build 1973
Desire to increase plant capacity by 40%
New once through converter by Uhde
Two radial beds KATALCOJM 74-1 catalyst with one
interchanger

Additional capacity by reactor 385MTPD

Duslo, Slovakia

Original Front End & Loop

CO2

CO2 removal
HP steam

BFW

MP steam
Feed
Process air
Combustion air

Fuel
Gas

Refrig.
Unit
CW

BFW

Product
Ammonia

New Once Through Booster

CO
2

CO2 removal
HP steam

BFW

MP steam
Feed

Fuel
Gas

Purge Gas

Process air
Combustion air

BFW

Synthesis
Loop

H2
Recovery

Product Ammonia
NH3

Refrigeration
Package Unit

NH3

CW

BFW

Ammonia
Water

Four-Phase Revamp Project Execution

Revamp Study
Test Run -> mass balances, Temps, Pressures
Precise pressure drop review
Catalyst performance data
Control valve survey
Maximum load tests
Discussions with operation staff
Plant simulation with gathered data

Four-Phase Revamp Project Execution

Revamp Study
Study results:
Description of the revamp concept
Process Flow diagrams (PFD)
Steam Balance
Production and consumption figures
Cost estimate (+/- 15%)

Four-Phase Revamp Project Execution

Basic Engineering
BEP results:
Equipment / piping Specifications
Piping and Instrumentation diagrams (P&ID)
3-D modelling of plant
Operating handbook / analytical manual
Consumption / effluents / wastes
Plot plans
Cost adjustment / confirmation

Four-Phase Revamp Project Execution

Basic Engineering
Revamp concept checked and confirmed
Detailed configuration of the plant
Selection of equipment suppliers begins
Long delivery items ordered
Licenses acquired / updated
Safety aspects explored

OT Synthesis advantages for revamps

Energy efficient
Tie-In work completed during scheduled downtime
Minimisation of downtime during Revamp
Start-up any time plant is in operation
Shutdown/isolation from running plant
Spatial Integration not necessary

OT Synthesis Spatial layout

Revamp Case Study 2 - Booster

Kuibyshev Azot OJSC
Plant 1360TPD GIAP Russian, build 1977
Operating at 1600 TPD desire to increase plant
capacity to 1800 TPD

The plant is a standard GIAP design of the 1970s.

Several dozen of this plant type exist in Russia
and other states of the former Soviet Union

Revamp Case Study 2 - The Customer

Kuibyshev Azot OJSC:

Kuibyshev Azot,
Togliatti, Russia

Revamp Case Study 2 - The plant

Profile of the Original Ammonia plant: - fairly conventional process
applicable to the whole family of such plants:
top-fired primary reformer with internal riser pipes
bayonet-type HP steam boiler downstream of the secondary reformer
CO shift with one vessel for HT and two parallel vessels for LT shift
MEA CO2 removal system
Standard methanation
synthesis gas compression by steam-turbine driven centrifugal
compressor
synthesis loop with one ammonia converter
Modifications made in earlier revamp:
change from MEA to activated MDEA as CO2 removal solvent
new ammonia converter cartridge with axial/radial flow pattern

Revamp Case 2 Plant before revamp

Ammonia plant block diagram before the revamp: synthesis gas generation
process air
compressor

steam

proc. air
preheater

air
steam
natural
gas

preheating

desulphurization
BFW

methanation

preheating

gas
cooling

LTS

syngas
compressor
(3rd + 4th stage)

gas
cooling

BFW

purge gas
syngas
compressor
(1st + 2nd stage)

secondary
reformer

BFW

CO2

CO2
removal

primary
reformer

gas
cooling

HTS

steam ammonia

synthesis
loop

synthesis

refrigeration
ammonia

Revamp Case 2 The revamp

Kuibyshev Azots target for the revamp:
production increase to 1,800 tons per day (+ 12.5 % on current / + 32 %
on original nameplate capacity)
improved energy efficiency of secondary importance
Technical solution: main changes in syngas generation (front end):
Removal of fired heater for feed preheating, replacement by new preheat
coil in reformer flue gas duct
addition of blower to suction side of process air compressor
lower steam-to-carbon ratio
New feed / steam coil in flue gas duct to increase feed / steam inlet
temperature

Case Study 2: Synthesis Section

Water Removal from Synthesis Gas

Can use either molecular sieves or ammonia washing
Then feed synthesis gas to converter inlet
Reduces ammonia content of gas inlet converter therefore
increases production
Reduced refrigeration load
No loss of reactants in purge gas

Technical Solution in Synthesis (1 of 2)

Technical Solution in Synthesis (2 of 2)

KATALCOJM 74-1 - Stability & Longevity

User

Technology

Operating

Terra Severnside, UK (closed)

LCA 2

20 years

Puyang, Henan, China

Uhde

20 years

Terra Severnside, UK (closed)

LCA 1

15 Years

CBC, Hainan, China

Casale

19 years+

AMV

17 years +

Casale

14 years+

KBR/Casale

13 years+

SAFCO, Saudi Arabia

Uhde

8 years+

Duslo, Slovakia

Uhde

7 years+

Saudi Mining, Saudi Arabia

Uhde

4 years+

Casale

2 years+

CF Courtright, Canada
Orica, Australia
Incitec Pivot, Australia

Dyno, Australia

Case Study 3 : Casale Revamp

Ammonia Plant 800mtpd

KBR 4th bed booster converter
installed in 1997
Used KAAP catalyst Ru on
activated carbon substrate
KAAP catalyst rapidly degraded
resulting in a loss of activity, loss
in plant capacity and loss of
catalyst from the reactor
Reactor converted by Ammonia
Casale to use KATALCOJM 74-1

Case Study 2 : Casale Revamp

Case Study 2 : 4th Bed duty

N2+3H2

2NH3

Reaction Rate

Ru

N2+3H2

Fe

2NH3
Ammonia %

Relative Inhibition of
Ru and Fe Catalyst
Ammonia, Appl 1999

Proven performance - catalysts

= KATALCOJM 35-series
~36

= KATALCOJM S6-10
(equivalent to 35 series)
~19
= KATALCOJM 74-series
~8

Proven performance - converters

= Uhde ~24

= ICI ~3

= Kellogg/KBR ~9

= Casale ~20

= Topsoe ~1

= Other ~5

New large plants

2200mtpd TKIS Uhde 2 converter 3 bed, inter-bed HP boiler
HP steam

Refrigeration

Purge

C.W.
NH3
( liquid )

BFW
Make-up gas

Syngas compressor

New large plants

2200mtpd TKIS Uhde KATALCOJM 74-1 in Bed 2 and 3,
HP steam

Additional
Loop pressure
production
can of
be25,000te/year
reduced 4%
Refrigeration

Purge

C.W.
NH3
( liquid )

BFW
Make-up gas

Syngas compressor

Johnson Matthey ammonia synthesis

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Thank you