A HYSYS SIMULATION OF A 700 TONS PER DAY

AMMONIA PRODUCTION PLANT

Submitted to

Dr. Nahid Sanzida

Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, BUET

Submitted by

Name: Uddipta Mondal #ID: 1502017

Name: Md. Rafid Jawad Chowdhury #ID: 1502018

Name: Ashib Anzum #ID: 1502019

Name: Md. Burhan Kabir Suhan #ID: 1502020

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

Department of Chemical Engineering

February 11, 2019

Acknowledgement

We would like to express our deepest appreciation to all those who helped us in completing the
project. We express special gratitude to our madam, Dr.Nahid Sanzida, whose contribution in
stimulating suggestions and encouragement, helped us to coordinate our simulation project.
We respect and thank our teachers for providing us an opportunity to do the project work and
giving us all support and guidance which made us complete the project duty.
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Abstract

Ammonia is critical in the manufacturing of fertilizers, and is one of the largest-volume synthetic
chemicals produced in the world. Understanding the process involving ammonia production bears
paramount importance for a chemical engineer. In this regard, an Aspen Hysys simulation of
ammonia plant is very helpful. The ammonia production process includes desulfurization, auto
thermal reforming (ATR), shift conversion, carbon dioxide removal, methanation and finally
ammonia synthesis. The operations before the synthesis are carried out to produce nitrogen and
hydrogen from natural gas. In the simulation, desulfurization is not included as the sulfur content
of natural gas in our country is low. Modern ATR technology is used replacing primary and
secondary reformer. Conversion of toxic carbon monoxide is necessary which is carried out in the
shift reactor followed by carbon dioxide removal by absorption in MEA-water solution. The
residual carbon dioxide is converted to methane. The removal is necessary as these components
can oxidize the iron catalyst used in the synthesis reactor. The plant simulated uses natural gas
(mostly methane), steam, air, MEAmine as raw product and produces around 700 ton/day
ammonia as well as by-products i.e carbon dioxide, methane. The profit is calculated to be
7.028×107 Taka/day analyzing ammonia sales, raw material cost, power cost of compressors,
cooler and not considering the installation cost. The profit is optimized with respect to several
variables and determined to be 3.347×107 Taka/day. The impact is analyzed with graphical
representation on different parameters for changing several variables. This project enables us to
get a thorough idea of the difficulties in real plant processes and possible ways to overcome them.
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgement ...................................................................................................................... i

Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... ii

Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................... iii

List of Figures .............................................................................................................................v

List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ vi

1. Introduction .........................................................................................................................1

2. Project Definitions...............................................................................................................3

2.1 Definition of the project.....................................................................................................3

2.2 Specification......................................................................................................................3

2.2.1 Raw material specification ..........................................................................................3

2.2.2 Product specification...................................................................................................7

2.2.3 Vent Specification ......................................................................................................7

3. Process Descriptions............................................................................................................8

3.1. Preparation of raw synthesis gas .......................................................................................8

3.1.1. Auto thermal reactor (ATR) .......................................................................................8

3.2 Raw Synthesis gas purification ..........................................................................................9

3.2.1 Shift Conversion .........................................................................................................9

3.2.2 Carbon Dioxide Removal.......................................................................................... 10

3.2.3 Methanation .............................................................................................................. 11

3.3 Ammonia Syntheis And Cooling ..................................................................................... 12

3.4 Various Ammonia Technologies...................................................................................... 13

3.4.1 Halder Topsoe .......................................................................................................... 13

3.4.2 Uhde ......................................................................................................................... 15

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3.5 Description of different impact on different parameters ................................................... 16

3.5.1 Impact on ammonia production by changing outlet temperature of cooler (CR-103) . 16

3.5.2 Impact on overall heat exchanger coefficient by changing inlet water temperature .... 17

3.5.3 Impact on ammonia production for the change of recycle ratio.................................. 18

3.5.4 Temperature vs Pressure in absorber ......................................................................... 19

3.5.5 Temperature vs Heat flow in cooler .......................................................................... 20

6. List of Units ...................................................................................................................... 23

7. Engineering Specifications ................................................................................................ 24

8. Profit Optimization ............................................................................................................ 29

8.1 Profit Calculation ............................................................................................................ 29

8.2 Comparison of before and after optimization ................................................................... 30

9. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 31

References ................................................................................................................................ 32
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List of Figures

Figure 1:Auto Thermal Reactor ...................................................................................................8

Figure 2:High and low temperature shift reactor ..........................................................................9
Figure 3:Basic flow sheet of MEA CO2 capture process ........................................................... 10
Figure 4:Mechanism of MEA for CO2 absorption ..................................................................... 11
Figure 5:Methanator .................................................................................................................. 12
Figure 6:Ammonia synthesis process ........................................................................................ 13
Figure 7:S-200 Topsoe converter .............................................................................................. 14
Figure 8:Uhde 3 bed converter .................................................................................................. 15
Figure 9:Impact on ammonia production by changing outlet temperature of cooler (CR-103) .... 16
Figure 10:Impact on overall heat exchanger coefficient by changing inlet water temperature .... 17
Figure 11:Impact on ammonia production for the change of recycle ratio .................................. 18
Figure 12:Temperature vs Pressure in absorber ......................................................................... 19
Figure 13:Temperature vs Heat flow in cooler ........................................................................... 20
Figure 14: Process Block Diagram of Ammonia Synthesis ........................................................ 21
Figure 15: Process Flow Diagram of Ammonia Synthesis. ........................................................ 22
Figure 16:Design parameter of a shell and tube heat exchanger HE-801 from the original
simulation file ........................................................................................................................... 25
Figure 17:TEMA nomenclature. © 1988 by Tubular Exchanger Manufacturers Association. .... 27
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List of Tables

Table 1: List of units ................................................................................................................. 23

Table 2:Tabular data for the configuration used in shell and tube heat exchanger ...................... 24
Table 3:Table of prices for optimization .................................................................................... 29
Table 4:Table for comparison of before and after optimization .................................................. 30
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1. Introduction

Ammonia is an inorganic chemical having a high production rate all over the world. Before the
start of World War I, most ammonia was obtained by the dry distillation of nitrogenous vegetable
and animal products; by the reduction of nitrous acid and nitrites with hydrogen; and also by the
decomposition of ammonium salts by alkaline hydroxides or by quicklime, the salt most generally
used being the chloride (sal-ammoniac). But today, most ammonia is produced on a large scale by
the Haber process with capacities of up to 3,300 tonnes per day. In this process, N2 and H2 gases
are allowed to react at pressures of 200 bar [2].

A typical modern ammonia-producing plant first converts natural gas (i.e., methane)
or LPG (liquefied petroleum gases such as propane and butane) or petroleum naphtha into
gaseous hydrogen. The method for producing hydrogen from hydrocarbons is known as steam
reforming. The hydrogen is then combined with nitrogen to produce ammonia via the Haber-
Bosch process.

Ammonia production depends on plentiful supplies of energy, predominantly natural gas. Due to
ammonia's critical role in intensive agriculture and other processes, sustainable production is
desirable. This is possible by using renewable energy to generate hydrogen by electrolysis of
water. This would be straightforward in a hydrogen economy by diverting some hydrogen
production from fuel to feedstock use. In practice, natural gas will remain the major source of
hydrogen for ammonia production as long as it is cheapest. As an alternative to the relatively
inefficient electrolysis, hydrogen can be generated from organic wastes (such as biomass or food-
industry waste), using catalytic (thermal) reforming. Catalytic reforming is possible in small,
distributed (even mobile) plants, to take advantage of stranded biomass/biowastes or natural gas
deposits.

It is also easier to store ammonia on-board of vehicles than to store hydrogen, as ammonia is less
flammable than gasoline or LPG. Waste water is often high in ammonia. Because discharging
ammonia laden water into the environment, even in wastewater treatment plants, can cause
problems, nitrification is often necessary to remove the ammonia. This may be a potentially
sustainable source of ammonia in the future because of its abundance and the need to remove it
from the water anyway.
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The Haber process now produces 450 million tonnes of nitrogen fertilizer per year, mostly in the
form of anhydrous ammonia, ammonium nitrate, and urea. Three to five percent of the world's
natural gas production is consumed in the Haber process (around 1–2% of the world's energy
supply) In combination with pesticides, these fertilizers have quadrupled the productivity of
agricultural land. Due to its dramatic impact on the human ability to grow food, the Haber process
served as the "detonator of the population explosion", enabling the global population to increase
from 1.6 billion in 1900 to today's 7 billion. Nearly 50% of the nitrogen found in human tissues
originated from the Haber-Bosch process [4].

There are many engineering and construction companies that offer proprietary designs for
ammonia synthesis plants. Haldor Topsoe of Denmark, Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions GmbH
of Germany, Ammonia Casale of Switzerland and Kellogg Brown & Root of the United States are
among the most experienced companies in that field.

There are numerous large-scale ammonia production plants worldwide, producing a total of 131
million tonnes of nitrogen (equivalent to 159 million tonnes of ammonia) in 2010. China produced
32.1% of the worldwide production, followed by India with 8.9%, Russia with 7.9%, and the
United States with 6.3%. In 2012, Bangladesh produced 1300 Thousand metric tons of contained
nitrogen (unit measured). 80% or more of the ammonia produced is used for fertilizing agricultural
crops. Ammonia is also used for the production of plastics, fibers, explosives, nitric acid (via the
Ostwald process) and intermediates for dyes and pharmaceuticals.
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2. Project Definitions

2.1 Definition of the project

An ammonia plant is to be simulated having a capacity of 700 ton per day by using Aspen Hysys
simulation software.

2.2 Specification
2.2.1 Raw material specification
Natural gas
Condition

Vapour / Phase Fraction 1.0000

Temperature (C) 200.0
Pressure (kPa) 101.3
Molar Flow (kgmole/h) 5000
Mass Flow (kg/h) 9.035e+004
Std Ideal Liquid Volume Flow (m3/h) 223.2
Molar Enthalpy (kJ/kgmole) -7.177e+004
Molar Entropy (kJ/kgmole-C) 198.5
Heat Flow (kJ/h) -3.588e+008
Liq Vol Flow @Std Cond (m3/h) 1.180e+005

Composition
Components Molar flow Mole fraction
(kgmole/h)
Methane 3312.7221 0.6625
H2O 489.0010 0.0978
CO 58.4254 0.0117
CO2 47.3246 0.0095
Hydrogen 342.9517 0.0686
Nitrogen 189.2984 0.0379
Oxygen 465.6276 0.0931
Argon 94.6492 0.0189
Total 5000.0000 1.0000
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Properties
Molecular Weight 18.07
Molar Density (kgmole/m3) 2.576e-002
Mass Density (kg/m3) 0.4654
Act. Volume Flow (m3/h) 1.941e+005
Mass Enthalpy (kJ/kg) -3972
Heat Capacity (kJ/kgmole-C) 40.22
Mass Heat Capacity (kJ/kg-C) 2.226

Air
Condition
Vapour / Phase Fraction 1.0000
Temperature: (C) 20.00
Pressure: (kPa) 101.3
Molar Flow (kgmole/h) 1.000e+004
Mass Flow (kg/h) 2.885e+005
Std Ideal Liq Vol Flow (m3/h) 333.5
Molar Enthalpy (kJ/kgmole) -154.0
Molar Entropy (kJ/kgmole-C) 162.9
Heat Flow (kJ/h) -1.540e+006
Liq Vol Flow @Std Cond (m3/h) 2.363e+005

Properties
Molecular Weight 28.85
Molar Density (kgmole/m3) 4.159e-002

Mass Density (kg/m3) 1.200

Act. Volume Flow (m3/h) 2.405e+005
Mass Enthalpy (kJ/kg) -5.336

Mass Entropy (kJ/kg-C) 5.647

Heat Capacity (kJ/kgmole-C) 29.15
Mass Heat Capacity (kJ/kg-C) 1.010
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Steam
Condition
Vapour / Phase Fraction 1.00

Temperature: (C) 99.59

Pressure: (kPa) 100.0

Molar Flow (kgmole/h) 1000

Mass Flow (kg/h) 1.802e+004

Std Ideal Liq Vol Flow (m3/h) 18.05

Molar Enthalpy (kJ/kgmole) -2.459e+005

Molar Entropy (kJ/kgmole-C) 161.4

Heat Flow (kJ/h) -2.459e+008

Liq Vol Flow @Std Cond (m3/h) 17.75

Properties

Molecular Weight 18.02

Molar Density (kgmole/m3) 3.969e-002

Mass Density (kg/m3) 0.7151

Act. Volume Flow (m3/h) 2.519e+004

Mass Enthalpy (kJ/kg) -1.365e+004

Mass Entropy (kJ/kg-C) 8.958

Heat Capacity (kJ/kgmole-C) 42.44

Mass Heat Capacity (kJ/kg-C) 2.356

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MEA solution
Condition

Vapour / Phase Fraction 0.0000

Temperature: (C) 40.00
Pressure: (kPa) 200.0
Molar Flow (kgmole/h) 4.000e+004
Mass Flow (kg/h) 1.177e+006
Composition (& mole) 26.47 % (MEA)
73.53 % (Water)
Std Ideal Liq Vol Flow (m3/h) 1166
Molar Enthalpy (kJ/kgmole) -2.819e+005
Molar Entropy (kJ/kgmole-C) -245.3
Heat Flow (kJ/h) -1.128e+010
Liq Vol Flow @Std Cond (m3/h) 1146

Properties

Molecular Weight 29.42

Molar Density (kgmole/m3) 34.44
Mass Density (kg/m3) 1013
Act. Volume Flow (m3/h) 1161
Mass Enthalpy (kJ/kg) -9584
Mass Entropy (kJ/kg-C) -8.338
Heat Capacity (kJ/kgmole-C) 99.57
Mass Heat Capacity (kJ/kg-C) 3.385
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2.2.2 Product specification

Main product: Ammonia
By products: CO2,Credit Steam,Methane
Ammonia
Temperature: 100℃
Pressure: 192 bar
Production: 28090 kg/hr (700 ton/day)

Molecular Weight 17.03

Molar Density (kgmole/m3) 29.05

Mass Density (kg/m3) 494.8

Act. Volume Flow (m3/h) 56.95

Mass Enthalpy (kJ/kg) -3524

Mass Entropy (kJ/kg-C) 5.862

Heat Capacity (kJ/kgmole-C) 103.7

Mass Heat Capacity (kJ/kg-C) 6.089

Steam
Temperature:100℃
Pressure: 1 atm
Production: 7454 kmole/hr
Methane
Temperature: 1380℃
Pressure: 192 bar
Production: 8841 kmole/hr
Carbon dioxide
Temperature: 90℃
Pressure: 200 kPa
2.2.3 Vent Specification
The vent gas containing CO and CO2 in ppm level doesn’t pose any risk for environment.
 Page |8

3. Process Descriptions

3.1. Preparation of raw synthesis gas

3.1.1. Auto thermal reactor (ATR)
Auto thermal reactor has two sections-

a) Combustion zone
b) Thermal and catalytic zone
The combustion zone is used to convert the unsaturated hydrocarbon mainly methane (CH 4) to CO
and H2 by partially combustion reaction. This reaction is exothermic.

CH4+1½O2=CO+2H2O (Reaction 1)

Figure 1:Auto Thermal Reactor

Reforming uses a nickel-based catalyst to promote the reaction. It proceeds in parallel with the
water-gas shift reaction according to the following reactions:

CH4 + H2O = 3H2 + CO (Reaction 2)

H2O + CO = H2 + CO2 (Reaction 3)

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Steam-methane reforming, reaction 2, is highly endothermic. The water-gas shift, reaction 3, is

slightly exothermic and therefore the overall reaction is endothermic. In industrial practice, near
equilibrium yields are achieved using a variety of reactor designs. Important design considerations
are system pressure, steam to carbon ratio in the feed, composition of the natural gas, the method
of supplying the heat of reaction, and amount of carbon dioxide recycle. Carbon dioxide recycle
may be used to lower the ratio of H2/CO in the synthesis gas as it forces reaction 3 in the reverse
direction. The exit temperature is typically above 1000°C, and this ensures low CH 4 leakage even
at high pressure[7].

3.2 Raw Synthesis gas purification

3.2.1 Shift Conversion

High Temperature Shift Converter (HTS):

CO is undesired element for this process. CO is converted to CO2 in this converter. The inlet and
outlet temperature of this converter are respectively around 370ºC and 430ºC. SRF out contains
2.5 % CO and HTS out contains 0.4% CO. Fe2O3 is used as catalyst. The reaction in the HTS is
exothermic reaction. At high temperature rate of reaction increases and complete combustion is
not achieved.

Low Temperature Shift Converter (LTS):

Figure 2:High and low temperature shift reactor

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This converter is used to convert the rest of the CO to CO2.Inlet temperature of LTS is around 200
ºC. The outlet of the LTS contains around 0.04% CO. The outlet temperate is 250ºC. ZnO,
Cr2O3/CuO are used as catalysts in this converter.

Reaction in shift convertor is given below:

CO+H2O = CO2+H2

3.2.2 Carbon Dioxide Removal

The purpose of using this section is to get rid of the CO2 obtained from the conversion of the CO
in the shift converters since it is undesired in the next steps. In order to achieve this removal, MEA
(monoethanolamine), with mole fraction 63%, with the rest of water was used.

Figure 3:Basic flow sheet of MEA CO2 capture process

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MEA is used in medium to high pressure gas treating and does not need reclaiming. Absorber is
used at pressure of 2 bar to serve the purpose of removing CO2 to 3% from 14%, with the solvent
entering at 2 bar and 25ºC.

Structure of MEA

Figure 4:Mechanism of MEA for CO2 absorption

3.2.3 Methanation
After the removal of the CO2 the remaining CO and CO2 are converted to methane in this section.
Methanator is used to ensure the removal of CO2 and CO as these will poison the ammonia
synthesis catalyst and concentration has to be reduced by less than 5-10 ppm. In the methanator, a
packing of catalyst is used. Here operation at lower temperature is advantageous due to thermal
degradation at high temperature. In the methanator nozzles are used as distributor so that no
channeling occurs and the full conversion is occurred[8].

CO+3H2 = CH4+H2O

CO2+4H2 = CH4+2H2O
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Figure 5:Methanator

3.3 Ammonia Syntheis And Cooling

The methanator outlet is cooled before compressor since the volume will be less if a low
temperature stream is compressed. As a result power consumption will be lower. The gas is
compressed to 170 kg/cm2, at a temperature of 500ºC, mixed with recycle stream and sent to the
ammonia converter. In the converter hydrogen and nitrogen reacted in presence of Iron (Fe)
catalyst and converted to ammonia, where the conversion cannot be more than 60%. Synthesis gas
comes out at around 170ºC with 22% ammonia. To separate product ammonia from other
components in the product stream, further cooling is done. The gas mixture separated from
ammonia by cooling and flashing is recycled back to converter after compressing and attaining to
inlet temperature. Some per cent of recycled gas is purged to maintain the inert level in the
synthesis loop. Ammonia is recovered from the purge stream by similar method of cooling to -
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50ºC and flashing. Finally liquid ammonia recovered from purge stream, recycle stream and
ammonia synthesis reactor, after cooling using coolers and heat exchangers and flushing several
times, is sent to storage tank at -40ºC.

N2+3H2 ↔ 2NH3

Figure 6:Ammonia synthesis process

3.4 Various Ammonia Technologies

3.4.1 Halder Topsoe
Optimizing the production of ammonia requires a delicate balance of operating conditions that
take a large number of considerations into account. Therefore, one of the many difficulties facing
ammonia converter design is the control of bed temperatures. Many converter designs were
developed in an attempt to obtain better temperature control while simultaneously reducing energy
costs by maximizing heat recovery. The common characteristic of earlier converters was axial
flow, but given the ever-increasing plant capacities, this flow type required catalyst beds so tall
that the subsequent increase in pressure drop demanded larger catalyst sizes. Large particles,
however, lower the effective catalyst activity due to the longer diffusion pathway to the interior of
the catalyst. Topsøe solved this problem with the development of the radial flow converter in 1966.
Not only did this converter type reduce pressure drop, it also allowed a significant decrease in
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catalyst particle size, resulting in much higher ammonia production. Ten years later, Topsøe
further improved this design by introducing radial flow converters with indirect cooling between
catalyst beds – the 2-bed Topsøe S-200. This converter type has since been used in more ammonia
plants than any other type. In a world-scale ammonia plant, the pressure shell weighs typically
between 500–700 tons, so any reduction in converter size is extremely beneficial, both for cost
considerations and for transport and handling purposes. Topsøe’s latest radial flow converter
design, the S-300, is an excellent example of a compact ammonia converter. In the S-300, the
catalyst volume has been reduced by nearly 20% compared to its predecessor. Additional
advantages of the S-300 converter include its ability to cope with issues such as nitriding and
hydrogen attack. Such benefits are not only relevant for new plants but can also be valuable
through revamps of existing plants.

Figure 7:S-200 Topsoe converter

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3.4.2 Uhde
Uhde has pioneered the development of essential items of equipment for ammonia plants which
includes primary reformer with a cold outlet manifold. The advantages of Uhde reformer are:

 No high-alloy outlet pigtails and/or outlet manifolds or risers which work at creep
conditions Minimum number of components exposed to severe process conditions
 Uniform temperature profile over the entire length of reformer tube
 No thermal expansion problem with outlet manifold system
 Almost unlimited service life of the Uhde outlet manifold system with no maintenance
required other than painting

Figure 8:Uhde 3 bed converter

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3.5 Description of different impact on different parameters

3.5.1 Impact on ammonia production by changing outlet temperature of cooler (CR-103)
The product stream from the second synthesis reactor is cooled to get a stream containing liquid
ammonia.Ammonia production increases as outlet stream is cooled.

60000
Cooling Temperature vs Ammonia production

50000
Ammonia Production (kg/hr)

40000

30000

20000

10000

0
-40 -20 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Cooler outlet temperature

Figure 9:Impact on ammonia production by changing outlet temperature of cooler (CR-103)

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3.5.2 Impact on overall heat exchanger coefficient by changing inlet water temperature
Water is used in heat exchanger for cooling process stream.Thus we produced steam.As the heat
duty remains constant,the overall heat transfer coefficient U was found to increase with the water
temperature.

Inlet water temperature vs Overall U

7450

7400

7350

7300
Overall U

7250

7200

7150

7100

7050

7000
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Inlet Water Temperature ( ℃)

Figure 10:Impact on overall heat exchanger coefficient by changing inlet water temperature
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3.5.3 Impact on ammonia production for the change of recycle ratio

As there was not sufficient reactants in recycle stream,higher recycle ratio increased the heat load
and thus less fraction was liquefied.Hence ammonia production decreased.

Recycle ratio vs Ammonia production

28190

28185
Ammonia production(kg/hr)

28180

28175

28170

28165
0.84 0.86 0.88 0.9 0.92 0.94 0.96

Recycle ratio

Figure 11:Impact on ammonia production for the change of recycle ratio

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3.5.4 Temperature vs Pressure in absorber

Temperature vs Pressure in absorber

90

80

70

60
Pressure

50

40

30

20

10

0
0 50 100 150 200 250

Temperature

Figure 12:Temperature vs Pressure in absorber

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3.5.5 Temperature vs Heat flow in cooler

Temperature vs Heat flow in cooler(CL-301)

100000000

-1E+08
Heat Flow (KJ/h)

-2E+08

-3E+08

-4E+08

-5E+08

-6E+08
-60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60 80 100

Temperature(℃)

Figure 13:Temperature vs Heat flow in cooler

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4. Process Block Diagram

Stream Name Stream Name Stream Name Stream Name

1 Natural Gas and Air 6 Compressor Inlet 11 Condenser Outlet 16 Liquid Ammonia
2 Reformer Inlet 7 High Temperature Stream 12 Separator Vapor Outlet 17 MEAmine and Water
3 Shift Reactor Inlet 8 Heat Exchanger Outlet 13 Recycle 18 Absorbed CO2 Outlet
4 CO2Absorber Inlet 9 Synthesis Reactor Feed 14 Purge 19 Cool Water
5 Methanator Inlet 10 Vapor Reactor Outlet 15 Hot Purge 20 Steam

Figure 14: Process Block Diagram of Ammonia Synthesis

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5. Process Flow Diagram

Unit 18 25 19 5 39 6 29 35 3 4 24 33 10 12 11 13 14 15 27 28 34 36 26 30 31 1 16 17 20 22 21 23 2 37 38
Temperature C 821 148 821 1312 1312 20 100 100 1297 1297 148 100 44 178 178 1894 2072 1210 100 100 100 1345 148 100 100 200 20 580 100 100 100 100 20 1345 1345
Pressure kPa 19206 19206 19206 100 100 100 19206 19206 100 100 19206 19206 101 101 101 11026 14514 14514 19206 19206 19206 19206 19206 19206 19206 101 100 19206 100 100 100 100 101 19206 19206
Molar Flow kgmole/h 11668 184894 0 18344 0 18344 2551 9117 18344 0 184894 173226 15057 0 13825 13825 13825 13825 184894 182343 173227 9117 0 0 2551 5000 8454 13825 8454 1000 7454 1000 10000 9117 0
Mass Flow kg/h 271294 4573416 0 396864 0 396864 44956 226423 396864 0 4573416 4302037 271295 0 271295 271295 271295 271295 4573416 4528460 4302123 226423 0 0 44956 90350 152292 271295 152292 18015 134277 18015 288503 226423 0
Liquid Flow m3/h 382 6439 0 643 0 643 63 319 633 0 6439 6057 494 0 453 453 453 453 6439 6376 6057 319 0 0 63 223 153 453 153 18 135 18 334 319 0
Methane 0.074 0.092 0.074 0.047 0.047 0.047 0.002 0.093 0.047 0.047 0.092 0.093 0.057 0.062 0.062 0.062 0.062 0.062 0.092 0.093 0.093 0.093 0.020 0.093 0.002 0.663 0.000 0.062 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.093 0.098
H2O 0.078 0.012 0.078 0.090 0.090 0.090 0.328 0.008 0.109 0.109 0.012 0.008 0.061 0.066 0.066 0.066 0.066 0.066 0.012 0.008 0.008 0.008 0.242 0.008 0.328 0.098 1.000 0.066 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 0.000 0.008 0.008
CO 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.019 0.019 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.012 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
CO2 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.140 0.140 0.140 0.000 0.001 0.120 0.120 0.001 0.001 0.000 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.000 0.009 0.000 0.001 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.001 0.001
Hydrogen 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.277 0.277 0.277 0.000 0.000 0.258 0.258 0.000 0.000 0.338 0.234 0.234 0.234 0.234 0.234 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.069 0.000 0.234 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Nitrogen 0.547 0.685 0.547 0.441 0.441 0.441 0.023 0.695 0.441 0.441 0.685 0.695 0.537 0.540 0.540 0.540 0.540 0.540 0.685 0.695 0.695 0.695 0.118 0.695 0.023 0.038 0.000 0.540 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.790 0.695 0.689
Oxygen 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.093 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.210 0.000 0.000
Ammonia 0.293 0.199 0.293 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.646 0.193 0.000 0.000 0.199 0.193 0.000 0.091 0.091 0.091 0.091 0.091 0.199 0.193 0.193 0.193 0.616 0.193 0.646 0.000 0.000 0.091 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.193 0.193
Argon 0.008 0.010 0.008 0.005 0.005 0.005 0.001 0.010 0.005 0.005 0.010 0.010 0.006 0.007 0.007 0.007 0.007 0.007 0.010 0.010 0.010 0.010 0.003 0.010 0.001 0.019 0.000 0.007 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.010 0.011
MEAmine 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

Figure 15: Process Flow Diagram of Ammonia Synthesis.

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6. List of Units

Table 1: List of units

Equipment name No. of equipment used

Reactor: Conversion 3
Reactor: Equilibrium 1
Reactor: Gibbs 1
Compressor 2
Cooler 2
Heat Exchanger 2
Absorber 1
Flash Separator 1
Storage Tank 2
Mixer 1
Tee 2
Recycle 2
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7. Engineering Specifications

A specification is an engineering tool, a communication tool and a sales tool. Besides describing
the equipment to be purchased, it must identify the needs of the organization as they relate to that
equipment. A specification often refers to a set of documented requirements to be satisfied by
a material, design, product, or service.

Shell and tube heat exchanger

Tubular exchanger manufacturing association: TEMA
TEMA designations of Heat Exchangers
Because of the number of variations in mechanical designs for front and rear heads and shells, and
for commercial reasons, TEMA has designated a system of notations that correspond to each major
type of front head, shell type and rear head. The first letter identifies the front head, the second
letter identifies the shell type and the third letter identifies the rear head type. In this NH3 synthesis
plant design TEMA: AEL type was used.

Table 2:Tabular data for the configuration used in shell and tube heat exchanger

Parameter/Data Specification
Number of shell passes 1
Number of shells in series 1
Number of shell in parallel 1
Tube passes per shell 2
Exchanger orientation Horizontal
First tube pass flow direction Counter
Elevation (base) (m) 0
TEMA type AEL
Tube volume (m3) 0.193
Shell volume (m3) 2.272
Heat transfer area (m2) 60.32
Zone per shell pass 3
Equivalent overall UA (KJ/h- m2.C) 9035
Equivalent overall UA (KJ/C-h) 5.45 ×105
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Figure 16:Design parameter of a shell and tube heat exchanger HE-801 from the original
simulation file
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The shell and tube exchanger consists of four major parts:

 Front Header—this is where the fluid enters the tube side of the exchanger. It is sometimes
referred to as the Stationary Header.
 Rear Header—this is where the tube side fluid leaves the exchanger or where it is returned
to the front header in exchangers with multiple tube side passes.
 Tube bundle—this comprises of the tubes, tube sheets, baffles and tie rods etc. to hold the
bundle together.
 Shell—this contains the tube bundle.

Non removable bundle exchangers

These types of units are often used in high pressure services and services where you wish to avoid
leakage problems at gasketed joints. Another advantage is that they are generally more cost
effective than removable bundle designs.

AEL-SHELL side is completely welded up, however, the Bonnets are removable. Chemical,
mechanical, and water blast cleaning of the tubes is possible, however one do not have access to
the shell.
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Figure 17:TEMA nomenclature. © 1988 by Tubular Exchanger Manufacturers Association.

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A-Type front header

This type of header is easy to repair and replace. It also gives access to the tubes for cleaning or
repair without having to disturb the pipe work. It does however have two seals (one between the
tube sheet and header and the other between the header and the end plate). This increases the risk
of leakage and the cost of the header over a B-Type Front Header.

E-Type shell
This is most commonly used shell type, suitable for most duties and applications. Other shell types
only tend to be used for special duties or applications.

L-Type rear header

This type of header is for use with fixed tubesheets only, since the tubesheet is welded to the shell
and access to the outside of the tubes is not possible. The main advantages of this type of header
are that access can be gained to the inside of the tubes without having to remove any pipework and
the bundle to shell clearances are small. The main disadvantage is that a bellows or an expansion
roll are required to allow for large thermal expansions and this limits the permitted operating
temperature and pressure[6].
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8. Profit Optimization

8.1 Profit Calculation

Table 3:Table of prices for optimization

Name Price (Taka)

Natural gas 50 /m3
Power 10 /KWh
Liquid ammonia 500 /kg

Raw material cost = per unit cost of raw material × amount of raw material
Cost of natural gas =50 × 223.2 Taka
=11160 Taka
Power cost = per unit cost of Power × amount of total Power
CM-1: Power required= 2.565×105 kW/hr
CM-2: Power required= 2.896×104 kW/hr
CL-2: Power required= 1.162×105 kW/hr
Per unit power cost= 10 Taka
Total power cost= 4.017×106 Taka
Total cost =Raw material cost + Power cost
= (11160 +4.017×106) Taka
= 4.028×106 Taka
Other operational cost= =7.089×106 Taka
Income = per unit price of product × amount of product
= 500×28090.3 Taka
= 1.4045×107 Taka
Profit = Income-Cost
= (14.045-7.089-4.028) ×106 Taka
= 2.928×106 Taka
Profit for 700 ton ammonia = 2.928×106 Taka/hr
= 7.028×10 7 Taka/day
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Optimized profit for 100 Mton ammonia = 1.394×10 7 Taka/hr

= 33.47×10 7 Taka/day (from Hysys)

8.2 Comparison of before and after optimization

Table 4:Table for comparison of before and after optimization

Object Stream Variable Description Before Optimization After Optimization

1 Molar Flow 5000 5810
2 Molar Flow 10000 11929
6 Temperature 20 29.7
16 Molar Flow 8454 11271
27 Temperature 100 50
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9. Conclusion

An Ammonia production plant was designed and simulated in ASPEN HYSYS and the detailed
process description was described in this report. PFD and PBD was shown in the term paper. From
the whole term paper, we can say that better optimization would have resulted in more yield of the
desired products and more profits. Besides Ammonia is released in high concentrations in effluent
discharged from agriculture-based industries and food processing industries. Ammonia at higher
concentrations causes eutrophication and oxygen depletion in the receiving water bodies affecting
entire aquatic life and causing numerous health hazards. Several reactors have been developed for
the treatment of ammonia from industrial effluent. Design of reactors has been given great
importance since a long time in the treatment of ammonia, but performance of the reactor greatly
depends on the microbial community carrying out the reactions. The simulation is very affective
in this process. It has also large application in ammonia production. Simulation can also be used
to analyze the effect of any changes of any parameter.
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References

1. United States Geological Survey publication

2. Twygg, Martyn V. (1989). Catalyst Handbook (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-
1-874545-36-1.
3. "Iceland launches energy revolution". BBC News. 2001-12-24.. Retrieved 09-02-2019.
4. Bradley, David (2004-02-06). "A Great Potential: The Great Lakes as a Regional Renewable
Energy Source" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2008. Retrieved 09-
02-2019.
5. Karl Fisher; William E. Newton (2002). G. J. Leigh, ed. Nitrogen fixation at the millennium.
Elsevier. pp. 2–3. ISBN 978-0-444-50965-9.
6. Mealey, Rachel. “Automotive hydrogen membranes-huge breakthrough for cars", ABC,
August 8, 2018
7. ” ATR of natural gas to syn gas”-prepared by Sandia National Laboratory
8. GBH Enterprise Ltd-Methanation process diagram
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Statement on Academic Integrity

I, hereby, declare and confirm that the report submitted is our own work based on ASPEN HYSYS
SIMULATION and relevant literature survey and no part of it is directly copied
from any other sources.

Student Name Student Id Topics Sign

Uddipta Mondal 1502017 Simulation, Process Descriptions

Md. Rafid Jawad Simulation, Abstract, Project Definitions,

1502018
Chowdhury Case study

Ashib Anzum Simulation, Introduction, Unit

1502019
specifications, Conclusion

Md. Burhan Kabir

1502020 Simulation, PBD, PFD,Profit optimization
Suhan