Process Design of an Anhydrous

Ammonia Production Facility for

Dyno Nobel

Jared Crawford
Britni Ellifritz
Benjamin Root
 Overview
„ Objectives
„ About Dyno Nobel
„ Scope of Work
„ Process Design
„ Economics
„ Plant Emissions
„ Environmental Permitting
„ Conclusions
 Objectives
„ Design Ammonia Production Facility
„ Compare Purchase vs. Production Cost of
Ammonia
„ Determine Plant Energy Requirements
 About Dyno Nobel
„ Facility Located in
Cheyenne, WY
„ Production
„ Ammonia and Nitric Acid
„ Ammonium Nitrate
„ Supplies explosives market
„ Surface coal mining in
Powder River Basin of WY
„ Carbon Dioxide
„ By-product
„ Beverage grade additive
„ Dry ice production
„ Vented
 About Dyno Nobel, Cont.
„ Old Plant Complaints
„ High pressure
„ Outdated
„ Inefficient
„ New Plant Considerations
„ Modern
„ High efficiency
„ Battery limits plant
„ Sited on old methyl-tertiary-
butyl-ether (MTBE) plant
site
„ Gasoline additive
„ Ground water contamination
About Dyno Nobel, Cont.

Methyl Diethanol Amine

 Scope of Work
„ Design of Production Facility
„ Single train, high efficiency, low pressure
„ 1500 ton/day anhydrous ammonia

„ Employ natural gas and air feed stocks

„ Utilize non-proprietary unit operations

„ Employ PRISM® Membrane Separation, steam

recycle in reformers, pressure swing adsorbers
„ Utilize existing infrastructure from MTBE plant
 Scope of Work, Cont.
„ Economic Analysis
„ Environmental Permitting
„ Compare Production Cost vs. Purchase Cost
„ Energy Requirements
„ MMBtu/ton of ammonia produced
 Process Design
„ Overall Material Balance
„ N2 + 3H2 ↔ 2NH3

Hydrogen
Ammonia Ammonia
Nitrogen
Reactor

Hydrogen Nitrogen Ammonia

Weight
514,000 2,474,000 3,000,000
(lb/day)
Weight
257 1,237 1,500
(ton/day)
 Process Design, Cont.
„ Block Diagram
 Process Design, Cont.
„ Process Reactions
„ Primary reformer
„ CH4 + H2O ↔ CO + 3H2
„ Secondary reformer
„ CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O
„ 2H2 + O2 → 2H2O

„ 2CO + O2 → 2CO2

„ CO + H2O ↔ CO2 + H2

„ CH4 + H2O ↔ CO + 3H2

 Process Design, Cont.
„ Process Reactions, Cont.
„ High temperature shift
„ CO + H2O ↔ CO2 + H2
„ Low temperature shift
„ CO + H2O ↔ CO2 + H2
„ Methanation
„ CO + 3H2 → CH4 + H2O
„ CO2 + 4H2 → CH4 + 2H2O

„ Ammonia reactor
„ N2 + 3H2 ↔ 2NH3
 Process Design, Cont.
„ PRISM® Membrane Separator
„ Recovers hydrogen from synthesis loop
„ Hollow fiber membrane medium
„ ~ 93% hydrogen recovery possible

„ Equipment design and specifications completed by

Air Products employees
 Process Design, Cont.
„ PRISM® Membrane Separator, Cont.
„ Benefits
„ Economical hydrogen recovery

„ Low maintenance requirements

„ Minimal moving parts
„ High tolerance to plant upsets

„ Only small installation space needed

„ Can operate at high pressures

 Process Design, Cont.
„ PRISM® Membrane Separator, Cont.
 Process Design, Cont.
„ Material Balance
„ Feed stock flow rates
lbmol/hr Standard Cubic Feet/hr
(thousands)
Natural Gas 2,760 36
Air 4,800 86

lbmol/hr Pounds/hr
Steam 8,280 150,000
 Process Design, Cont.
„ Equipment Heat Duty
Equipment Heat Duty (MMBtu/hr)
Primary Reformer 200
Secondary Reformer -186
High Temperature Shift -36
Low Temperature Shift -48
Methanation -4
Ammonia Reactor -108
Compression 97
PRISM® Separator 0
Distillation Column 100
Boiler Feed Water Pumps 150
Total Equipment Duty 166
 Process Design, Cont.
„ Catalyst Bed Size
„ Desulfurization
„ 1418 ft3

„ Primary reformer
„ 900 ft3

„ Secondary reformer
„ 1750 ft3

„ High temperature shift converter

„ 3020 ft3
 Process Design, Cont.
„ Catalyst Bed Size, Cont.
„ Low temperature shift converter
„ 3230 ft3
„ Pressure swing adsorbers
„ Molecular sieves
„ Zeolite
„ Carbon
„ Methanator
„ 1313 ft3
„ Ammonia reactor
„ 3230 ft3
 Economics
„ Feed Costs
„ Natural Gas
„ $113,000/day

„ Water
„ $2,130/day

„ Air
„ Not Applicable
 Economics, Cont.
„ Material Cost Allocation
 Economics, Cont.
„ Ammonia
„ Production cost
„ $195/ton
„ Purchase cost
„ $330/ton
„ Natural Gas
„ $7.06/MMBtu
„ Dyno Nobel has supplier
„ Electrical Energy
„ $0.065 kWh ($19/MMBtu)
 Economics, Cont.
„ Catalyst Prices
„ Primary reformer „ Low temperature shift
„ Nickel catalyst „ Copper catalyst
„ $13.33/lb „ $8.63/lb
„ Secondary reformer „ Ammonia synthesis
„ Magnesium-aluminum „ Iron catalyst
catalyst „ $12.15/lb
„ $11.54/lb
„ High temperature shift
„ Iron-chromium
catalyst
„ $5.20/lb
 Economics, Cont.
„ Equipment Costs
Equipment Purchased Cost ($)
Desulfurization 200,000
Primary Reformer 98,000
Secondary Reformer 120,000
High Temperature Shift 145,000
Low Temperature Shift 150,000
Pressure Swing Absorption 168,000
Methanator 110,000
Ammonia Synthesis Reactor 150,000
PRISM Separator 150,000
Product Separation 160,000
Compressors 20,000,000
Turbines 45,000
Heat Exchangers 5,000,000
Purchased Equipment Cost 26,496,000
Delivery Cost 2,650.000
Delivered Equipment Cost 29,100,000
 Economics, Cont.
„ Total Capital Investment
Direct Costs $MM
Delivered Equipment Cost 29
Purchased Equipment Installation 14
Instrumentation and Controls (Installed) 10
Piping (Installed) 20
Electrical Systems (Installed) 3
Indirect Costs
Engineering and Supervision 10
Construction Expenses 12
Legal Expenses 2
Contractor's Fee 6
Contingency 13

Fixed Capital Investment (FCI) 118

Working Capital 21
Total Capital Investment (TCI) 139

Present Time TCI 168

 Economics, Cont.
„ Net Present Value
Net Present Value

650

550

450

350
$MM

250

150

50

(50)0.00 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40 0.50

Discount Rate

Maximum Operation 82% Operation

 Economics, Cont.
„ Payback Period
Payback Period

35
30
25
20
%

15
10
5
0
2.20 3.20 4.20 5.20 6.20
Time (yrs)

Maximum Operation 82% Operation

 Economics, Cont.
„ Profits

Operation Days/yr 365 305

Production ton/yr 547,500 457,500

Production Cost/ton ($) 195 195

Sell Cost/ton ($) 330 330

Profit/ton ($) 135 135

Total Profit/yr ($) 74,000,000 62,000,000

 Economics, Cont.
„ Profits, Cont.

Profit/yr

75

70

65
$M M

60

55

50
250 270 290 310 330 350 370
Days of Operation
 Plant Emissions
„ Carbon Dioxide

lbmol/hr ton/hr ton/day ton/yr

Emissions 2,177 48 1150 420,000
 Environmental Permitting
„ Required Permits
„ Chapter 6 Section 4 (Construction permit)
„ Potential emissions (PTE) greater than 250 ton/yr

„ Chapter 6 Section 3 (Title V)

„ PTE greater than 100 ton/yr emissions
 Conclusions
„ Ammonia Plant
„ Total ammonia produced
„ 1500 ton/day

„ Ammonia cost/ton ammonia

„ Buy
„ $330
„ Production
„ $195
„ Energy Requirement
„ 5.3 MMBtu/ton ammonia
 Thank you…
„ Dyno Nobel
„ Mr. Lars Story
„ Mr. Robert Thomason
„ Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
„ Mr. Chad Schlichtemeier
„ Air Products
„ Mr. Ken Jones
„ University of Wyoming Faculty
„ Dr. Morris Argyle
Any Questions?