Training Course Agendas

These course agendas are a representation of the course material presented for the specific classes. All material is subject to change depending on the specific needs of the clients at each course. Please contact Bryan Research & Engineering for additional information on any training session.

BRE 241: Ammonia Production

Objectives:

The Ammonia Production course walks through an ammonia production process. The technologies that are presented include steam-methane reformation, gas-shift reactors, liquid absorbent-based CO2 removal, and Haber-Bosch ammonia production. The operating principles of these units are presented and modeled in ProMax®.

This course introduces ProMax users to kinetics modeling, as well as liquid absorbent type CO2 removal processes. The use of many of the extensive ProMax capabilities will also be presented, with many opportunities to learn through hands-on exercises using ProMax throughout the course.

Attendees will learn:

  • Basics of process simulation
  • Specific applications of ProMax and its features with regards to ammonia production
  • Capabilities and features of ProMax simulation software
  • Reaction modeling techniques and methods

Prerequisites:

  • None

Methods:

  • Instructor-led demonstrations
  • Hands-on simulation
  • Question-Answer
  • Open floor discussion

Agenda

Introduction and Installation of ProMax

The first step in all courses is to verify that ProMax is properly installed on each attendee’s computer. This will be followed by examining the user interface of the software and a brief overview of the ammonia industry.

Ammonia Feed Preparation

The first five exercises in this course follow the steps for treating, converting, and otherwise preparing natural gas for use in the ammonia reactor.

  • Exercise 1: Sulfur Removal – A model of sulfur scavengers, used to prevent catalyst poisoning, is presented along with basics of model building in ProMax. Attendees will work with the Divider block and learn how to create specifiers.
  • Exercise 2: Steam-Methane Reformation – The raw feed for the ammonia reaction is produced via catalyzed hydrogen generation and mixing with air. This exercise takes the attendee through creating Gibbs Minimization reactors for the burners and reactors in this process.
  • Exercise 3: Gas-Shift Reactors – Equilibrium reactors are used to shift any CO present to CO2, both generating additional H2 and removing species that could contribute to catalyst poisoning. ProMax reaction sets are created and applied to model the high and low temperature gas-shift reactors.
  • Exercise 4: CO2 Removal with Activated MDEA – The CO2 generated in the previous exercise is removed using an activated MDEA system. This exercise demonstrates the necessary inputs to use TSWEET kinetics in amine systems, and the attendees get practical experience with amine based CO2 absorption systems.
  • Exercise 5: Methanation and Compression – In this exercise, the feed preparation is completed by converting the remaining CO and CO2 to methane. The feed is then compressed to the necessary pressure for ammonia generation, and the water removed. The compressor and separator ProMax shapes are introduced.
Ammonia Reactor

The following exercises demonstrate and explore the production of ammonia from the prepared feed.

  • Exercise 6: Ammonia Production – N2 and H2 are reacted over a catalyst bed to produce ammonia. The reaction is modeled using kinetic rate constant information for Langmuir-Hinshelwood type rate expressions, and ProMax User Values are introduced to calculate space velocity and per-pass N2 conversion.
  • Exercise 7: Ammonia Reactor Sensitivity Analysis – The total yield and per-pass conversion are functions of the pressure and space-velocity of the reactor. A sensitivity analysis of the ammonia reactor set up in Exercise 6 is performed using the ProMax Scenario Tool®.
  • Exercise 8: Ammonia Reactor Arrangements – In this exercise, yield, space-velocities, and reactor temperatures are compared with control of the exothermic reactor’s temperatures by either indirect cooling with heat exchangers or inter-stage injection of the feed.
Other Technologies

The following exercises explore different technologies that may be associated with the various parts of the ammonia plant.

  • Exercise 9: Ammonia Refrigeration – To reduce the ammonia in the recycle stream, the stream is refrigerated to produce liquid ammonia. In this exercise, refrigeration basics are introduced, including a ProMax model of an ammonia refrigeration system. The ProMax Propagation Terminal is introduced, and the proper method to specify a refrigeration loop is discussed.
  • Exercise 10: Potassium Carbonate – In this exercise, CO2 removal using potassium carbonate is demonstrated. This process is a common alternative to the amine unit discussed in Exercise 4.
Notes About the Agenda:

Our agenda is provided to give the approximate material to be covered in the course, in the approximate order it will be covered. All courses we provide will be tailored to the needs of the host company providing the training accommodations, as well as the needs of the course attendees. Some courses may cover additional topics, while some may cover less than indicated in the agenda.

Some courses may be shortened to one or two days when represented by a three-day agenda. These courses will typically cover both process simulation and process optimization topics, but will exclude several exercises. Please contact our training team here: Contact Training, or through the consulting engineer for your region, for specific information for any course.