(55a) Ammonia by Pressure Swing Adsorption

Abstract Ammonia is produced by passing a heated compressed mixture of Nitrogen and Hydrogen over a catalyst, at a pressure of between 80 ? 220 bar, and a temperature of between 450 - 550°C. Recovery of ammonia is traditionally achieved by refrigeration, i.e., by cooling the effluent gas mixture to a relatively low temperature of about -5°C to about -40°C. Refrigeration is energy intensive and does not lead to complete recovery of the ammonia. The unrecovered ammonia along with unconverted reactants and inerts are recompressed and recycled back to the reactor. In this project, we propose to develop and demonstrate a technically feasible and commercially viable system that integrates reaction to produce ammonia along with recovery of the products by adsorption separation methods and significantly decrease the energy requirement in ammonia production. The proposed method can be applied to both green plants process as well as to retrofit and revamp existing ammonia plants in the U.S and achieve significant reduction in the energy requirement, raw material usage, capital cost, and environmental burdens while enhancing safety of industrial ammonia production. As part of this project, we will also examine the potential effects of high temperature and pressure on adsorbent stability in an Ammonia Process.