Production of ammonia from natural gas (1966)

Panorama of production buildings of ammonia plant.

Forest.

Herd of cows grazing in a clearing.

Field with grain.

Damaged section of the field.

Sky.

Clouds.

Thunderstorm.

During a thunderstorm, nitrogen combines with oxygen.

Reaction formula.

As a result of a chemical reaction, rain brings soluble nitrates to the fields.

Combines are harvesting.

During the harvesting of agricultural plants, a large number of nitrogen compounds are removed from the soil every year.

Such compounds cannot be replenished quickly, naturally, which leads to soil depletion.

Nitrogen fertilizers are used to prepare the field for processing.

Application of nitrogen fertilizers to a field with vegetables.

Alternation of shots with industries that use ammonia as a raw material.

Monument to Mendeleyev.

Chemical plant for the production of ammonia.

Panorama of ammonia production units.

Control panel of the units, equipped with devices for automatic regulation and control and measuring equipment.

Cartoon explaining the chemical formula of ammonia.

Air separation shop.

Air intake from the atmosphere far from the production units.

Air is sucked in by an air intake raised above the ground and is fed to the air separation shop through a pipeline.

Air is cleaned in oil filters.

Air movement through the pipes is provided by turbo compressors.

Air, compressed to approximately 6 atmospheres, is sent for preliminary cooling to direct-contact water coolers.

In the spray cooler, the air temperature is reduced to 25-30 degrees Celsius by water cooled in a nitrogen cooler.

Then the air enters the moisture separator to remove the water vapor contained in it.

At the outlet of the moisture separator, it is divided into two streams.

The first, main air stream, is sent to the air separation unit, consisting of a rectification column, regenerators and heat exchangers.

In the rectification column, the air is subjected to deep cooling, at a temperature at which it liquefies.

It becomes possible to separate it by the rectification method.

Process control panel.

Cartoon explaining the regenerator operation process.

Switching of air and oxygen flows in regenerators is performed automatically with the help of a shalt machine.

The second air flow from the moisture separator is supplied for cleaning from carbon dioxide in alkaline scrubbers.

Then the air is directed to the compressor, where it is additionally compressed to 180-200 atmospheres, and supplied for cooling.

After passing the nitrogen and ammonia heat exchangers, the air is supplied to the drying units.

Cartoon showing further transformation of the second air flow.

Cartoon showing further conversion of the first and second air flows.

The process of obtaining a nitrogen-hydrogen mixture.

Natural gas from the gas distribution station, under pressure of about one excess atmosphere, enters the conversion shop and is directed to the saturation tower.

View of the tower.

Cartoon showing the processes taking place in the saturation tower, heat exchanger, mixer, combined with a methane convector.

Air is sucked into the mixer from the atmosphere, and oxygen is supplied from a special storage.

Cartoon showing the conditions under which emergency situations may occur in the mixer, which can lead to an explosion.

To prevent such situations, interlocked automatic shut-off valves are installed on the pipelines.

At the right moment, they stop the flow and inert nitrogen gas is supplied to the pipelines.

Cartoon explaining the processes taking place in the methane convector.

Cartoon explaining the use of carbon monoxide for additional hydrogen production.

Two-stage carbon monoxide convector.

Cartoon explaining the processes taking place in it.

Waste heat boiler.

The converted gas enters the waste heat boiler, where it is cooled, and its heat is used to produce steam with a pressure of 5 atmospheres.

From the waste heat boiler, the converted gas passes through a water-heating heat exchanger.

Then the steam-gas mixture enters the condensation tower.

In the condensation tower, the gas is cooled with cold water to 35 degrees and sent for cleaning from carbon dioxide.

The converted gas in the absorber is cleaned from 2% carbon dioxide with an 18-20% solution of monomethanolamine.

From the absorber, the gas is sent to compressors, and the spent solution is transferred for regeneration.

In the regenerator, the solution is heated by the counter-flow of the vapor-gas mixture formed at the bottom of the column during the circulation of the solution through the boilers, while the solution is freed from carbon dioxide.

After cooling, it is returned to the process.

Dehydrated carbon dioxide is sent to the consumer, and the condensate is returned to the regenerator.

The converted gas, after cleaning from carbon dioxide, enters the compressor section, where multi-stage compressors compress it to 320 atm.

After each compression stage, the gas from the compressor passes through a tubular water cooler and an oil separator for cooling and separating condensed water vapor and oil.

If liquid with gas from the oil separator gets into the cylinder, it can damage the compressor.

Therefore, the oil separator is regularly purged to remove liquid.

Compressor control panel.

After the compressor, the gas enters the scrubber for cleaning from oxide and the carbon monoxide remaining in it with a solution of copper-ammonium complex salt of acetic acid.

Then it enters the alkali scrubber, where the gas is completely freed from carbon dioxide.

Rock pumps and recovery machines.

The solution is pumped into the machine by centrifugal pumps.

From the machine, the spent solution passes through the desorber and heat exchangers into the regenerator.

In the regenerator, the solution is heated and freed from carbon monoxide and dioxide.

The cooled solution is fed to the scrubbers for gas purification.

Panorama of the synthesis unit equipment, where the final product is obtained.

Synthesis column.

The purified nitrogen-hydrogen mixture containing 1% methane and argon and 0.003% carbon monoxide, water vapor and oil enters the condensation column.

Cartoon explaining the production of ammonia in the system.

Warehouse with the obtained liquid ammonia.

Ammonia storage tanks.

When storing liquid ammonia, the pressure in the tanks should not exceed 10-16 atm.

A train with tanks filled with ammonia.