Process and apparatus for ammonia synthesis gas production

Patent · Tue Jun 03 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:5473027

Fuderer, A

An improved process is described for the production of ammonia synthesis gas which consists of: (a) catalytically reacting a hydrocarbon feed stream with steam in a primary reforming unit to form a primary reformed gas mixture containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide; (b) passing the primary reformed gas mixture to a secondary reforming unit for reaction of unconverted methane present therein with air, the amount of the air introduced to the secondary reforming unit being considerably in excess of that required to furnish the stoichiometric amount of nitrogen required for reaction with hydrogen for the ammonia synthesis; (c) subjecting the secondary reformed gas mixture to water gas shift conversion to convert most of the carbon monoxide present in the reformed gas mixture to hydrogen and carbon dioxide; (d) passing the thus-shifted gas mixture containing hydrogen, carbon dioxide, residual carbon monoxide, methane, argon and the excess nitrogen, without necessary treatment for removal of a major portion of the carbon dioxide content thereof and without methanation to remove carbon oxides to low levels, to a pressure swing adsorption system capable of selectively adsorbing carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane and other impurities from the hydrogen and from a portion of the nitrogen present in the gas passed to the system.

• Assignee: Union Carbide Corp., Danbury, CT
• Patent Number(s): US 4592860
• OSTI ID: 5473027
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

090320* -- Inorganic Hydrogen Compound Fuels-- Preparation-- (1976-1989)
10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
ADSORPTION
AIR
ALKANES
AMMONIA
ARGON
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CATALYSIS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL PREPARATION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMICAL REACTORS
DEPRESSURIZATION
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
GASES
HYDRIDES
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
IMPURITIES
METHANATION
METHANE
MIXTURES
NITROGEN
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PRESSURE DEPENDENCE
RARE GASES
REFORMER PROCESSES
SORPTION
STEAM REFORMER PROCESSES
SYNTHESIS
SYNTHESIS GAS
WATER GAS PROCESSES