ABSTRACT KBR#xx

ABSTRACT for Nitrogen & Syngas Conference 2015:

True Cold Wall KBR Ammonia Converter for Revamping Ammonia Plants
Shashi Singh and Stephen Noe, KBR, Houston, USA
A large number of operating ammonia plants need to reduce their per ton cost of production
to prepare for lower future market prices as a number of grass-root plants under
construction are commissioned. Per ton cost of ammonia production can be significantly
reduced by debottlenecking plant capacity, by saving per ton natural gas consumption and
by improving average on-stream factor as well as life cycle plant capacity utilization.
Adding a booster ammonia converter in series with the existing converter in the synthesis
loop or replacing or retrofitting the existing converter to boost per pass ammonia conversion
would enhance economic performance of the plant with a relatively short payback periods.
Reliability issues in existing converters, if any, should also be addressed in such a revamp
project. Improving per pass ammonia conversion is the best way since incremental ammonia
is produced with similar circulation flow rate while more of the product ammonia is
condensed by the cooling water cooler with minimum impact on the product gas chiller.
Such a revamp provides incremental capacity through most efficient energy integration.
Ammonia converters need to be mechanically reliable and robust in operation. Maintenance
work and related handover preparations in this service require long durations while reusing
the catalyst inventory may not be possible. Thus converter downtime for inspections and
maintenance needs to be positively avoided. Reliability and robustness should be judged
based on references operating for a very long term. An add-on booster converter has
challenges, as feed gas typically is relatively hot exit the first converter or exit the heat
recovery equipment. Hot wall converters have significant risks as high operating
temperatures introduce unreliability through hydrogen induced cracking (HIC). There is a
fundamental requirement that only the product gas from the first converter should be fed to
the add-on converter without bypassing cooler gas around the first converter. This bypass
gas would compromise ammonia conversion due to dilution or quench effect.
The True Cold Wall KBR Ammonia Vertical Converter uses the smallest size catalyst with
high conversion and low pressure drop. This is the most reliable mechanical technology in
the ammonia industry and has been used in over 155 legacy MWK/KBR converters in
operation globally since the 1960s. The bottle shaped internal basket is hanging freely from
the top which provides unrestrained thermal movements eliminating the stresses that
provides long reliable service life. The pressure vessel operates in a true cold wall
environment. Inlet catalyst bed gas temperature can be optimized to higher temperatures,
without concerns of pressure vessel HIC related failure, to maximize ammonia conversion
over the plant lifecycle. True cold wall service allows using multiwall construction, if desired,
as an option. Multiwall, like mono-wall provides low cost equipment, shorter equipment
delivery and unmatched reliability with KBR technology when used in cold service, like the
over 155 MWK converters most still in service, many getting closer to 50 years of
operations.
The paper is concluded with various scenarios of reducing per ton cost of ammonia
production in various types of existing ammonia plants with supporting economic analysis.

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