Petrochemicals

V. K. ARORA, Kinetics Process Improvements Inc.,

Houston, Texas

Use multistage integrated chilling

to increase ammonia production
Ammonia plant operators strive to maximize energy ef- Understanding the MIC process air compressor. Chill-
ficiency and ammonia production while minimizing capital ing the suction stream prior to entering the compressor sys-
cost and downtime, without adding risk or sacrificing oper- tems has long been practiced in various applications to im-
ating reliability. However, any significant improvement in prove compressor performance. A few ammonia plants have
energy efficiency without a reasonable increase in ammonia implemented suction chilling in the process air compressors,
production rarely meets the payout criteria to justify such re- but this provides only a modest increase in air throughput and
vamps, which typically require expensive upgrades and down- is typically supplemented with an additional-standalone pack-
time to debottleneck compressors and other equipment. age refrigeration system.
A majority of older ammonia plants have been revamped The process air compressor for a mid- to large-sized, older
for higher capacity and improved energy efficiency. Most of ammonia plant is usually a multistage centrifugal machine
them are still relatively inefficient and have been stretched to driven by a steam turbine. It is configured in two casings with
the maximum operating limits of their equipment, including four stages of compression, with each stage separated by an
major compressors, reforming units and steam systems, there- intercooler, as shown in FIG. 1. The low-pressure (LP) com-
fore compromising the operating reliability, risks and ratings. pressor is driven by a condensing turbine using superheated
medium-pressure (MP) steam, and the high-pressure (HP)
Increasing ammonia plant capacity with MIC. A new compressor is driven through a speed-increasing gear coupled
revamp approach uses multistage integrated chilling (MIC). to the LP machine.
Along with several other proven measures, the MIC scheme
provides an option that avoids expensive compressor upgrades Options for upgrading the process air compressor. To
for incremental improvements in ammonia production, with upgrade the existing process air compressor system, ammonia
energy efficiency improvements up to 15%, depending on plant operators have conventionally used a combination of the
the plant and on site-specific constraints. For these types of following options:
revamps, the sensitivity analysis demonstrates an economic 1. Modifications to the existing compressor internals
 
attractiveness when gas pricing is above $4/MMBtu and am- and driver
monia pricing is above $400/metric ton. 2. A new compressor and new driver
 
The MIC process modification is simply a staged thermal 3. Suction chilling, using an external mechanical
 
coupling of the ammonia compression system with the pro- refrigeration system
cess air compressor. This technology can potentially increase 4. Multistage integrated chilling.
 
the mass throughput of the process air compressor by up to Options 1 and 2 require significant downtime and capital
20% without any compressor or driver modifications, and and have long delivery schedules. They also require refurbish-
with practically little or no impact on its compression power ment of the driver to meet the added power requirement. Op-
or driver steam rate. It also does not require an external refrig- tion 2, with a supplemental air compressor, requires extra space.
eration system.
A comprehensive study was carried out for a large ammo- Stg. 2 Stg. 1 Stg. 3 Stg. 4
nia plant with all three major compressors operating at their
maximum speed and the reformer induced draft/forced draft Gear
(ID/FD) fans operating at their design limits. With the use of Steam LP HP
an MIC scheme, along with other proven measures, no chang- turbine compressor compressor
Discharge
es in the major compressors or ID/FD fans are needed for
incremental ammonia production of 12% with an improved Inlet Inst. air
energy efficiency of 3 MMBtu/t.
The results of the case study are presented within an over-
all economics picture, along with changes in key operating pa- FIG. 1. Diagram of a process air compressor for an older ammonia
rameters and major hardware.
plant, configured in two casings with four compression stages.
Hydrocarbon Processing | MARCH 2015 1
 Petrochemicals

In both of these options, the greater steam demand for the tur- without additional power or the use of an external refrigeration
bine drivers will require an additional surface condenser in the system. However, this option does require additional space.
steam system to accommodate the extra steam condensing load,
unless an electric option is viable. Both of these options have The MIC solution. The typical MIC scheme shown in FIG. 2 and
been implemented in a number of ammonia plants and are eco- FIG. 3 is a staged thermal coupling of the process air compressor
nomically justified, with significant capacity additions that are with the ammonia compressor system within the ammonia plant.
typically in excess of 25%. A direct or indirect chilling scheme, or a combination of the two
Option 3, suction chilling, is widely practiced for gas tur- schemes, can be used, depending on the site constraints. The di-
bines in the power industry, but it is not a very popular option in rect chilling scheme provides the advantage of being the most ef-
ammonia plants. A few ammonia plants have implemented this ficient, with the lowest capital and plot space requirements.
option, using an external refrigeration system that adds power As a part of the ammonia plant revamp for higher capacity, the
and plot space requirements. This option is much less expensive synthesis loop (synloop) is upgraded with an additional convert-
than the first two options, but it provides only a modest increase er bed to suitably increase the single-pass ammonia conversion
in air capacity (approximately 5%) and is rarely economically rate. Higher ammonia conversion results in a reduced gas circula-
justified. This is evident from the fact that only a handful of com- tion flowrate and lower refrigeration demand within the synloop.
panies have implemented suction chilling in ammonia plants. The freed-up ammonia streams, which are at different tem-
Option 4, a new approach using the MIC scheme, provides perature levels from the existing ammonia compressor system,
a cost-effective option to increase the air capacity by up to 20% are suitably integrated in the staged chilling of the process air
compressor, as well as in the makeup syngas compressor. The
extent of thermal integration is suitably staged so as to minimize
Return headers the ammonia compression power to well below its maximum
Intake air design limits. Furthermore, the extent of the synloop upgrade is
via filter To stage 2 air
compressor suitably synchronized with the upgrade of the front end of the
ammonia plant to minimize the additional hardware, downtime
Stage 1 air and capital requirements.
compressor The higher mass flow of air available is then preheated to
higher than the base temperature, using a combination of split
flow and an external steam exchanger, as shown in FIG. 4. The
Condensate
use of a split flow scheme is plant- and site-specific, and it great-
ly helps minimize the pressure drop and compression duty with
Liquid ammonia an additional degree of air preheat to maximize the incremental
To MP surge drum To LP surge drum ammonia production.
Existing ammonia
refrigeration system Benefits of MIC scheme with other measures. The MIC
modification, along with other measures, provides the poten-
FIG. 2. Typical direct MIC scheme. tial to achieve incremental increases in ammonia capacity and
energy-efficiency improvements up to 15%, with the following
key benefits:
•  No modifications are needed for any of the following
Return headers
major compressors, with only a small change in
Intake air
via filter To stage 2 air additional steam consumption:
compressor
o  Process air compressors
o  Syngas compressor
Stage 1 air o  Ammonia compressor
Chilling compressor
water •  No potential change in the pressure of the main surface
loop
with condenser for steam turbines
pumps
and Flue gas Secondary
Condensate reformer
buffer Air from process air
compressor Primary effluent
Supply headers

Convection
Liquid NH3 services
To MP surge drum To LP surge drum
Existing ammonia
refrigeration system
FIG. 4. Scheme showing a combination of split flow and an external
FIG. 3. Typical indirect MIC scheme. steam exchanger.

2 MARCH 2015 | HydrocarbonProcessing.com
 Petrochemicals

•  Proportionately reduced steam demand at all levels ❒  Higher-than-expected loading of the lean solvent
improves energy efficiency ❒  Non-optimal solvent concentration
•  Reconfiguration and integration allows the temperature ❒  Mass transfer and hydraulic limitations of absorber
to be increased for the following streams, despite space and stripper internals
constraints in the convection section: •  Major compressors:
o  Process air o  Reached maximum volumetric limit at maximum
o  Mixed feed design speed
o  Superheated steam o  Actual operational efficiency is lower than design
•  Increases in the process air flow and temperature allow o  Higher-than-design suction temperature (percent
the outlet temperature of the secondary reforming of relative humidity for air compressors)
unit to be raised, resulting in reduced methane slip and o  Limited intercooling
improved H2 /N2 ratio for better synloop efficiency o  Unfavorable plant hydraulics (lower-than-design
•  The combination of a higher degree of preheat of mixed suction pressure)
feed coupled with process air easily permits shifting •  Plant throughput limitations:
the reforming load from the primary reformer to the o  Higher-than-design S:C ratio
secondary reformer o  Higher-than-design level of inerts in MUG
•  The steam-to-carbon (S:C) ratio in the primary reformer o  Inefficient synloop and poor feed efficiency
can also be decreased, despite a reduction in the overall o  Higher-than-expected system pressure drop
methane slip, resulting in: •  Excessive steam venting from the deaerator:
o  Reduced arch firing, which could be indirectly used o  Excessive reboil load in CO2 strippers
to raise reformer tube outlet temperature for the same o  Excessive temperature in the main surface condenser
tube metal temperature •  Higher temperature in the main surface condenser
o  Reduced load on ID/FD fans, which could be further of turbines:
reduced by replacing a leak-prone rotary air preheater o  Excessive backpressure due to higher-than-design load
o  Reduced mass flowrate of syngas to the cooling train, o  Limiting heat transfer surface
for improved hydraulics and pressure profile for o  Efficiency loss in condensing turbines due to lower
higher capacity steam superheat temperature and higher-than-expected
•  Higher steam superheat temperature coupled with steam rates.
lower condensing pressure helps to reduce the steam
rates for the same power demand. Case study. A case study of a large ammonia plant is outlined.
The referenced ammonia plant had been stretched to its operat-
Key bottlenecks in old ammonia plants. A majority of the ing limits, with the following constraints:
old ammonia plants are still relatively inefficient, and most of •  Process air compressor near its maximum design speed
them are operated close to the design limits of the major equip- •  ID/FD fans of the primary reformer at full open conditions
ment. Some of the key bottlenecks in the old ammonia plants •  Syngas compressor near its maximum design speed
are listed below: •  Ammonia compressor near its maximum design speed
•  Limits of ID/FD fans in the primary reformer: •  No extra space in the convection section to add coils
o  Excessive air leakage from the old rotary-type •  High inerts in MUG due to high methane and CO2 slippage
air preheaters •  Excess venting of steam from the deaerator
o  Higher-than-design excess air for burners •  High energy consumption.
o  Proportionately high firing load on arch burners due This revamp study posed a major challenge to provide viable
to limiting mixed feed preheat temperature, limiting air capacity and energy improvements without expensive compres-
preheat temperature and higher-than-design S:C ratio sor upgrades.
•  Higher inerts in makeup gas
(MUG): Overall performance curve-base Overall performance curve-with MIC
(process air compressor) ammonia capacity: 100% (process air compressor) ammonia capacity: 112%
o  Higher-than-expected methane
slip in reforming due to lower Base speed: Speed with MIC:
103.6% 101.4%
temperature at the outlet of the
secondary reformer, as a result of 100
Discharge pressure, %

Discharge pressure, %

108
limited process air compressor
capacity and limited preheat 105% 105%
temperature of process air 100% 100%
o  Higher-than-expected CO2 slip
due to:
❒  Limited solvent circulation 100% 114%
Volumetric flow, % Volumetric flow, %
rate Mass flow, % Mass flow, %
❒  Limited cooling of lean solvent
due to limited cooling water FIG. 5. The mass flowrate of the process air compressor is increased, with reduced speed and
(CW) or heat transfer surface without any increase in its power requirement.
Hydrocarbon Processing | MARCH 2015 3
 Petrochemicals

Ammonia concentration profile, two beds (base) Ammonia concentration profile, three beds (revamp) •  Additional single-bed converter
Ammonia capacity: 100% Ammonia capacity: 112% •  Few parallel exchangers for
25 25
additional duty
•  Larger impellers for pumps.
Discharge concentration, mol%

Discharge concentration, mol%

Key performance parameters for the
base case and the MIC revamp are shown
in TABLE 1.

Process air compressor. Using the

MIC scheme, including the two inter-
0 0 mediate stages, the mass flowrate of the
Temperature Temperature process air compressor is increased to
114% with reduced speed and without
FIG. 6. The ammonia loop is upgraded with an additional single-bed converter.
any increase in its power requirement, as
MP steam temperature vs. steam rate indicated in FIG. 5.
6 All of the chilling duty is internally supplied, without any
4 need for an external refrigeration package. No modifications of
2
the air compressor or its driver are required. Each stage of the air
Steam rate change, %

compressor is rated for its limitations and any cooling require-

0
ment for the target capacity. The MIC scheme is suitably staged
-2 and optimized to minimize the compression requirements of
-4 both ammonia and air compressors, along with some additional
-6 modifications for size, space and capital requirements.
-8 The speed of the makeup syngas compressor is also reduced
800 825 850 900 for the revamp case. It is accomplished by slightly raising its
Superheat temperature, °F
suction pressure and by lowering the suction temperature.
FIG. 7. MP steam temperature vs. steam rate. With a balanced upgrade of the synloop and the front end,
the speed of the ammonia compressor is marginally reduced.
TABLE 1. Key performance parameters Reforming area. Reconfiguration and integration allow the
Parameter Base case Revamp temperature of the following streams in the reforming area to be
increased, despite space constraints in the convection section:
Ammonia capacity Base 112%
•  Process air
Energy consumption, MMBtu/t Base –3 •  Mixed feed
Mixed feed preheat temp., °F Base +40 •  Superheated steam.
S:C ratio, mol % 3.5 3.15 Increases in the process air flow and temperature permit a
rise in the outlet temperature of the secondary reforming, re-
Process air preheat temp., °F Base 105
sulting in reduced methane slip and an improved H2 /N2 ratio
Steam superheat temp., °F Base +35 for better synloop efficiency.
Secondary outlet temp., °F Base +50 A combination of a higher degree of preheat of mixed feed
MUG suction pressure, psi Base +15 coupled with higher temperature of the process air easily permits
shifting of the reforming load from the primary reformer to the
Inerts in MUG, mol% Base 65%
secondary reformer. In addition, the S:C ratio in the primary re-
MUG H2 /N2 ratio, mol% 3.06 3 former is also reduced, despite a decrease in the overall methane
Loop H2 /N2 ratio, mol % 3.65 3 slip that results in reduced arch firing, which could be indirectly
NH3 in converter effluent Base +5% mol used to raise the reformer tube outlet temperature without affect-
ing the tube metal temperature. It also helps reduce the load on
Purge rate, mass rate Base 88%
the ID/FD fans, which could be even further improved by replac-
ing the leak-prone rotary air preheater with a plate-type preheater.
List of major modifications. Based on a comprehensive A reduced mass flowrate of syngas (due to a lower S:C ratio)
study using the MIC scheme, no upgrades were required in to the cooling train also helps the hydraulics and the pressure
any of the major compressors for a capacity increase of 12%, profile for higher capacity. A higher steam superheat tempera-
along with energy savings of 3 MMBtu/t. The following major ture coupled with lower condensing pressure helps reduce the
changes were required as a part of the revamp: steam rates for the same power demand.
•  MIC system
•  Replacement of rotary air preheater with plate-type CO2-removal area. The CO2-removal system scheme is a
preheater conventional, single-stage MDEA and piperazine.
•  Minor modifications of feed preheat coil To overcome the mass-transfer and hydraulics limitations
•  LP flash column system in CO2 removal in the CO2-removal sections, several schemes were simulated
4 MARCH 2015 | HydrocarbonProcessing.com
 Petrochemicals
HP steam temperature vs. steam rate
and further reviewed based on a cost-benefit analysis. Several 6
changes were made in the revamp scheme: 4
1. Optimization of the MDEA and piperazine 2

Steam rate change, %

 
concentration in the solvent 0
2. Inclusion of an LP flash tower to offload the stripper
-2
 
reboiler duties by 16%
-4
3. Replacement of existing packing with more efficient,
 
lower-pressure drop packing -6
4. Replacement of the pump impellers, along with the -8
800 825 850 900
 
supplemental exchanger area Superheat temperature, °F
5. Addition of the hydraulic turbine in the rich solvent stream.
FIG. 8. HP steam temperature vs. steam rate.
 
A two-stage scheme was also considered and simulated, but
was discontinued based on the cost-benefit analysis. Condensing pressure vs. steam rate
The cooler lean solvent, coupled with a slight increase in 8 170
lean solvent flow, helped to significantly reduce the CO2 slip, 6 160
thereby lowering the total inerts to the loop. Surface condenser

Surface condensing temperature, °F

4
Reducing the CO2 stripper duty by approximately 16% 150

Steam rate change, %

offloaded the stripper internals without any modification re- 2
140
quired, and completely eliminated the large continuous steam 0
vent from the deaerator, resulting in energy savings. 130
-2
120
Ammonia synloop. The ammonia loop is suitably upgraded -4
with an additional single-bed converter, as shown in FIG. 6, with -6 110
a relative ammonia concentration profile. The upgraded am- -8 100
monia conversion is carefully chosen to balance the capacity 3.5 4.5 5.5 6.5 7.5 8.5 9.5
Surface condenser pressure, in. Hg
increase in the front end for minimum modifications and capi-
tal requirements. FIG. 9. Condensing pressure vs. steam rate.

Contact
VK ARORA
(01) 2817731629 (USA)
[email protected]

Hydrocarbon Processing | MARCH 2015 5

 Petrochemicals

70 Economics. The economics of the case

60 $4/MMBtu gas study, in terms of internal rate of return
50 $6/MMBtu gas
40 $8/MMBtu gas
(IRR) for ammonia pricing of $400/met-
35 $10/MMBtu gas ric ton and $500/metric ton, are shown
30 in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11. IRR estimation also
IRR, %

25 considers varying gas prices of $4/MM-

20
15
Btu to $10/MMBtu in step changes of
10 $2/MMBtu, along with the capital sen-
5 sitivity from –10% to +20%. This estima-
0
10 Base 10 15 20 tion provides a reasonable representation
Base investment, % of various global locations for the assess-
ment of the MIC scheme.
FIG. 10. IRR for ammonia pricing of $400/metric ton.
The following assumptions are used in
the economic evaluation:
70 •  CAPEX: total installed cost,
60
50
$4/MMBtu gas including owner’s costs
$6/MMBtu gas
40 $8/MMBtu gas •  Project completion: 36 months
35 $10/MMBtu gas •  Operating rate: 100%
30 •  Utility rates: typical of US
IRR, %

25
20
Gulf Coast
15 •  Financing: internally funded
10 (no debt)
5 •  Lifecycle: 15 years
0
10 Base 10 15 20 •  Discount rate: 10%
Base investment, % •  Loan interest: 8%
FIG. 11. IRR for ammonia pricing of $500/metric ton.
•  Tax rate: 25%
•  New catalyst life: 15 years
•  Ammonia prices: $400/metric ton
With an increase of ammonia conversion in the synloop, and $500/metric ton.
the refrigeration duty requirement from the ammonia com- As expected, the IRR greatly improves with higher ammo-
pressor is significantly reduced. The spare load from the am- nia and gas prices. Interestingly, the estimated IRR is higher
monia compressor is used to provide the chilling duty of the than the typical minimum of 15%, even with the lowest gas
process air compressor and the makeup syngas compressor price of $4/MMBtu and a 20% higher CAPEX than estimated.
without any modifications or power increases in the ammonia The IRR improves with higher ammonia and gas prices.
compressor.
With a higher ammonia conversion, the outlet tempera- Takeaway. The MIC scheme, in conjunction with other pro-
ture will increase beyond the design temperature of the exist- cess improvement measures, provides a cost-effective option
ing boiler feedwater (BFW) preheater. For this reason, a new to ammonia plant operators for incremental improvements in
exchanger is added before the existing BFW preheater. In ad- capacity and energy efficiency up to 15%, while avoiding ex-
dition, a parallel CW exchanger is added for more ammonia pensive upgrades of major compressors.
condensation at the CW level. The sensitivity analysis demonstrates an economic attrac-
tiveness for gas prices above $4/MMBtu and ammonia prices
Steam system. The steam system is suitably optimized and above $400/metric ton, mainly for revamps. The ammonia
balanced for higher ammonia capacity. It takes advantage of a plant locations with higher feed gas prices will provide higher
higher degree of steam superheat at the HP and MP levels, and economic returns.
it also reduces the steam rates to minimize the surface con- The opportunity to use these incremental improvements in
denser pressure and load. ammonia plants is most promising in situations where capital
Furthermore, by reducing the stripper reboil duty, the LP and/or additional feed gas availability is limited.
vent from the deaerator or excess LP steam can be significant-
ly minimized, resulting in improved energy efficiency. V. K. ARORA is the director of process and strategic business
For every 50°F temperature rise in the degree of superheat, development at Kinetics Process Improvements (KPI Inc.)
the condensing steam turbine steam demand will decrease by in Houston. Prior to this role, he was responsible for the
about 3.5%, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8. development and implementation of a large petrochemicals
complex for a Saudi Arabia location to produce acrylic acid,
Most of the surface condensers in ammonia plants are over- oxo-alcohols, syngas and esters. He is presently involved in the
loaded with as high as 9 in. of mercury (Hg) pressure, as op- development of a new ammonia project from offgases. He is a
posed to a typical Hg pressure of 3.5 in. to 4.5 in. for normal licensed professional engineer in Texas with a BTech degree in chemical
engineering from IIT, in Delhi, India. Prior to joining KPI, he worked at CBI/Lummus
operation. For a reduction of every 1 in. of Hg in backpressure in the US in various positions, including technology director and manager. He also
in the main surface condenser, there is an approximate rise in worked at KBR, SABIC, B&V, Reliance, and Technip in various process functions,
condensing turbine efficiency of about 3%, as indicated in FIG. 9. including design and startup.

6 MARCH 2015 | HydrocarbonProcessing.com