TY - JOUR
T1 - Performance of a Small-Scale Haber Process
AU - Reese, Michael
AU - Marquart, Cory
AU - Malmali, Mahdi
AU - Wagner, Kevin
AU - Buchanan, Eric
AU - McCormick, Alon
AU - Cussler, Edward L.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 American Chemical Society.
PY - 2016/4/20
Y1 - 2016/4/20
N2 - This work identifies a benchmark for the performance of a small-scale ammonia synthesis plant powered by wind energy. The energy used is stranded, far from urban centers but near locations of fertilizer demand. The wind energy drives the pressure swing absorption of air to make nitrogen and the electrolysis of water to make hydrogen. These are combined in the small-scale continuous Haber process to synthesize ammonia. The analysis of runs of the small plant presented in this article permits an assessment of how the current production rate is controlled by three resistances: catalytic reaction, ammonia separation by condensation, and recycling of unreacted gas. The measured catalytic reaction rates are consistent with separate experiments on chemical kinetics and with published reaction mechanisms. The condensation rates predicted are comparable with literature correlations. These rate constants now supply a rigorous strategy for optimizing this scaled-down, distributed ammonia plant. Moreover, this method of analysis is recommended for future small-scale, distributed manufacturing plants.
AB - This work identifies a benchmark for the performance of a small-scale ammonia synthesis plant powered by wind energy. The energy used is stranded, far from urban centers but near locations of fertilizer demand. The wind energy drives the pressure swing absorption of air to make nitrogen and the electrolysis of water to make hydrogen. These are combined in the small-scale continuous Haber process to synthesize ammonia. The analysis of runs of the small plant presented in this article permits an assessment of how the current production rate is controlled by three resistances: catalytic reaction, ammonia separation by condensation, and recycling of unreacted gas. The measured catalytic reaction rates are consistent with separate experiments on chemical kinetics and with published reaction mechanisms. The condensation rates predicted are comparable with literature correlations. These rate constants now supply a rigorous strategy for optimizing this scaled-down, distributed ammonia plant. Moreover, this method of analysis is recommended for future small-scale, distributed manufacturing plants.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84963938777&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/acs.iecr.5b04909
DO - 10.1021/acs.iecr.5b04909
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84963938777
SN - 0888-5885
VL - 55
SP - 3742
EP - 3750
JO - Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research
JF - Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research
IS - 13
ER -