Improvements in Nitrogen Addition to the Fertiliser Production Flowsheet

Keywords: secondary reforming, secondary reformer burner, catalyst, Nitrogenmuvek, Johnson Matthey

The ammonia process is the starting point in the production of all nitrogen based fertilisers. We rely upon on these fertilisers to enable us to feed the world’s growing population. The ammonia process takes hydrogen, normally produced by steam reforming natural gas, and combines it with nitrogen from the atmosphere to produce ammonia. This ammonia is then used to make downstream products such as nitric acid, ammonia nitrates and urea, that are in turn used to produce fertilisers. This means all the nitrogen we add to the crops we produce in the form of fertilisers has been introduced from the atmosphere. Most commonly the air is introduced to the process through the secondary reforming process. This paper reviews the technology developments that Johnson Matthey has brought to the market in the area of secondary reforming and reviews the case study of the Nitrogenmuvek flowsheet development as an example of this.

Dr I. Blazsek, Nitrogenmuvek Zrt, H-8105 Petfurdo, Hosok Tere 14, Hungary.

Dr M.J. Cousins, Johnson Matthey plc, Billingham, Cleveland TS23 1LB United Kingdom.

26 pages, 12 figures, 3 tables, 12 plates, 4 reference