PDPII - May 2011 - Dhanaraj - 10644

GROUP
3
NO
PLANT DESIGN PROJECT
SHEET
PRODUCTION OF 500,000 MTA JOB CODE A
AMMONIA PLANT DESIGNE DHANARAJ A/L
R TURUNAWARASU (10644)
DETAILED DESIGN OF
MAJOR EQUIPMENT
AMMONIA REACTOR (R-6)
And
DESIGN OF MINOR EQUIPMENT

FLASH SEPARATOR (V-4)
AIR COMPRESSOR (K-2)
DOC PREPARE REVIEWED

DESCRIPTION D BY BY
DATE
NO
01 GENERAL DESCRIPTION RAJ 22/07/11
02 PROCESS DESIGN RAJ 22/07/11
03 MECHANICAL DESIGN RAJ 20/08/11
04 SPECIFICATION SHEET AND DRAWING(S) RAJ 23/08/11
05 COSTING RAJ 23/08/11
OPERATING MANUAL (START UP / RAJ
06 23/08/11
SHUTDOWN)
07 MINOR EQUIPMENT DESIGN RAJ 08/07/11
08 MINOR EQUIPMENT SPECIFICATION SHEET RAJ 12/07/11
INFORMATION CONTAINED IS OUR PROPERTY AND MUST NOT BE USED BY OR CONVEYED TO ANY PERSON WITHOUT
AUTHORITY
CAB4013 Plant Design Project II (PDP II)
Individual Equipment Design Report
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........…………………………………. 1

1.1 General Description …………………………………... 2
1.2 Design Methodology …………………………………. 3
1.3 Reactor Selection……………………………………… 4
CHAPTER 2: PROCESS DESIGN ........................…... ……………….. 6
2.1 Operating Condition ………………………………….. 6
2.2 Reactor Volume Determination……………………….. 7
2.3 Catalyst………………………………………………. 11
2.3.1 Actual Volume of Catalyst……………………… 12
2.4 Reactor Dimension…………………………………….. 17
2.5 Catalyst Bed Dimension……………………………….. 18
2.6 Catalyst Bed Conversion………………………………. 21
2.7 Energy Balance on Bulk Gas…………………………. 23
2.7.1 Adiabatic Catalyst Bed………………………….. 23
2.7.2 Temperature Profile……………………………... 24
2.7.3 Interbed Heat Exchanger………………………… 29
2.7.4 Tube Arrangement……………………………….. 33
2.7.5 Estimation of Bundle Diameter………………….. 34
2.7.6 Baffle Diameter………………………………….. 35
CHAPTER 3: MECHANICAL DESIGN....................................... ……... 38
3.1 Material Selection…..………………………………..... 38
3.1.3 Ammonia Converter R-6 Material Selection……. 38
3.2 Reactor Design Pressure and Temperature…………….. 40
3.2.1 Reactor Design Pressure…………………………. 40
3.2.2 Reactor Design Temperature…………………….. 41
3.3 Reactor Cylindrical Vessel Thickness…………………. 42
3.4 Reactor Closures………………………………………. 44
3.4.1 Height of Reactor……………………………….. 47
3.5 Design of Bolted Flange Joints………………………… 48
3.5.1 Gasket Design…………………………………….49
3.5.2 Bolt Sizing……………………………………….. 52
1
3.5.3 Design of Flange………………………………… 55
3.6 Reactor Weight………………………………………… 58
3.6.1 Weight of Shell…………………………………... 58
3.6.2 Weight of Interbed Heat Exchangers……………. 59
3.6.3 Weight of Fluid in Reactor……………………… 61
3.7 Wind loading…………………………………………… 62
3.8 Analysis of Stress at Bottom…………………………… 62
3.8.1 Pressure Stresses………………………………… 62
3.8.2 Death Weight Stress……………………………... 63
3.8.3 Bending Stress…………………………………… 63
3.8.4 Elastic Stability Buckling………………………... 64
3.9 Reactor Support………………………………………… 65
3.10 Nozzle Sizing…………………………………………..67
3.10.1 Feed Nozzle…………………………………….. 67
3.10.2 Outlet Nozzle………………………………….... 68
CHAPTER 4: SPECIZFICATION SHEET……………………………... 69
CHAPTER 5: COST ESTIMATION……………………………………..70
CHAPTER 6: OPERATING MANUAL PROCEDURE………………..71
CHAPTER 7: MINOR EQUIPMENT DESIGN…………………………79
7.1 Flash Separator V-4…………………………………… 79
7.1.1 Process Description……………………………….79
7.1.2 Flash Separator Selection………………………... 80
7.1.3 Screening of Gas-Liquid Separators……………...81
7.1.4 Selection of Two Phase Separator……………….. 83
7.1.5 Material Selection………………………………...83
7.1.6 Phase Separator Sizing……………………………83
7.1.7 Design Stress……………………………………...87
7.1.8 Welded Joint Efficiency…………………………. 88
7.1.9 Corrosion Allowance…………………………….. 88
7.1.10 Flash Separator Closure…………………………89
7.1.11 Specification Sheet………………………………91
7.2 Air Compressor K-2…………………………………….92
7.2.1 Type Selection…………………………………… 92
7.2.2 Centrifugal Air Compressor Sizing……………… 93
2
7.2.3 Specification Sheet………………………………..96
REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………....97
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1.1 Radial Flow Reactor……………………………………………….. 3

Figure 1.2 Haldor Topsoe Series 300 Ammonia Converter …………………... 5
Figure 2.1 R-6 Catalyst Bed Levenspiel Plot …………………………………. 21
Figure 2.2 Installation of Ammonia Converter from Fatima Fertilizer………...18
Figure 2.3 Concentration Profile………………………………………………. 22
Figure 2.4 Graph Log Ke – 2.6899 vs T ……………………………………… 27
Figure 2.5 Ammonia Converter R-6 equilibrium curve ……………………… 28
Figure 2.6 Rod Baffle type Heat Exchanger …………………………………. 29
Figure 2.7 Square Pitch Pattern ……………………………………………… 33
Figure 2.8 Disc and Doughnut ………………………………………............... 35
Figure 3.1 High Temperature Hydrogen Attack ……………………………… 39
Figure 3.2 Nitriding ……................................................................................... 39
Figure 3.3 Hemispherical Head Design tool …………………………………. 45
Figure 3.4 Dimension of Bottom Hemispherical Head ……………………….. 46
Figure 3.5 Bolted cover flat end closure……………………………………….. 46
Figure 3.6 Welding Neck Flange………………………………………………. 48
Figure 3.7 Gasket Measurement……………………………………………….. 51
Figure 3.8 Bolt Spacing…………………………………………………………57
Figure 3.9 Positioning of Gasket Flange………………………………………..57
Figure 3.10 Resultant Stress of Reactor………………………………………….64
Figure 5.1 Chemical Engineering Plant Cost Index………………………….70
Figure 7.1 Vertical Liquid-Vapour Separators………………………………… 80

Figure 7.2 Horizontal Liquid-Vapour Separator………………………………..81
Figure 7.3 Hemispherical Head Design tool……………………………………90
Figure 7.4 Pressure/Volume Map for various Compressor Types……………...93

Figure 7.5 Approximate polytropic efficiencies………………………………..94
LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.1 Stream Data for Ammonia Converter R-6……………………………6
Table 2.2 Properties of Catalyst………………………………………………..11
Table 2.3 Levenspiel plot Data………………………………………………...15
Table 2.4 Haldor Topsoe S-300 Ammonia converter in Fatima Fertilizer…… 18
Table 2.5 R-6 Ammonia converter Catalyst Bed Dimensions Summary……...20
Table 2.6 Vol.of.Cal.bed with respect to Conversion………………………… 21
Table 2.7 Equlibrium Constant as a function of Equlibrium Conversion……. 24
Table 2.8 Log Ke – 2.6899 as a function of Equlibrium Conversion………….25
Table 2.9 Log Ke – 2.6899 as a function of Temperature…………………….. 26
Table 2.10 Conversion-Temperature Plot Data…………………………………27
3
Table 2.11 Interbed Heat Exchanger Temperature Data………………………. 30
Table 2.12 Coefficients of Cp polynomial for components……………………. 31
Table 2.13 Heat Capacities of streams in Shell Side ………………………….. 31
Table 2.14 Heat Removed and Heat Exchanger Area………………………….. 32
Table 2.15 Comparison between of Interbed Heat Exchangers………………... 37
Table 4.1 Specification Sheet for Ammonia Converter R-6………………….. 69
Table 5.1 Correction factor, Fp based on operating pressure………………….70
Table 5.2 Correction factor, Fp based on operating pressure………………….71
Table 7.1 ICON Stream Data for Flash Separator V-4……………………….. 79
Table 7.2 Screening of G/L/ Separators………………………………………. 82
Table 7.3 Properties of Liquid and Vapor Phases from Icon…………………. 84
Table 7.4 Specification Sheet for Flash Separator V-4……………………….. 91
Table 7.5 Operating Range of Compressors and Blowers……………………. 92
Table 7.6 ICON Stream Data for Air Compressor K-2…………………………..
92
Table 7.7 Specification Sheet for Air Compressor K-2………………………. 96
APPENDIX I: Fatima Fertilizer Company Ltd

APPENDIX II: Ammonia Converter R-6 Engineering Drawing
4
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The central part of the synthesis system is the converter, in which the conversion of
synthesis gas to ammonia takes place. The reaction of Ammonia in most industrial
processes is limited by the unfavourable position of the thermodynamic equilibrium,
so that only partial conversion of the synthesis gas (25-35%) can be attained on its
passage through the catalyst. Ammonia is separated from the unreacted gas by
condensation, which requires relatively low temperatures for reasonable efficiency.
The unconverted gas is supplemented with fresh synthesis gas and recycled to the
converter. The concentration of the inert gases (methane) in the synthesis loop is
controlled by withdrawing a small continuous purge gas stream. These basic features
together hydrogen and nitrogen with the properties of the synthesis catalyst and
mechanical restrictions govern the design of the ammonia synthesis converter. (A.
Max, 1999)
N2 + 3H2 2NH3
On top of that, the ammonia reactor performance is very important in determining
the economic viability of the overall design offers crucial importance in studying the
environmental impact of the process. The raw materials for the specified process are
Nitrogen (N2) and Hydrogen (H2). The reaction will proceed in gas phase between
the raw materials supported by promoted (K2O-CaO-Al2O3) iron-oxide catalyst to
produce Ammonia.
For this project, radial flow fixed bed reactor type has been determined suitable to
carry out the highly exothermic process. The ammonia reactor, R-6 has been
designed having 3 catalytic beds where hydrogen and nitrogen in gas phase will be
fed at the bottom of the reactor and flows in radial direction into the catalyst bed the
in order to obtain optimum conversion through the reaction of nitrogen and
hydrogen. Since the reaction will proceed exothermically, two interbed heat
exchanges are placed in between the first and second bed as well as in between the
second and third bed in order to regulate and maintain the outlet temperature of gas
5
stream from each catalyst beds to achieve adiabatic condition The temperature of the
reactor will be in the range of 300 ºC to 500 ºC with the pressure of 24708 kPa.
1.2 DESIGN METHODOLOGY
The design methodology for the R-6 can be divided into 2 major sections; the
process design and mechanical design. The process design governs the determination
of reactor volume through Levenspiel plot and heat transfer. The mechanical design
of R-6 utilizes British Standard 5500 reference and design values were referred to
data provided in the Mechanical Design of Process Equipment Data Hand Book.
Overall design was carried out accordingly, as per listed below;
1. Selection of major equipment – Ammonia Reactor, R-6

2. Justification on the type of reactor which is suitable for the process.
3. Determination of the optimum operating conditions.
4. Data gathering from iCON (version 4.0) simulation.
5. Volume determination based on rate of reaction.
6. Reactor Sizing accordingly.
7. Reactor Mechanical Design.
8. Equipment Cost Analysis
9. Technical Drawing for R-6 design
10. Start-up and Shutdown Procedures description
6
1.3 REACTOR SELECTION
According to Max. A, 1999, Commercial Ammonia converters can be classified into

two main groups:
i. Internally cooled with cooling tubes running through the catalyst bed or with
catalyst inside the tubes and the cooling medium on the shell side. The cooling
medium is mostly the reactor feed gas, which can flow counter- or cocurrently to
the gas flow in the synthesis catalyst volume (tube-cooled converters)
ii. The catalyst volume is divided into several beds in which the reaction proceeds
adiabatically. Between the individual catalyst beds heat is removed by injection of
colder synthesis gas (quench converters) or by indirect cooling with synthesis gas
or via boiler feed water heating or raising steam (indirectly cooled multibed
converter).
The Ammonia converter R-6 will be design based on the second one. Radial Flow
Reactor is preferred as compared to axial flow since axial flow fixed bed reactors
(AFBRs) offer higher pressure drop than radial fixed bed reactors (RFBRs). In
RFBRs fluid flows both in axial and radial directions. Consequently, the pressure
drop in RFBRs is reduced significantly. RFBRs offer a larger mean cross-sectional
area and reduced travel distance as compared to traditional AFBRs (K.S. Anjani,
1996).
Figure 1.1: Radial Flow Reactor (E.Gerhart, n.d.)
7
Figure 1 presents a radial fixed bed reactor. It can be seen that Fluid moves in the
reactor from outside of the cylindrical vessel. The fluid flows inside the catalyst bed
in the radial direction and finally axially downward to exit the reactor. The
arrangement of the catalyst in the RFBR is to minimize the travel distance of the
fluid. For the same amount of catalyst, the travel distance increases for vertical fixed
bed reactors (AFBR).
The R-6 reactor design will be based on Haldor Topsoe Series 300 Converter which
contains three catalyst beds and two central interbed exchangers in a single pressure
shell. The interbed Heat ecxhangers are installed to maintain an adiabatic operation
of the ammonia converter. Figure below shows the cross sectional area of the Haldor
Topsoe Series 300 Ammonia Converter.
8
1st Catalyst Shell

Bed
Interbed HE 1
Outer
Annulus
2nd Catalyst Bed
Interbed HE 2
Basket
3rd Catalyst Bed
Transfer
Pipe
Fig 1.2: Haldor Topsoe Series 300 Ammonia Converter
Feed gas enters at the bottom and flows as pressure wall cooling gas to the top of the
converter. The gas then passes through the tubes of the 1st Interbed heat exchanger
and mixed with cold gas for temperature adjustment and passes through the first
catalyst bed radially. The exit gas flows through the shell side of the 1st interbed
exchanger before it enters the second bed. The same pattern of flow can be observed
for the second and third bed.
9
CHAPTER 2
PROCESS DESIGN
2.1 OPERATING CONDITIONS

Operating Temperature : 300C
Operating Pressure : 22462 kPa
Table 2.1: Stream Data for Ammonia Converter R-6
Stream S47 S48
Description Feed Outlet
VapFrac 1.00 1.00
T [C]
300 500
P [kPa]
22462.10758 22393.16001
MoleFlow/Composition Fraction kgmole/h Fraction kgmole/h
METHANE 0.0561 969.25 0.06443 969.25
ETHANE 0.0000 0.00 0.0000 0.00
PROPANE 0.0000 0.00 0.0000 0.00
n-BUTANE 0.0000 0.00 0.0000 0.00
NITROGEN 0.17642 3048.27 0.12832 1930.24
CARBON DIOXIDE 0.00031 5.30 0.00035 5.30
HYDROGEN
SULFIDE 0.0000 0.00 0.0000 0.00
WATER 0.00011 1.84 0.00012 1.84
HYDROGEN 0.55463 9583.10 0.4141 6229.01
OXYGEN 0.0000 0.00 0.0000 0.00
CARBON
MONOXIDE 0.00332 57.31 0.00381 57.31
METHYL
DIETHANOLAMINE 0.0000 0.00 0.0000 0.00
AMMONIA 0.20912 3613.25 0.38886 5849.30
Total 1.00 17278.31 1.00 15042.25
10
2.3 REACTOR VOLUME DETERMINATION
kA
N2 + 3H2 2NH3
k-A
Or, symbocially,
kA
A + 3B 2C
k-A
The forward and reverse specific reaction rate constants, kA and k-A, respectively,
will be defined with respect to nitrogen. Nitrogen (A) is being depleted by forward
reaction
kA
N2 + 3H2 2NH3
In which the rate of disappearance of nitrogen is
For reverse reaction,
k-A
2NH3 N2 + 3H2
The rate of formation of nitrogen is given as
The net rate of formation of nitrogen is the sum of the rates of formation from the
forward reaction and reverse reaction
11
Multiplying both sides of the rate law equation by -1, we obtain rate law for the rate
of disappearance of nitrogen, :
Where
The Stoichiometric table for the gas phase-reaction is given in table below
Species Symbol Concentration
N2 A
H2 B
NH3 C
Neglecting pressure drop in the reaction, P = Po and the reaction is isothermal T = To,
we obtain
12
Therefore,
Since Ammonia reaction is a equilibrium reaction, therefore the equilibrium constant

can be dictated as follows:
In 1930, Gillespie and Beattie have developed the following equation to calculate the
equilibrium constant of ammonia reaction. The equilibrium constant, Kc, is
calculated from
Where T = 473.15K
The equilibrium conversion, is computed using scientific calculator fx-570ES,
According to Fogler (2006), the design equation for a fixed-bed reactor is analogous
to those for a plug-flow reactor. Thus, to obtain the volume of the reactor for a
specified conversion, the following equation will be used for the volume
determination.
13
The rate constant, is obtained from the Arrhenius Equation (D.C. Dyson et
al.,1968)
Where R=1.987 and T = 473.15K
(Reactant Fluid Volume)

(computed using scientific calculator fx-570ES)
Thus, the space time for R-6 was determined as shown below.
  V / vo
 182 / 3822.961
 0.0476 hr
171.36 s
R-6 has a contact time of 171.36s. The space velocity is then the reciprocal of space
time = 21 hr-1.For a plug flow reactor, the calculated V is only the volume of reactant
fluid (not including catalyst surface). The void fraction in a packed bed is defined as
the volume of voids in the bed divided by the total volume of the bed
(Geankoplis,1993). Assume the void fraction of the catalyst bed as 50% of the total
volume of reactor,  = 0.5. Therefore, actual reactor volume:
14
The actual Volume of Catalyst bed can be computed analytically to prove the
assumption made
2.4 CATALYST
A triply promoted (K2O-CaO-Al2O3) iron-oxide catalyst will be used. The iron
oxide (Fe2O3-FeO) is in the form of nonstoichiometric magnetite. It is made by
fusing the magnetite with the promoters. The catalyst is reducede in situ, and the
removal of oxygen yields a highly porous structure of iron with promoters present as
interphases between the iron crystal and as porous clusters along the pore walls. The
pores range from 50⁰A to 100⁰A, and intraparticle diffusion is thought to occur by
bulk mechanism (A.Nielsen, 1970).
The volume of catalyst in the R-6 will be determined using the density correlation.
The physical properties of the catalyst are as shown in the table.
Table 2.2: Properties of promoted (K2O-CaO-Al2O3) iron-oxide catalyst (F.R.

Howard, n.d)
Properties Values
Particle Size Granules, in size range 6-10mm
Bulk Density 2.65kg/liter
Particle Density 4.9g/cm3
15
2.4.1 Actual Volume of Catalyst
A molar differential balance for nitrogen in the catalyst bed gives (S.E. Said et al.,
1988)
Where the fractional conversion of nitrogen, V is is the volume of catalyst bed in

m3, η is the effectiveness factor, and is the initial molar flow rate of nitrogen in
kmol/ h.
16
In this equation, Φi is the fugacity coefficient and P is the total pressure. Below
equations are the experimental ones for fugacity coefficient of hydrogen, nitrogen
and ammonia (D.Ali et al., 2006).
Hydrogen:
Nitrogen:
Ammonia:
The fugacities of the component can be computed as follows:
Φ --------------------(1)
………………………..(2)
17
Substitute (1) into (2)
Φ …………......(3)
………….......(4)
Substitute (4) into (3)
Fugacity computation for nitrogen and ammonia is repeated based on the method
above. Following are the fugacity of ammonia and nitrogen
To investigate the effects of temperature and density of the catalyst interior and the
difference between these parameters with those of the catalyst surface, an effect
factor called η has been defined. The general form of the equation defining this
effect factor has been given below (D.Ali et al., 2006).
The above equation is in terms of T and conversion percentage. The coefficients of

this equation for three different pressures have been depicted in table below
The Pressure operating pressure is 221.68 atm = 225 bar and the operating
Temperature is at 417.15K. Therefore,
18
The Volume of catalyst bed is computed based on the formula below. The
equilibrium conversion, has already been computed
According to the above equation, the volume can be determined through the area
under the graph of 1/ versus the conversion, X. Rate of reaction with respect
to conversion must be determined first hand. Thus, material balances around the
reactor were done to obtain the Levenspiel plot.
Table 2.3: Levenspiel plot Data

X 1/
0 -1.00321 0.996799
0.02 -1.46499 0.682599
0.04 -1.92115 0.520523
0.06 -2.3698 0.421977
0.08 -2.80984 0.355893
0.1 -3.24094 0.308552
0.12 -3.66367 0.27295
0.14 -4.07948 0.245129
0.16 -4.49085 0.222675
0.18 -4.90134 0.204026
0.2 -5.31578 0.188119
0.22 -5.74037 0.174205
0.24 -6.18287 0.161737
0.26 -6.65281 0.150312
0.28 -7.16177 0.13963
0.3 -7.72365 0.129472
0.32 -8.35505 0.119688
0.34 -9.07568 0.110185
0.36 -9.9089 0.100919
0.37 -10.3762 0.096375
19
R-6 Catalyst Bed Levenspiel Plot

1.2
1
1/RNH3 0.8
0.6
0.4 Levenspiel Plot
0.2
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4
X
Figure 2.1: R-6 Catalyst Bed Levenspiel Plot
A graph of rate law versus conversion is then plotted. From the graph above,
numerical evaluation of integrals was performed using Five-point quadrature
formula and Trapezoidal rule (two-points). Evaluation of the area under the graph
above was done in three portions. FA0 is the initial flowrate of the limiting reactant,
propylene of 3048.27 kmol/hr.
1 RNH3(X=0.08)+1 RNH3(X=0.08)+4 RNH3(X=0.10)+2 RNH3(X=0.12)+4

RNH3(X=0.14)+1 RNH3(X=0.16)+1 RNH3(X=0.16)+4 RNH3(X=0.18)+2
RNH3(X=0.32)+4 RNH3(X=0.34)+1 RNH3(X=0.36)
+
Therefore, it is proven that the assumption made on the volume of catalyst bed which was
182m3 is similar to the analytical calculation that is shown earlier (170.80m3)
20
Of this volume, approximately 2/3 is taken up by the iron-magnetite catalyst
considering the void spaces between catalyst particles. (V.Josue, n.d)
Thus, the required total amount of catalyst was determined to be;

Mass of catalyst = 113.83 m3 x 2650 kg/ m3
Mass of catalyst = 302,000 kg
2.5 REACTOR DIMENSION

In order to find the length and diameter or R-6 most specifically with respect to
catalyst bed where the reaction take place, Douglas (1998) proposed the ratio
between length and diameter has to be between ratios 3 to 20. Taking the ratio as 3
The Dimensions of the reactor is compared to the one in the industry. Based on one
of the Haldor Topsoe S-300 Ammonia converter R-105 in Fatima Fertilizer
Company Ltd, the diameter and length are found to be 2m and 20m respectively.
Thus, the calculated length and diameter of R-6 reactor is found to be reasonable
with the one in industry.
Figure 2.2: Installation of Ammonia Converter from Fatima Fertilizer Company Ltd.
21
2.6 CATALYST BED DIMENSION

The Ammonia converter R-6 is consists of three separate beds with two interstage
cooling Heat Exchangers. The reactor is designed according to Haldor Topsoe S-300
Ammonia Reactor. The S-300 Ammonia converter is the further development of the
S-200 converter by adding a third bed and a second interbed heat exchanger which
enables higher conversion for the same catalyst volume. The Volume of each bed is
assumed according to one of the Haldor Topsoe S-300 Ammonia converter R-105 in
Fatima Fertilizer Company Ltd.
Table 2.4: Haldor Topsoe S-300 Ammonia converter in Fatima Fertilizer Company
Parameter Unit Bed 1 Bed 2 Bed 3

Diameter (OD/ID) mm 1852/1120 1852/1120 1892/690
Height mm 4600 4800 9460
Volume m3 7.86 8.2 23.06
Based on the table, the volume ratio for each bed is given by
V1:V2:V3 = 0.25: 0.25: 0.50 = 1:1:2
Since the total volume of the bed of R-6 reactor is 170.8m3. Therefore
Thus, the catalyst required for each bed was determined to be (approximately 2/3 of
each bed is taken up by the iron-magnetite catalyst considering the void spaces
between catalyst particles. (V.Josue, n.d):
According to one of the Haldor Topsoe S-300 Ammonia converter R-105 in Fatima
Fertilizer Company Ltd, the Outer Diameter (OD) and Inner Diameter (ID) ratio of
each catalyst bed is given by,
22
Diameter of Catalyst basket is assumed to be 4m which corresponds to the outer

diameter of the bed. The inner diameter for each bed is shown below:
The height of each bed is given by,
Thus,
Table 2.5: R-6 Ammonia converter Catalyst Bed Dimensions Summary
Parameter Unit Bed 1 Bed 2 Bed 3

Diameter (OD/ID) m 4.0/2.42 4.0/2.42 4.0/1.49
Height m 5.36 5.36 7.89
Volume m3 42.7 42.7 85.4
23
2.7 CATALYST BED CONVERSION
The Volume of Bed for every conversion is obtained through the Area below the
graph by using the Five-point quadrature formula. The Conversion of Bed 1, Bed 2,
and Bed 3 are plotted on the Vol.of.Cat.bed vs Conversion graph based on the
respective calculated bed volume.
Table 2.6: Vol.of.Cal.bed with respect to Conversion
X
0 0
0.02 28.16474
0.04 48.57494
0.06 64.64233
0.08 77.93705
0.1 89.30945
0.12 99.27147
0.14 108.1529
0.16 116.1772
0.18 123.4988
0.2 130.2295
0.22 136.4482
0.24 142.2152
0.26 147.5733
0.28 151.2083
0.3 157.1728
0.32 161.4521
0.34 165.3998
0.36 169.0262
0.37 170.7201
24
Concentration Profile
0.40
0.35
0.30
0.25
BED BED BED
Conversion
1 2 3
0.20
0.15
0.10
0.05
0.00
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180
Vol.of.Cat.Bed/m3
Figure 2.3: Concentration Profile
From the Graph above the Conversion of each Catalyst Bed is given by,
25
2.8 ENERGY BALANCE ON BULK GAS
2.8.1 Adiabatic Catalyst Bed
The temperature and composition throughout a general cross section of the bed is
assumed uniform. Axial diffusion of mass and heat is neglected. Pressure drop is
very small compared to the total pressure; therefore a uniform pressure equal to the
average pressure in the reactor has been assumed . The energy balance for a
differential element of the catalyst bed gives (M.E.E. Abashar, 2000):
Where is the heat of reaction in kJ/kmol of NH3, m the total mole flow rate in
kgmole/h, and Cpmix the specific heat of reacting gas mixture in kJ/(kmol K).
Elnashaie has developed a relation in 1981 for calculation of reaction heat which has
been used in this modelling (A.T. Mahfouz et al., 1987)
The molar specific heat of different components is calculated from the equations
given by Shah (1967). Shah has developed an equation for determination of
ammonia heat capacity which has been used in this modelling
26
By substituting all the related equations into the differential equation (dT/dV), the
following model is obtained in order to evaluate the inlet and outlet temperatures of
each adiabatic catalyst bed:
The following Differential equation is solved using Wolfram Mathematica Software. The
results are shown in the table below:
Catalyst Bed Inlet Temperature (K) Outlet Temperature (K)
Bed 1 473 573
Bed 2 490 552
Bed 3 454 464
2.8.2 Temperature Profile
The Temperature profile of each catalyst bed can be observed through the
Conversion-Temperature Plot that shows the Ammonia Converter R-6 Staging with
interstage cooling. In order to develop this plot, firstly, the equilibrium constant
should be obtained through various equilibrium conversion
Table 2.7: Equlibrium Constant as a function of Equlibrium Conversion

Xe Ke
0.4 0.887331
0.35 0.590992
0.3 0.399863
0.25 0.273886
0.2 0.189332
0.15 0.13172
0.1 0.091979
0.05 0.064292
0 0.044857
27
The equilibrium constant, Ke, is calculated from
The Values of Log Ke – 2.6899 with respect to Xe are calculated and tabulated.
Table 2.8: Log Ke – 2.6899 as a function of Equlibrium Conversion
Xe Ke Log Ke – 2.6899
0.4 0.887331 -2.7418142
0.35 0.590992 -2.9183185
0.3 0.399863 -3.0879886
0.25 0.273886 -3.2523309
0.2 0.189332 -3.4126765
0.15 0.13172 -3.5702471
0.1 0.091979 -3.7262125
0.05 0.064292 -3.8817435
0 0.044857 -4.0380687
From the Equilibrium constant equation, assign Y = Log Ke – 2.6899 and X=T in
order to plot the graph Log Ke – 2.6899 vs T
28
Table 2.9: Log Ke – 2.6899 as a function of Temperature

T(K) Log Ke – 2.6899
420 -2.28434
430 -2.42165
440 -2.55326
450 -2.67952
460 -2.80077
470 -2.91732
480 -3.02944
490 -3.1374
500 -3.24143
510 -3.34176
520 -3.43857
530 -3.53207
540 -3.62243
550 -3.70981
560 -3.79435
570 -3.87621
580 -3.95551
590 -4.03237
600 -4.1069
610 -4.17922
620 -4.24943
630 -4.31762
640 -4.38387
-2
400 450 500 550 600 650 700
-2.5
-3
Log Ke - 2.6899
-3.5
-4
-4.5
-5
T (K)
Figure 2.4: Graph Log Ke – 2.6899 vs T
29
The corresponding T for all conversions listed in the table are obtained by plotting
the corresponding values of Log Ke – 2.6899 from the table below on the graph
above.
Table 2.10: Conversion-Temperature Plot Data
Xe Ke Log Ke – 2.6899 T(K)
0.4 0.887331 -2.7418142 455
0.35 0.590992 -2.9183185 470
0.3 0.399863 -3.0879886 479
0.25 0.273886 -3.2523309 500
0.2 0.189332 -3.4126765 518
0.15 0.13172 -3.5702471 535
0.1 0.091979 -3.7262125 550
0.05 0.064292 -3.8817435 568
0 0.044857 -4.0380687 585
R-6 Equilibrium Curve

0.45
0.4
0.35
NH3 Equlibrium Conversion
0.3
0.25
0.2 BED
3
0.15
0.1
Interstage Cooling 2
0.05
BED
2 Interstage Cooling 1
BED
0
1
450 460 470 480 490 500 510 520 530 540 550 560 570 580 590 600
Temperature (K)
Figure 2.5: Ammonia Converter R-6 equilibrium curve
30
Based on the graph, two interbed Heat Exchangers are required to maintain an
adiabatic operation of the reactor R-6 since the reaction is exothermic. We can
observe that the heat exchanger in between bed 2 and bed 3 has higher heat duty
since the temperature difference of the interstage cooling is greater compared to the
heat exchanger in between bed 1 and bed 2.
2.8.3 Interbed Heat Exchanger
The type of interbed Heat Exchanger that will be installed in the ammonia converter
is the Rod Baffle Type Heat Exchanger. Similar type of Interbed Heat Exchanger is
used in the Ammonia Converter R-105 in Fatima Fertilizer Company Ltd.
Figure 2.6: Rod Baffle type Heat Exchanger used in R-105 Ammonia Converter in
Fatima Fertilizer Company Ltd.
The Tube selection will be based on the one chosen by Fatima Fertilizer Company
Ltd. Table below shows the specification of tube selection.
Tube Specifications 1st IHE (upper) 2nd IHE (lower)
Material Inconel 600 SS 321
Effective Length 3700mm 3600mm
Dimension of Tubes ½ inch BWG 18 ½ inch BWG 16
Pitch type Square Square
31
The Area of tube for each exchanger is determined through,
Based on Figure 7, the shell and tube inlet and outlet temperatures can be obtained.
Table 2.11: Interbed Heat Exchanger Temperature Data
Heat Shell Tube

Exchanger
1 (upper) 573 490 300 473.15
2 (lower) 552 454 300 450
Assuming that the interbed Rod Baffle type heat exchanger operates similarly with
counter flow heat exchanger, let‟s next determine the counter current interbed heat
exchanger area. The rate of heat transfer in a counter current heat exchanger is given
by the equation (C.J. Gaenkopolis, 1993):
Where,
Therefore, the area for heat exchange is shown below
According to Table 12.1 (R.K. Sinnot, 2005) The Overall Heat transfer coefficient is
assumed to be 50 W/m2 ⁰C since the hot and cold fluids are in gaseous phase
32
The following equation is used to calculate the heat capacity (D. Ali et al., 2006)
Table 2.12: Coefficients of Cp polynomial for components
The molar specific heat of different components is calculated from the equations
given by Shah (1967). Shah has developed an equation for determination of
ammonia heat capacity which has been used in this modelling
Therefore the heat capacity of the mixture is determined
The Heat Capacities of the mixture for the inlet and outlet of the hot fluid (shell side)
for both heat exchangers are obtained through the equation above using Excel
Spreadsheet.
33
Table 2.13: Heat Capacities of streams in Shell Side

Heat Shell
Exchanger (kJ/kmol) (kJ/kmol)
1 (upper) 573 255.4809 490 228.859
2 (lower) 552 248.6242 454 217.7113
The Heat required to be removed in order to cool the reacting mixture and the heat
transfer area for both heat exchangers are calculated and tabulated
Table 2.14: Heat Removed and Heat Exchanger Area

Heat Exchanger Heat Removed (W) HE Area (m2)
1 398361.0361 86.628
2 534122.6692 178.463
The number of tubes for each interbed heat exchangers can be obtained through the
equation below.
34
2.8.4 Tube Arrangement
The pattern being selected here is a square pitch pattern. The recommended tube
pitch (distance between tube centre) is 1.25 time the outside diameter of the tube
(R.K. Sinnot, 2005)
Figure 2.7: Square Pitch Pattern
2.8.5 Estimation of Bundle diameter

D b nl
Nt = Kl ( )
do
N t nl1
or Db = do ( )
Kl
Where Nt = number of tubes
Db = bundle diameter, mm
do = tube outside diameter, mm
35
The value of K1 and n1 is available in Table 12.4, Chemical Engineering, Volume 6,
by R.K. Sinnot.
One shell pass and one tube pass flow:
K1 = 0.156
n1 = 2.291
Therefore:
1
590 2.207
Db,IHE 1 = 12.7( )
0.215
= 460 mm
1
1250 2.207
Db,IHE 2 = 12.7( )
0.215
= 645 mm
36
2.8.6 Baffle Diameter
From Chemical Engineering (R.K. Sinnot, 2005) , Vol. 6 (figure 12.10)
Shell bundle clearance (IHE 1) = 12 mm

Shell bundle clearance (IHE 2) = 15 mm
Shell Inlet Diameter (IHE1) = Db + Shell bundle clearance
= 472 mm
Shell Inlet Diameter (IHE2) = Db + Shell bundle clearance
= 660 mm
Baffle type: Disc and Doughnut baffle
Figure 2.8: Disc and Doughnut

From Table 12.5, Chemical Engineering, Vol. 6, the recommended baffle diameter
is:
Dbf,IHE 1 = 460 – 1.6 mm
= 458.4 mm
Dbf,IHE 2 = 645 – 1.6 mm
37
= 643.4 mm
The optimum baffle spacing is usually between 0.3 to 0.5 times the shell diameters.
Value of 0.4 is chosen for the Interbed Bed Heat Exchanger 1 (Upper)
lbf,IHE 1 = 0.4 (472)

= 188.8 mm
Value of 0.3 is chosen for the Interbed Bed Heat Exchanger 2 (Lower)
lbf,IHE 2 = 0.3 (660)

= 198 mm
Number of baffle required (IHE 1) = Total tube length/baffle spacing
= 3.7 / 0.189
= 20 baffles
Number of baffle required (IHE 2) = Total tube length/baffle spacing
= 3.6 / 0.198
= 19 baffles
The Specification of the Ammonia Converter R-6 Interbed Heat Exchangers will
then be compared to the one in the industry (Ammonia Converter R-105 in Fatima
Fertilizer Company Ltd) to have a better insight on the design of the reactor.
Table 2.15: Comparison between Industry Interbed Heat Exchanger and Individual
Design
Industry Individual Design
Specification
IBH 1 IBH 2 IBH 1 IBH 2
Material Inconel 600 SS 321 Inconel 600 SS 321
Effective Length 3.7 m 3.6 m 3.7 m 3.6 m
Dimension of ½ inch ½ inch BWG ½ inch BWG ½ inch BWG
Tubes BWG 18 16 18 16
Pitch, square 18 mm 18 mm 16 mm 16 mm
Number of 972 1348 590 1250
tubes
Baffle Distance 185 mm 180 mm 189mm 198mm
No of Baffles 20 20 20 19
Shell ID 850 mm 850 mm 472 mm 660 mm
38
The values obtain in the individual design on the Interbed Heat Exchanger are
relatively reasonable with the one in the industry.
CHAPTER 3:
MECHANICAL DESIGN
3.1 MATERIAL SELECTION

Material selection is one of the important aspect in process safety and reliability in
designing a plant. Most appropriate design condition and material selection for all
equipment / units of the whole plant are one of the most important activities of the
Basic Engineering phase. Depending on the process plant, different conditions,
related to the particular combination of gas composition, temperature and pressure
govern the most appropriate material and design conditions selection.
3.1.1 Ammonia Converter R-6 Material Selection
The first aspect to consider in designing the ammonia converter is the appropriate
material design and selection to ensure a high reliability due to the aggressive
environment created by the combination of high pressure, high temperature and
peculiar gas composition, in which the converter operates (P. Talarico et al., 2010).
The concurrence of Hydrogen related damages (High Temperature Hydrogen Attack
/ Hydrogen Debonding) and Nitriding is typical of the Ammonia synthesis loop,
particularly of the ammonia converter, where the highest temperatures and pressures
are combined with high content of hydrogen and ammonia. This may incur loss of
mechanical strength due to loss of carbon and the formation of a network of fissures
and cracks throughout the microstructure due to High Temperature Hydrogen Attack
(R. Enrico et al., 2009). Hydrogen enters into the steel and reacts with carbon that is
responsible for the strength of the material to form methane which due to its higher
molecular weight cannot escape. The resulting pressure causes cavity growth along
the grain boundaries transforming the steel from a ductile to brittle state (Fatima
Fertilizer Company Ltd.)
39
Figure 3.1: High Temperature Hydrogen Attack (R. Enrico et al., 2009)
Similar to hydrogen attack, nitriding possesses the detrimental effect on the ammonia
converter. Above a certain temperature, depending on the type of steel, ammonia
reacts with iron to form a hard and brittle Fe-N inter-metallic compound (R. Enrico
et al., 2009). For this reason in ammonia atmosphere, usually above 370-380°C,
carbon steel and low alloy steels are not used in contact with fluid and replaced with
austenitic stainless steel or even non ferrous alloy (R. Enrico et al., 2009).
Figure 3.2: Nitriding (R. Enrico et al., 2009)
The Ammonia converter pressure vessel has much lower operating temperature than
the internals. Therefore ferritic materials such Carbon steel or Chrome-Moly steels
are generally used, selected according to the API standard 941. Since the ferritic
components of hot pressure parts (typically outlet nozzle and start-up nozzle) suffer
from nitriding, a designer can consider welding overlay the parts with austenitic
materials or high nickel alloys (P. Talarico et al., 2010).
40
Ammonia converter internals are exposed to the highest temperature (approximately
450⁰C) and therefore the element where the combined effect of Hydrogen and
ammonia is strongest. The use of AISI 321 stainless steel for the internals of
ammonia converters is preferable compared to other stainless steels since is
stabilized with Titanium. In this way there is no risk of carbides precipitation
(causing embrittlement of the materials in hydrogen service) that, on the contrary, is
possible for grades 304 or 316 (P. Talarico et al., 2010)
For thin elements, specifically the basket and the interbed heat exchanger tubes, the
use of stainless steel is not preferable since the thickness of the component is
comparable to the nitrided layer. Therefore, inconel alloy 6000 should be adopted in
which is not vulnerable to the problem.
3.2 REACTOR DESIGN PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE

3.2.1 Reactor Design Pressure
In mechanical designs, the basic method or concept is to make the particular piece or
part of the equipment safe irrespective of the forces acting on it. Some examples of
the forces acting on a member are the forces due to the internal or external pressure
acting on the system, the gravitational force due to the weight of the vessel and
piping, force due to the wind acting on the vessel especially for the tall column and
finally the seismic forces cause by earth quakes.
For the mechanical design of the process equipment, the pressure is the most
important of all the forces acting on the equipment. The design pressure, Pd is the
maximum (worst case) pressure which the equipment has to withstand. Pd can be
calculated by modifying process design (i.e pressure acting on the system), P o
considering the noise in the control system and the effect of any safety relief valve
which may be present to arrive at the maximum working pressure, MWP.
MWP can be calculated from process design pressure, Po using the following
formulae:
i. For system under pressure: MWP = Po + x +y
ii. For system under vacuum: MWP = Po -x
41
Where,
„x‟ refers to half of the noise band width in the control system
„y‟ refers to the setting value of safety release valve which is higher than the
upper noise band
In this reactor design, operating pressure of R-6 is Po = 22462 kPa
Thus design pressure,
Pd = (22462)*1.10
= 24708 kPa
The above pressure is calculated after considering 10% safety factor for internal
pressure.
3.2.2 Reactor Design Temperature

Determination of appropriate design temperature is vital prior to find the value of
allowable stress for the material of construction which is temperature dependent.
Design temperature is determined from the process design temperature. The
following heuristics are generally applied to determine design temperature:
i. For unheated part – consider the highest temperature of the stored material.
ii. For part that is heated by means of steam, hot water, oil etc – consider the highest
temperature of the heating media, or 10°C higher than the maximum temperature
that any part of body is likely to attain during course of operation.
iii. For vessel where direct internal or external heating is employed by means of fire,
flue gas or electricity or for severe exothermic reactions that takes place –
a) Consider the highest temperature of the inside material plus minimum of

20°C if vessel is shielded.
b) Consider the highest temperature of the inside material plus minimum of
50°C if vessel is not shielded.
c) For highly exothermic reactions, same condition as above applies.
For this reactor design, operating temperature of R-6 is To = 500 °C, which is the
temperature at the outlet of the tube.
By considering 10% safety factor,
Taking 10 ⁰C higher than the normal operating temperature
42
Design temperature, Td = (500) x 1.1 = 550°C
3.3 REACTOR CYLINDRICAL VESSEL THICKNESS
The resultant forces acting on the process vessel produces a stress depending on the
thickness of the vessel. There is a trade off in such a way for a given value of the
resultant force can reduces the stress acting on a member by increasing the thickness.
This however makes the member heavier and more costly. For the design purposes
the allowable stress, working stress and design stress are synonymous. The
philosophy is that to ensure the maximum stress, Sm is lower than the design stress,
Sd
Sm (forces acting on the system such as pressure and thickness)
< Sd (material, temperature, values obtained from standard tables)
The minimum shell thickness can be calculated using the following formulae
Pi Di
t +c
(2 fJ  Pi )
Where Di = internal diameter
f = design stress
t = minimum thickness required
Pi = internal pressure
J = Welding efficiency = 1 for double welded butt
c = corrosion allowance
The Ammonia converter pressure vessel has much lower operating temperature than
the internals. Therefore ferritic materials such Carbon steel or Chrome-Moly steels
are generally used, selected according to the API standard 941 (P. Talarico et al.,
2010). Carbon steel (semi-killed orsilicon killed) is selected and the design stress of
at 50⁰C (the Ammonia converter pressure vessel has much lower operating
temperature than the internals temperature 550⁰C) is obtained from Coulson &
Richardson Chemical Engineering Series Vol. 6 , Table 13.2 (R.K. Sinnott, 2005)
and is found to be,
f (temp= 50C) = 135 N/mm2
43
Inside diameter of R-6,
Ds = 4.88 m
Therefore:
For carbon and low-alloy steels, where severe corrosion is not expected, a minimum
allowance of 2.0 mm should be used; where more severe conditions are anticipated
this should be increased to 4.0 mm.
4 mm corrosion allowance will be used. Therefore:
The above equation is only valid if and only if it satisfy the equation below,
Do t
 1.5 and  0.25
Di Di
Do
 5.87  1.5  valid
Di
t
 0.101  0.25  valid
Di
3.4 REACTOR CLOSURES (HEAD AND CLOSURE)
The ends of a cylindrical process vessel are to be closed. The vessels are usually
provided with the following types of heads:
i. Flat head
ii. Flanged-only heads
iii. Flanged and shallow dished
iv. Flanged and standard dished or Torispherical head
v. Ellipsoidal
vi. Hemispherical
44
The selection for a particular type of head depends on the factors such as process
temperature and pressure, nature of the materials to be handled and products
obtained, position of the vessel (horizontal or vertical), nature of the support and
above all the economy.
Currently in the industry the Haldor Topsoe S-300 Ammnonia converter has a
hemispherical head at the bottom whereas the top head is a flat end head. The
Hemispherical head is the strongest shape; capable of resisting about twice the
pressure of a torispherical head of the same thickness. The cost of forming a
hemispherical head will, however, be higher than that for a shallow torispherical
head. Hemispherical heads are used for high pressures. (R.K.Sinnott, 2005)
Therefore, it is preferable to design a hemispherical head at the bottom of converter
since the converter operates at high pressure (243.85 atm) and flat head for the top
end of the converter. Besides that hemispherical shape is preferable at the reactor
bottom head compared to the flat head since both of the inlet and outlet are situated
at the bottom of the reactor which exerts high pressure to the internal wall of the
reactor. The design of the hemispherical shape is based on ASME code of standards
practised by the Pressure Vessel Engineering Ltd. The Spreadsheet for the
hemispherical head calculation is provided by Pressure Vessel Engineering Ltd and
it is used to calculate the dimension of the head. Figure below shows the spreadsheet
calculation of the hemispherical head for R-6 Ammonia Converter.
45
Figure 3.3: Hemispherical Head Design tool (Source:

www.pveng.com/ASME/DesignTools/Hemispherical_Head_Design_Tool.xls)
46
Figure 3.4: Dimension of Bottom Hemispherical Head R-6 Reactor
The Flat heat will be used at the top end of the R-6 Ammonia Converter. Though the
fabrication cost is low, flat ends are not a structurally efficient form, and very thick
plates would be required for high pressures or large diameters. The thickness
required will depend on the degree of constraint at the plate periphery. The minimum
thickness required is given by (R.K. Sinnott, 2005):
Where,
Figure 3.5: Bolted cover flat end closure
47
The type of flat end closure used for the top closure would be the bolted cover end
closure. According to R.K. Sinnott, 2005, for bolter cover flat end closure
and De = 5.87 m.
3.4.1 Height of the Reactor

Assuming height of the closure, ho = Height of top head + Height of top head
= 2.635 + 1
= 3.635 m
Thus, the total height of the reactor
= height of closures + Reactor Length
= 3.635 + 19.5
= 23.135 m
3.5 DESIGN OF BOLTED FLANGE JOINTS

Flanged joints are used for connecting pipes and instruments to vessels, for manhole
covers, and for removable vessel heads when ease of access is required. Flanges may
be used on the vessel body when it is necessary to divide the vessel into sections for
transport or maintenance. Besides, flanged joints are also used to connect pipes to
other equipment such as pumps and valves and as well for connecting pipe sections
where ease of assembly and dismantling is required for maintenance (S.P. Max,
2003)
There are several different types of flange used in various applications. The principal
types used in the process industries are:
i. Welding-neck flanges
ii. Slip-on flanges, hub and plate types
iii. Lap-joint flanges
iv. Screwed flanges
v. Blank, or blind flanges
48
As for the reactor design, Welding neck flanges are used because it is suitable for
extreme service conditions such as high temperature, shear and vibration loads. It has
a long tapered hub between the flange ring and the welded joint. This gradual
transition of the section reduces discontinuity stresses between the flange and the
branch and increases the strength of the flange assembly (S.P. Max, 2003). Welding
neck flanges are normally be specified for the connections and nozzles on process
vessels and process equipment
Figure 3.6: Welding neck flange

3.5.1 Gasket Design
Gaskets are used to make a leak-tight joint between two surfaces. It is made from
soft “semi-plastic” material which will deform and flow under load to fill the surface
irregularities between the flange faces, at the same time retains sufficient elasticity to
take up the changes in the flange alignment that occur under load (S.P. Max, 2003).
Selection of gasket material depends on the process condition such as pressure,
temperature and corrosive action of chemicals that may contact the gasket, the gasket
location and type of gasket construction as well on the type of flange and flange face.
Design data for some of the more commonly used gasket materials are given in
Table 13.4 (R.K. Sinnott, 2005).
In the Table 13.4, the minimum seating stress y is the force per unit area (pressure)
on the gasket that is required to cause the material to flow and fill the surface
irregularities in the gasket face. Meanwhile the gasket factor, m is the ratio of the
gasket stress (pressure) under the operating conditions to the internal pressure in the
vessel or pipe. The internal pressure will forces the flanges‟ faces apart, so the
pressure on the gasket under operating conditions will be lower than the initial
tightening-up pressure. Basically, the gasket factor gives the minimum pressure that
must be maintained on the gasket to ensure a satisfactory seal (S.P. Max, 2003).
49
The Ring joint flanges are applied in the design wherein the gasket is held and
confined in a groove, which prevents failure by “blow-out”. Matched pairs of flanges
are required, which increases the cost, but this type is suitable for high pressure and
high vacuum service. The Ring joint flanges is suitable since the R-6 reactor operates
at high temperature and pressure. For this reactor design, gasket made of 6 percent
chrome stainless steel is recommended. Selection of material depends on the
corrosive action of chemicals that may contact the gasket, the gasket location and
type of gasket construction. It also depends on gasket width. If the gasket is made
too narrow, the unit stress on it will be excessive. If the gasket is too wide, the bolt
load will unnecessarily increased. Gasket specification is obtained from Table 13 of
Data Hand Book of Mechanical Design of Process Equipment (ECB 5233).
6 percent chrome stainless steel

Thickness = 1.6 mm
Gasket factor, m = 6.5
Minimum Design Seating Stress, y = 179 MN/m2
Minimum Actual Gasket Width = 6 mm
Ring joint flange is used to hold the gasket in place for high pressure operations.
High bolt tension would be needed to achieve sufficient gasket pressure to maintain
a good seal.
Residual gasket force must no be less than the minimum force to prevent leakage.
Thus,
Gasket seating force – pressure force = Residual gasket force required
do y  PD m
Gasket diameter ratio, 
di y  PD (m  1)
do
 1.001
di
Shell outside diameter, B = 5.87 m
Shell thickness, go = 0.495 m
Since the shell thickness is larger than the minimum actual gasket width, thus, the
gasket inner diameter will be determined using the shell thickness parameter, go.
50
Gasket inner diameter, di = B + go
= 5.87 + 0.495
= 6.365 m
Thus, gasket outer diameter, do = (1.001 x 6.365) = 6.3714 m

do  di
Minimum gasket width =
2
= 3.2 mm
Thus, actual outside diameter of gasket, G = di + 0.0032
= 6.3714 + 0.036 m
= 6.3746 m
W=N/2= 3.2
mm
do = 6.3746 m di = 6.3714 m
m
Figure 3.7: Gasket Measurement
51
3.5.2 Bolt Sizing
The bolts hold the flange faces together, resisting the forces acting on a flanged joint.
For bolt loads estimation, there are 2 conditions namely:
i. Bolt loads under operating condition (due to internal pressure), Wo
ii. Bolt loads under bolting-up condition, Wg
Under operating condition,

G = 6.3746 m
Allowable stress of bolting material considering 18Cr 2Ni steel at 250°C (following
the maximum temperature needed to determine the allowable stress on the shell
side),
Allowable stress, So= 161 MN/m2 (Table 11, Mechanical Design Handbook)
Allowable stress, Sg = 212 MN/m2
Wo = load due to design pressure + load to keep gasket in compression
Wo = H + Hp
G 2
H = P
4
= 788557471 N
= 788.6 MN
Assume plain-faced flanges are used,

Effective gasket seating width, b = bo when bo < 6.3mm
Effective gasket seating width, b = 2.5 bo when bo > 6.3mm
Basic gasket seating width,

bo = N/2
= 3.2 mm < 6.3mm
Thus, effective gasket seating width, b = 3.2 mm
Hp = (G)(2)(b)(m)(P)
= 2(788.6)(0.0032) (3.75) (24.708)
= 391.763 MN
52
Therefore, Wo = 391.763 MN + 788.6 MN

= 1180.36 MN
Under bolting condition,

Wg = Gby
= (6.3746) (0.0032) (52.5)
= 3.364 MN
Since Wo > Wg
Therefore, controlling load = Wo = 1180.36 MN
Minimum bolt area, Am = Ao

Wo
=
So
= 1180.36 /161
= 7.331 m2
To estimate optimum bolt size, bolt of various sizes chosen from Table 10
(Mechanical Design of Process Equipment Data Hand Book).
Inner shell diameter, Di = 4.88 m

Bolt circle diameter, C = nBs/ or = Di +2(g1+R)
Shell Thickness go = 0.495 m
Hub thickness, g1 = 1.415 go (thickness of shell)
= 0.7004 m
Chosen bolt diameter = 30 mm
Number of bolts, n = 132
Bolt spacing, Bs = 75 mm
Bolt circle diameter, C = 6.858 m
Actual bolt area, Ab = n*Ar =132*0.000494 = 8.5923 m2 > Am
53
Flange outside diameter, A = C + bolt diameter + 0.02 (minimum)

= 6.858 + 0.03 + 0.02
= 6.908 m
3.5.3 Design of Flange

For operating condition,
Moment about flange, Wo = W1 +W2 +W3
W1 = hydrostatic end force on area outside flange
(B= Ds, Shell side outer diameter)
W2 = H-W1
W3 = Gasket load
Thus, W0 = W1 + W2 + W3 = 668.657 + 119.943 + 391.763 = 1180.363 MN

Moment arms on flange ,
mm
Moment of force,
Moment of force about BCD under operating condition,
Mo = (W1xa1) + (W2xa2) + (W3xa3)
Mo = 0.6875 MJ
Moment of force under bolting up condition, Mg = Wg x a3
Am  Ab
Wg   Sg
2
= 35.435 MN
Mg = 2.238 MJ
Mg > Mo. Thus Mg is used for further calculation.
54
M .C F y
Flange thickness, t
BS t
Initially, assume bolt pitch correction factor, CF = 1.00

y = correction coefficient = 18.55
St = Allowable stress of flange material = 100 MN/m2
(2.238)(1)(18.55)
From the calculations, t =
(5.87)(100)
= 0.266 m
= 266 mm
Bs actual
Recalculated Cf =
2d  t
= 0.886
Cf = 0.9413
Thus, actual flange thickness, t = 0.266 m (0.9413)

= 250 mm
76.64 mm
75 mm
6.858 m
Figure 3.8: Bolt Spacing
55
A/2 = 3.454 m
C/2 = 3.429 m
B/2 = 2.935 m
Flange thickness
=250 mm
go = 0.495 m
Figure 3.9: Position of Gasket on Flange
3.6 REACTOR WEIGHT

Pressure vessels are subjected to other loads besides pressure. The main sources of
loads to consider are:
i. Pressure
ii. Dead weight of vessel and contents
iii. Wind
iv. Earthquake (seismic)
v. External loads imposed by piping and attached equipment.
Here the major sources of dead weight loads are:

i. The vessel shell
ii. The vessel fittings such as manway, nozzles etc
iii. Internal fittings- plates (plus the fluid on the plates), heating and cooling coils
iv. External fittings – ladders, platforms, piping
v. Auxiliary equipment which is not self-supported; condensers, agitators.
56
vi. Insulation materials
3.6.1 Weight of shell

For cylindrical vessel with domed ends and uniform wall thickness, the total weights
of the shell is
Wv = 240CvDm (Hv + 0.8Dm) t
Where Cv = factor, 1.15 for vessel with several manways, internal support, etc.
Dm = mean diameter of vessel = (Di + t x 10-3) in unit m
Hv = height or length between tangent lines, m
t = wall thickness, mm
From the calculations,
t = 0.495 m
Dm = 4.88 + (0.495) m = 5.375 m
Hv = Closure Height + length of tube = 23.135 m
Weight of vessel,
Wv = 240 (1.15) (5.375) [23.135 + 0.8(5.375)] x (0.495)
= 20146 kN
3.6.2 Weight of Interbed Heat Exchangers
Interbed Heat Exchanger 1

Baffles
Number of plates = 20
Plate diameter = Db = 0.458 m
Baffle cut = 25%
 b = angle subtended by the baffle chord, rads = 2.1 rads = 120o
Db
2
2 *    b  1D
2
 
Baffle area=   2 *  b  25% Db  tan b
4 2 * 2 2  2
= 0.13239 m2
Weight of plate = 1.2 kN/m2

Total weight of baffle = 0.13239 x 1.2 kN/m2 x 20
= 3.177 kN
57
Tubes
Number of tubes = 590

Weight per feet of tube = 2.7 lb/ft = 39.7090 N/m , from table D-13, Timmerhaus
Length of tube = 3.7 m
Total weight of tubes = 590 (3.7) (39.7090) = 86.7 kN
Interbed Heat Exchanger 2

Baffles
Number of plates = 19
Plate diameter = Db = 0.643 m
Baffle cut = 25%
 b = angle subtended by the baffle chord, rads = 2.1 rads = 120o
D
2
2 *    b  1D
2
 
Baffle area=  b  2 *  b  25% Db  tan b
4 2 * 2 2  2
= 0.2609 m2
Weight of plate = 1.2 kN/m2

Total weight of baffle = 0.2609 x 1.2 kN/m2 x 19 = 5.95 kN
Tubes
Number of tubes = 1250

Weight per feet of tube = 2.7 lb/ft = 39.7090 N/m , from table D-13, Timmerhaus
Length of tube = 3.6 m
Total weight of tubes = 1250 (3.6) (39.7090) = 178.7 kN
58
3.6.3 Weight of Fluid in Reactor
Total weight of fluid in reactor comprises of the weight of fluid, catalyst and coolant.
On the tube side, the volume of fluid and catalyst are calculated.
Volume of fluid = 182 m3
Density of fluid = 48 kg/m3
Weight of fluid = 183 x 48 x 9.81
= 85.7 kN
Volume of catalyst = 113.83 m3
Density of catalyst = 2650 kg/m3
Weight of catalyst = 113.83 x 2650 x 9.81
= 2960 kN
Total weight of fluid = 85.7 kN + 2960 kN
= 3045.7 kN
Total Weight of Reactor = 23500 kN
3.7 WIND LOADING

Wind pressure Pw = kUw2
= 0.05 x 1602
= 1280 N/m2
Loading per unit length, Fw = PwDeff
Deff = Do + 2tinsulation + 0.4
= 5.87 + 2(0.1) + 0.4
= 6.47 m
Fw = 1280 x 6.47
= 8.282 kN/m
Bending moment at the bottom, M = Fw X2/2
= 8.282 x 7.12/2
= 208.74 kNm
59
3.8 ANALYSIS OF STRESS AT BOTTOM
3.8.1 Pressure Stresses
The longitudinal and circumferential stresses due to pressure given by:
PDi 24.708 N / mm  4.88 10 mm

2 3
L  = = 60.90 N/mm2
4t 4  495
PDi 24.708 N / mm  4.88 10 mm

2 3
h  = = 121.792 N/mm2
2t 2  495
3.8.2 Dead weight stress

Wv 23500  1000
w = = = 2.815 N/mm2
 ( Di  t )t  (4.88  10  495) 495
3
3.8.3 Bending Stress

The longitudinal bending stress at the mid-span of the vessel is given by:
M  Di 
b     t
Iv  2 

Iv 
64
Do 4
 Di 4 
Where,
M = Longitudinal bending stress at the mid-span
Iv = Second moment of area of the shell

Iv  (5870 4  4880 4 )
64
= 3.4044 x 1013 mm4
2.0875 x10 8 Nmm  4880 
b   4 
 495 
3.4044  10 mm  2
13

= ± 0.018 N/mm2
Resultant longitudinal stress, z = L + w ± b

w is compressive, thus the value will be a negative value.
z (upwind)= (60.9 – 2.815 + 0.6266) N/mm2 = 58.7116 N/mm2
z (downwind)= (60.9 - 2.815 - 0.6266) N/mm2 = 57.4584 N/mm2
60
As assume that there is no torsional shear stress, the principal stresses will be z and
h. The radial stress is negligible,
Pi 24,708
   12.354 N / mm 2
2 2
58.7116 N/mm2 57.4583 N/mm2
121.792
121.792
Figure 3.10: Resultant Stress of Reactor

Up-wind
Down-wind
To determine the maximum stress;
1 - radial = 121.792 – 12.354 = 109.438 N/mm2
The value obtained is well below the allowable design stress, f30ºC (135 N/mm2).
Thus, the design is satisfactory.
3.8.4 Elastic stability (buckling)
If the resultant axial stress, z due to the combined loading is negative, the reactor
may fail due to elastic instability (buckling). The condition for this not to take place
is the maximum compression stress, c must be more than the critical buckling
stress, c,max.
c,max = w + b (-ve)
= - 2.815 - 0.018
= - 2.833 N/mm2
c = 2 x 104 (t/Do)
= 2 x 104 (495/5870)
= 1687 N/mm2
61
The maximum compression stress is 6.4522 N/mm2< 1687 N/mm2, well below the
critical buckling stress. So design is satisfactory.
3.9 REACTOR SUPPORT
Reactor will be placed vertically. Cylindrical skirt support is used. The skirt
thickness must be sufficient to withstand the dead weight loads and bending
moments imposed on it by the vessel; it will not be under the vessel pressure. From
Sinnott (2005),
The resultant stresses in the skirt will be:
 s (tensile )   bs   ws
and
 s (compressive)   bs   ws
Where  bs  bending stress in the skirt

4M s

 ( Ds  t s )t s Ds
 ws  the dead weight stress in the skirt,

W

 ( Ds  t s )t s
Where Ms = maximum bending moment, evaluated at the base of the skirt (due to
wind, seismic and eccentric loads,
W = total weight of the vessel and contents,

Ds = inside diameter of the skirt at the base,
ts = skirt thickness.
As first trial take the skirt thickness as the same as the shell thickness, 495 mm
62
ts = 495 mm
Ds = 4.88 m (=Di shell)
W = 23500 kN
Wind loading = Fw = 8.282 kN/m
Bending moment at the base of the skirt
Ms = (8.282 x (4.88 + 0.495)2)/2 = 119.64 kNm

4M s
 bs 
 ( Ds  t s )t s Ds
= 4(119.64)/(π(4.88+0.495)(0.495)(4.88))
 bs  0.01173 N/mm2
W
 ws 
 ( Ds  t s )t s
= 23500/(π(4.88+0.495)(0.495))
 ws  2.811 N/mm2
 s (tensile )   bs   ws = -2.799 N/mm2
 s (compressive)   bs   ws = 2.823 N/mm2
The skirt thickness should be such that under the worst combination of wind and
dead-weight loading the following design criteria are satisfied:
 s (tensile )  f s J sin  s
 ts 
 s (compressive)  0.125E   sin  s
 Ds 
where fs = maximum allowable design stress for the skirt material at ambient
temperature,
J = weld joint factor
s = base angle of a conical skirt, normally 80o to 90 o
E = Young modulus of the material = 200,000 N/mm2 for plain carbon steel
 s (tensile ) = -2.799 N/mm2< 83.7 N/mm2  satisfied
63
 495 
 s (compressive)  0.125 * 200,000  sin 90
 4880 
= 2.823 N/mm2 < 2536 N/mm2  satisfied
3.10 NOZZLES SIZING

Two nozzles are designed according to each stream specifications: Feed stream
nozzle and reactor product outlet nozzle
3.9.1 Feed Nozzle
Optimum duct diameter, dopt = 226G0.5-0.35

Flow rate, G is obtained from ICON = 51.019 kg/s
Density, also from ICON = 48.043 kg/m3
dopt = 417 mm
= 0.417 m
PD
Nozzle thickness, e  (2f  P )
i i
Design pressure = 24708 kPa

Material of construction = Stainless steel 18Cr/8Ni Ti stabilised (321)
Design stress (300 ºC) = 0.130 x 109 N/m2
Nozzle thickness, e = 0.0438 m
Adding corrosion allowance of 4mm, thickness of feed nozzle = 0.0478 m
3.9.2 Outlet Product Nozzle

dopt = 391.85 mm
= 0.392 m
Pi D i
Nozzle thickness, e
(2f  Pi )
64
Design pressure = 24708 kPa

Material of construction = Stainless steel 18Cr/8Ni Ti stabilised (321)
Design stress (500 ºC) = 0.115 x 109 N/m2
Nozzle thickness, e = 0.0472 m
Adding corrosion allowance of 4mm, thickness of outlet nozzle = 0.0512 m
65
CHAPTER 4
SPECIFICATION SHEET
Table 4.1: Specification Sheet for Ammonia Converter R-6
CHAPTER 5
66
COST ESTIMATION
M &S
Installation cost, $    101.9 D1.066
H 0.82 2.18  Fc  
 280 
M &S
Purchase cost, $    101.9 H1.066
D 0.82 Fc 
 280 
Figure 5.1: Chemical Engineering Plant Cost Index

Where,
M&S = ratio indices = 681.7
(Process Equipment Cost Estimating by Ratio and Proportion)
D = diameter,ft
H = height, ft
Fm = 1.15 (carbon steel)
Fp = pressure factor = 2.50
Table 5.2: Correction factor, Fp based on operating pressure
Pressure(kPa) Up to 50 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Fp 1.00 1.05 1.15 1.20 1.35 1.45 1.60 1.80 1.90 2.30 2.50
(Reference: Douglas, 1988)
Fc = FmFp (correction factor)
= 1.15 x 2.50
= 2.875
Diameter, D = 19.259 ft
Height, H = 75.9 ft
Installation Cost = USD 1,022,000
67
Purchased Cost = USD 260,000
Total reactor cost = Installation cost + Purchased cost
= USD 1,282,000
68
CHAPTER 6: OPERATING MANUAL PROCEDURE
Ammonia Converter R-6 Unit SOP Manual SOP: 1-R-6

Page 1 of 95
OPERATION OF AMMONIA REACTOR (R-6)
Rev. No.: 0
Prepared By: DHANARAJ Approved By:
Revised By: Revision Date: July 18, 2011
1.0 SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES

This procedure provides operating instruction for the Ammonia Reactor System;
Included are operation instructions for system start-up and shutdown.
2.0 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
3.0 MATERIAL & EQUIPMENTS

Special equipment or materials are required to perform these procedures.
4.0 SAFETY & HEALTH

No special safety or health issues are associated with operation of the Ammonia
Reactor.
5.0 STANDARD OPERATING CONDITION (SOC)
Loop ID Normal Set point (R-6)

TC 22 300C
FC 18 Depending on TC 22
PC 20 24708 kPa
69
6.0 PROCEDURES
6.1 Reactor Pre-start up Procedures
No. Procedures Steps Checklist

1 Ensure that inventory is available at each unit operation. Note that
reactor will be last unit operation to start up.
2 Verify Vessel Readiness for start up, i.e., all maintenance and I&E
works completed, the reactor is clean and rinse with process water as
necessary, man way close, and all blind are removed and proper gasket
are installed.
3 Line up ethylene to quench-side of R-6
4 Line up all transmitter and stroke all control valve
5 Close, plug and cap all bleeders
6 Place the reactor temperature indicators and pressure indicator (PI) in
service
7 Purge reactor with high pressure N2 until vent O2 is less than 6%.
8 Pressure up the reactor with high-pressure nitrogen to 30000 kPa and
performed leak check on all flanges.
10 Pressure up the reactor to 30000 kPa and check flanges for leaks.
6.2 Initiate The Reactor

1 Condition reactor, R-6, 24708 kPa and temperature 300C
2 Adjust feed with Hydrogen and Nitrogen at a ratio of 3:1.
3 Increase feed to 100%.
4 The system is stabilized, after feed is heated up to the standard
operating condition. Refer to SOC.
70
6.3 Hot Hold And Shut Down The Reactor

1 Notify Wastewater Unit, Utilities Unit and Shipping Unit.
2 Reduce reactor to 70% of feed rate.
3 Shut down E001, E002, and E003 gradually by reducing hot stream
flow rate.
4 Reduce reactor feed further to 50% of feed rate, then to 30%.
5 To HOT HOLD the reactor, block all isolation valves, control
valves and manual block valves feed. Verify at field that all isolation
and control valve are closed. This is to put reactor on HOT HOLD.
6 To SHUT DOWN the reactor, block all isolation valves, control
valves and manual block valves for nitrogen and hydrogen feed at
mix line. Verify at field that all shutoff and control valve are closed.
7 Open both man way of the reactor and inspect inside the reactor.
Access the need of cleaning. Prepare the reactor for washing with
process water if required.
8 Inspect the condition of catalyst inside reactor. Check if there is any
coking or crash powder of catalyst.
9 Prepare for vessel maintenance.
10 If not clean, perform washing.
6.4 Emergency Procedures

Placing Reactor on Hot Hold
Note: When Reactor (R-6) is placed on “Hot Hold”, the reactor is isolated in an
attempt to maintain reactor pressure and temperature so that the feed stay in
optimum temperature.
71
Ammonia Reactor R-6 Unit SOP Manual SOP2- R-6

Page 1 of 7
CATALYST MAINTAINANCE FOR R-6 Rev. No: 0
Prepared By: DHANARAJ Approved By:

Revised By: Revision Date: 22-7-2011
1.0 OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE
1.1 Objective
To ensure safe and reliable operations of R-6, Catalyst Maintenance
1.2 Scope
Instructions during loading and unloading of radial flow fixed bed reactor, R-
6 catalyst
1.3 Area of Application

R-6
2.0 MATERIAL & EQUIPMENT
Personal Protective Equipment, sample bottles, measuring tape, loading hopper,

containers, sand bags, cone, crane, forklift, pallets, barricade safety tape, hoses.
3.0 SAFETY AND HEALTH
No special safety or health issues are associated with operation of the Ammonia
Reactor catalyst.
4.0 PROCEDURE
This instruction provides guidelines for loading and unloading of reactor‟s (R6)
catalyst.
72
4.1 Loading Reactor Bed With Fresh Catalyst
1. Ensure that the working area is barricaded.

2. Ensure that the reactor has been flushed with water (overflow through the
top man way) and is ready for catalyst loading.
3. Fill the reactor with water until over the Distribution Header, avoid
damage on the header.
4. Ensure that there are sufficient numbers of drums containing the catalyst
and alumina support.
5. Start filling the hopper with alumina support.
6. After alumina support loading is completed, start loading fresh catalyst
into the reactor.
7. Collect samples for every 2 drums loaded. Mark the samples and label
with the date.
8. Drain the water from the reactor as necessary as the level in the reactor
will increase during the loading.
9. Stop catalyst loading activity when the outage measured from the
manway flange to the top of the bed is approximately targeted value.
10. Loading activity completed, remove catalyst chute at the top manway.
11. Line up water from the bottom and flush the reactor until the top effluent
is clear.
12. Close the top manway and prepare for removing any remaining blinds.
13. Repeat the same procedure at the reactor second segment.
4.2 Top Up Reactor Bed With New Catalyst
1. Ensure that the working area is barricaded

2. Check the required drums of fresh catalyst onsite; thoroughly clean the
loading hopper and cone with water. Use forklift to lift up the drum
(horizontal) and two operators on pallets to unload catalyst from the
drum to hopper.
3. Open man way and prepare reactor for catalyst top up. Measure the
length from bed surface to flange through the man way with the gauging
73
tape. Take down the reading and compare with the target length reading
(provided by Process Engineering). The difference the height of catalyst
that needs to be topped up
4. Lift the empty hopper with crane to the top of the reactor to make sure
that the hopper fits in the man way flange, remove restriction as
necessary.
5. Start loading fresh catalyst 5 drums per hopper of catalyst until it reaches
the calculated numbers of drums. Measure the final outage after loading
to compare with the target.
6. Line up the water from the bottom and overflow through the man way
until the top effluent is clear.
7. Stop the flow and drain the reactor.
8. Prepare for maintenance.
4.3 Unloading Used Catalyst
Note: this will remove all catalyst to either be sent for disposal or reused back
during the next available turnaround.
1. Place the receiving hopper with platform below the bottom man way of
the reactor. Prepare two containers placed at the bottom of the reactor
level.
2. Fix-up discharge hose from receiving hopper to an open-container.
Ensure that container is in good condition and surround the area with
sand bags to avoid water leaking from the container.
3. Dismantle all catalyst unloading nozzle bolts and place two long
temporary bolts to control the flange opening gap.
4. Install flange gap-cover plate between flange and position the discharge
outlet downward into receiving hopper.
5. Collect catalyst sample into bottle every 5 minutes (via unloading nozzle)
during unloading. Estimate timing by catalyst flow rate. Mark the
samples as to the man way collected.
6. Install safety discharge cover at the bottom manhole as catalyst stop free
flowing.
74
7. Remove the rest of the catalyst (up to the tangent wall of reactor) using
“vacuum equipment” into drums.
8. Unloading the support with vacuum equipment and store them in the
drum.
75
CHAPTER 7
MINOR EQUIPMENT DESIGN
7.1 FLASH SEPARATOR
7.1.1 Process Description
The flash separator is represented by V-4. The used of this flash separator is to
knockout water before the syngas is fed into the Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Absorption
column. The main feed (Stream No. 25) of this separator is in mixture form which
contains approximately 70% of gases form and the remaining is the liquid form.
Thus, the main purpose of this separator is to obtain high purity of syngas by
decreasing the water content.
Table 7.1: ICON Stream Data for Flash Separator V-4
Stream Feed Liquid Vapour
VapFrac 0.85 0.00 1.00
T [C] 168.5851 168.5851 168.5851
P [kPa] 5469.235 5469.235 5469.235
MoleFlow [kgmole/h] 14433.00 2164.95 12268.05
MassFlow [kg/h] 230284.50 39071.46 191213.04
Fraction [Fraction]
METHANE 0.0014 1.35E-07 0.0016
ETHANE 0.0000 0.00E+00 0.0000
PROPANE 0.0000 0.00E+00 0.0000
n-BUTANE 0.0000 0.00E+00 0.0000
NITROGEN 0.1436 1.37E-04 0.1689
CARBON DIOXIDE 0.1304 1.46E-03 0.1532
HYDROGEN SULFIDE 0.0000 0.00E+00 0.0000
WATER 0.2911 9.98E-01 0.1664
HYDROGEN 0.4315 4.65E-04 0.5075
OXYGEN 0.0000 0.00E+00 0.0000
CARBON MONOXIDE 0.0020 8.50E-07 0.0024
METHYL DIETHANOLAMINE 0.0000 6.41E-08 0.0000
AMMONIA 0.0000 0.00E+00 0.0000
76
7.1.2 Flash Separator Selection
According to R.K Sinnott, 2005, for a vertical flash separator, the diameter of the
vessel must be large enough to slow the gas down to below the velocity at which the
particles will settle out.
Figure 7.1: Vertical Liquid-Vapour Separator

Whereas for a horizontal flash separator, it would be selected when a long liquid
hold-up time is required. In the design of a horizontal separator the vessel diameter
cannot be determined independently of its length, unlike for a vertical separator.
Diameter and length and the liquid level is chosen to give sufficient vapor residence
time for the liquid droplets to settle out and for the required liquid holdup time to be
met. The most economical length to diameter ratio (L/D) will depend on the
operating pressure (R.K. Sinnott, 2005).
Operating Pressure, bar L/D

0-20 3
20-35 4
>35 5
77
Figure 7.2: Horizontal Liquid-Vapour Separator
Horizontal separators are most efficient where large volumes of total fluids and large
amounts of dissolved gas are present with the liquid whereas vertical separators are
selected when the gas-liquid ratio is high. In this case, since the vapour fraction of
feed (Stream No.25) is 0.9991, thus vertical flash separator is selected.
7.1.3 Screening of Gas-Liquid (g/l/) Separators
Separation efficiency
According to Petronas Technical Standard (PTS), a bulk G/L separation is defined as
a separation where less than 90-95% of the liquid is removed from the gas phase.
This separation can be achieved in separators without demisting internals.
Liquid handling or Gas handling Controlled

A two-phase separator is gas handling controlled if one or more of the following
conditions apply (PTS, 1996):
 The feed to the separator is mainly gas

 A low downward liquid velocity is required (for degassing or foam breakdown
purposes)
In most situations, a vertical vessel will then be selected since the high volume of
vapor compare with liquid.
78
Fouling Service
The requirements of high fouling tolerance and high separation efficiency are usually
contradictory. The installation of internals will increase the separation efficiency but
internals are sensitive to fouling. A vertical settler with a conical lower end is used to
facilitate the removal of solids under severe fouling conditions (PTS, 1996). On the
other hand, plate racks may only be used under no worse than moderately conditions.
If used under the conditions the plate pack layout and supports should be adapted to
facilitate the removal of solids. Table 1 gives the summary of suitable use of types of
G/L/ separators according to PTS (1996).
Table 7.2: Screening of G/L/ Separators

G/L/L Separators
Separator Types T1 T2 T3 T4
Bulk separation    
Efficient separation X X X ,
Liquid handling    X
Gas handling controlled X X X 
Fouling service   X 
Note:
T1: Horizontal open two-phase settler with boot
T2: Horizontal open two-phase settler with weir arrangement
T3: Horizontal two-phase settler with plate pack and weir arrangement
T4: Vertical two-phase settler with weir
1. If properly packed and no compressed crinkled wire mate is
installed
2. Provided there is a double weir arrangement with no IL control;
also to be used if there are corresponding L/L separators
3. If wiremesh or wiremesh/swirl deck assembly is installed
4. If no pre-filtering is applied
5. Above 80oC, if propylene is used as coalescer material.
7.1.4 Selection of Two-Phase Separator

The phase separator of V-4 for syngas and water is gas handling controlled as the
feed to the separator is mainly gas. The volumetric flow rate of liquid product is less
as compared to the volume of syngas. Thus, a vertical separator will be designed
with some moderate fouling is allowed for the operation. From Table 1, the type of
separator recommended is vertical separator with weir.
79
7.1.5 Material Selection

The two-phase separator vessel operates continuously under high temperature
(169oC) and at high pressure (5470 kPa). The inlet stream consists of CO2 vapor,
which is acidic and corrosive. Therefore, it is subjected to high tensile stress or
cyclic loading that will cause fatigue failure if improper material is used. However,
copper and brass material should not be used as they can lead to discoloration of
product. Due to that, the suitable material is stainless steel (Stainless steel 18Cr/8Ni
Ti stabilised (321)) for the separator vessel which is most commonly the material of
construction used if the stream in the vessel is dilute acids or alkaline solutions or
brine and salts which will cause corrosion.
7.1.6 Phase Separator Sizing
Determination of the design pressure and temperature

According to R.K Sinnott, 2005, a vessel must be design to withstand the maximum
pressure to which it is likely to be subjected in operation. For pressure vessel under
internal pressure, the design pressure is normally taken as a pressure at which the
relief device is set to avoid spurious operation during minor process upsets. The
strength of metals decreases with increasing temperature so the maximum allowable
design stress will depend on the material temperature. The design temperature at
which the design stress is evaluated should taken as the maximum working
temperature of the material, with due allowance for any uncertainty involved in
predicting vessel wall temperatures.
For safety purpose, the design pressure is 10% above the operating pressure,
Design pressure, Pi = Po x 1.1
= 5500 kPa x 1.1
= 6050 kPa
Temperature Design, Ti = To x 1.1

= 170 x 1.1
= 187 C
80
Determination of the Diameter and Length of Two - Phase Separator
From iCON simulation, the operating condition of the feed stream of the two-phase
separator is given in Table 2.
Table 7.3: Properties of Liquid and Vapor Phases from iCON

Parameters Liquid Vapour
Density (kg/m3) 901.9394 23.2713
Flow rate (kg/h) 39070.61 191213.90
Equation below can be used to estimate the settling velocity of the liquid droplets,
for the design of separating vessels (R.K Sinnott, 2005)
Since our separator is using demister pad, us=ut calculated from equation 10.10.
The liquid level will depend on the hold-up time necessary for smooth operation and
control; typically 10 minutes would be allowed. Thus, volume liquid held in vessel,
81
Sizing Calculations by PTS 31.22.05.12 (1996)
Nozzle sizing
Feed inlet nozzle

The inner diameter of the feed nozzle N1 should be equal to the inner diameter of the
inner piping but shall be sufficiently large to satisfy the relevant momentum
criterion:
mv2m,in  1400 Pa
where m is the mean density of the mixture in the feed pipe.
Ql  l  Qh  h  QG  G 
m 
Ql  Qh  QG
and vm,in is the velocity of the mixture in the inlet nozzle
Ql  Qh  QG
v m,in 
d 2
4
The inlet nozzle is calculated as:
dopt = 563.95 mm
= 0.564 m
Gas outlet nozzle

The diameter of the as outlet should be equal to outlet pipe, but also satisfy the
following criterion:
Gv2v,out  4550 Pa
dopt = 547.43 mm
= 0.547 m
82
Liquid outlet nozzle
The diameter of the liquid outlet nozzle shall be chosen such that the liquid velocity
does not exceed 1 m/s. According to PTS, the minimum diameter is 50 mm (2 inch).

Density, also from HSYSY = 901.9394 kg/m3
dopt = 193.49 mm
= 0.193 m
7.1.7 Design stress
Applying a suitable design stress factor to the maximum stress that the material
could be expected to withstand without failure under standard test conditions. The
design stress factor allows for any uncertainty in the design methods, the loading, the
quality of the materials and the workmanship. Stainless steel is chosen for material
construction. From Table 13.2 (page 812), Chemical Engineering volume 6, the
strength property for this material (Stainless steel 18Cr/8Ni Ti stabilised (321)) at
200 oC,
The design stress, fi = fs = 135 N/mm2
7.1.8 Welded joint efficiency

Joint efficiency selected is 1.0 because it can allow the use of all material. Moreover,
the lower joint factor will result in a thicker and heavier vessel.
Weld joint factor, J = 1
7.1.9 Corrosion Allowance

The definition of corrosion allowance by Coulson & Richardson, volume 6, is the
additional thickness of metal added to allow for material lost by corrosion and
erosion, or scaling. For stainless steel a minimum allowance of 1.0 mm should be
used
Where Pi is the internal pressure, Di is the internal diameter and f is the design stress
60mm
61mm
83
7.1.10 Flash Separator Closures (Head and Closure)
The ends of a cylindrical process vessel are to be closed. The vessels are usually
provided with the following types of heads:
i. Flat head
ii. Flanged-only heads
iii. Flanged and shallow dished
iv. Flanged and standard dished or Torispherical head
v. Ellipsoidal
vi. Hemispherical
The selection for a particular type of head depends on the factors such as process
temperature and pressure, nature of the materials to be handled and products
obtained, position of the vessel (horizontal or vertical), nature of the support and
above all the economy.
The preferable head closure for this flash drum would be the hemispherical head
since the vessel operates at high pressure. The Hemispherical head is the strongest
shape; capable of resisting about twice the pressure of a torispherical head of the
same thickness. The cost of forming a hemispherical head will, however, be higher
than that for a shallow torispherical head. Hemispherical heads are used for high
pressures. (R.K.Sinnott, 2005).
The design of the hemispherical shape is based on ASME code of standards
practised by the Pressure Vessel Engineering Ltd. The Spreadsheet for the
hemispherical head calculation is provided by Pressure Vessel Engineering Ltd and
it is used to calculate the dimension of the head. Figure on the next page shows the
spreadsheet calculation of the hemispherical head for V-4 Flash Vessel.
84
Figure 7.3: Hemispherical Head Design tool (Source:

www.pveng.com/ASME/DesignTools/Hemispherical_Head_Design_Tool.xls)
Figure 4: Dimension Hemispherical Head V-4 Flash Separator

Thus, the total height of the reactor = 2(1.3) + 5.66 = 8.26 m
7.1.11 Specification Sheet
85
Table 7.4: Specification Sheet for Flash Separator V-4
Equipment no. (tag) V-04

Vessel data sheet Descript (Func.) Phase Separator
Sheet no. 1 of 1
1
Operating data 2
No. REQUIRED 1 CAPACITY 31 m3 3
SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF CONTENTS 0.0233 COMPUTED (yes or no) 4
SHELL JACKET FULL/HALF COIL INTERNAL COIL 5
Methane, Carbon Dioxide,
CONTENTS Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Carbon - - 6
Monoxide,Water
DIAMETER 2.6 m 7
LENGTH 5.66 m 8
DESIGN CODE 9
MAX. WORKING PRESSURE 5500 kPa 10
DESIGN PRESSURE 6050 kPa 11
MAX. WORKING TEMP 170 oC 12
DESIGN TEMP 187 oC 13
TEST RESSURE (HYDROSTATIC) 14
TEST PRESSURE (AIR) 15
MATERIALS SS 321 16
JOINT FACTOR 1 17
CORROSION ALLOWANCE 1 mm 18
THICKNESS 61 mm 19
END TYPE hemispherical THICKNESS 1.003 inch JOINT FACTOR 1 20
END TYPE hemispherical THICKNESS 1.003 inch JOINT FACTOR 1 21
TYPE OF SUPPORT Saddle THICKNESS MATERIAL Carbon steel 22
WIND LOAD DESIGN - RADIOGRAPHY % STRESS RELIEF PSV 23
INTERNAL BOLTS MATERIAL - TYPE - NUTS 24
EXTERNAL BOLTS MATERIAL TYPE NUTS 25
INSULATION (SEP. ORDER) INSULATION FITTING ATTACMENT BY 26
GASKET MATERIAL INSPECTION BY 27
PAINTING 28
WEIGHT EMPTY 29
FULL OF LIQUID OPERATING 30
INTERNALS and EXTERNALS DATE OF ENQUIRY DATE OF ORDER 31
ORDER No. DRG No. 32
MANUFACTURER 33
REMARKS AND NOTES:- UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED ALL FLANGE BOLT HOLES TO BE 34
OFF-CENTRE OF VESSEL CENTRE LINES N/S and E/W (NOT RADIALLY) 35
36
37
38
REF No. NOM BORE PIPE WALL TYPE CLASS MATERIAL BRANCH 39
DUTY
mm/Ins THICKNESS COMPEN‟N
REMARKS
BRANCH RANGE SPEC 40
41
Prepared 13/8/2011 LYH 3 6 42
Checked 2 5 43
Approved 1 4 44
Date Engineering Process REV By Appr. Date REV By Appr. Date 45
Service. Water Knockout Company. PEDES Consultancy Address 46
Equipment No. V-04 47
Project No. 48
86
7.2 AIR COMPRESSOR K-2
7.2.1 Type Selection

Compressor is used to compress gases, and to transport from one point to another.
Each compressor is generally a function of the gas capacity, action and discharge
head. Compressors are divided into positive displacement and dynamic.
Table 7.5: Operating Range of Compressors and Blowers (R.K. Sinnott, 2005)
There are four types of compressors namely, centrifugal, axial, reciprocating and
rotary. The choice of the type of compressor depends primarily on the required flow
to be compressed, the density of the gas in conjunction with the total head (for a
given gas, this is the compression ratio) and the duty which has to be performed
(PTS 31.29.40.10, 1996). Axial compressors can handle large volume flows and are
more efficient than centrifugal compressors. However, centrifugal compressor is able
to handle higher pressure ratio. If the required flow is too small for a centrifugal
compressor, or if the head requires an undesirably large number of stages (high
pressure ratio), then a reciprocating compressor, horizontal-balanced opposed,
should be considered (PTS 31.29.40.10, 1996).
Table 7.6: ICON Stream Data for Air Compressor K-2

In Out
VapFrac 1.00 1.00
T [C] 650.00 950.00
P [kPa] 3101.325 7000.0
MoleFlow [kgmole/h] 2539.86 2539.86
MassFlow [kg/h] 73275.84 73275.84
Volume Flow [m3/h) 6344.062 3751.764
87
Figure 7.4: Pressure/Volume Map for various Compressor Types (PTS 31.29.40.10,
1996)
From the graph above, it can be seen that the Air Compressor K-2 falls in the region
of Centrifugal vertical split (Barrel type compressor) based on its operating
parameters. In this case vertical spilt is preferred compared to horizontal split since
the discharge pressure is high to avoid gas leakage between flanges due to high
pressure.
7.2.2 Centrifugal Air Compressor Sizing
Inlet pressure, P1 = 3101.325kPa
Outlet pressure, P2 = 7000 kPa
Design pressure, PD (130% P2) = 9100 kPa
Inlet temperature, T1 = 923 K
Compressibility factor, Z = 1.0
Cp
= = 1.35
Cv
Molecular weight, MW = 28.84 kg/kmol
Gas constant, R = 8.314 kJ/kmol.K
Molar flow rate, M = 2539.86 kmol/hr
Design molar flow rate (120% M) = 3047.832 kmol/hr
Volumetric flow rate, V = 1.7624 m3/s
Design volumetric flow (120% V) = 2.115 m3/s
88
Figure 7.5: Approximate polytropic efficiencies (R.K. Sinnot, 2005)
For Centrifugal Compressor,

Volumetric flow rate = 2.115 m3/s,
Compressor efficiency, Ep = 69%
polytropic work
For compression, Ep =
actual work required
From Equation 3.38 (R.K. Sinnot, 2005)

 -1
Polytropic temperature exponent, m =
 Ep
1.35 - 1
=
1.35  0.69
= 0.3757
1
Polytropic exponent, n =
1 m
1
=
1  0.3757
= 1.6018
89
n 1.6018
=
n 1 1.6018  1
= 2.6617
 n 1

 n   P2 
 1
n
Work required, -W = ZRT1    
 n  1   P1  
 
 1

 
1 8.314  923  2.6617  
 7000
 1
2.6617
= 
 3101.325  
 
= 7307.7734 kJ/kmol
7301.7734
Actual work required =
0.69
= 10590.9759 kJ/kmol
10590.9759 kJ kmol
Shaft power =  3047.842
kmol hr
= 32279621.17 kJ/hr
= 8967 kW
m
P 
Outlet temperature, T2 = T1  2 

 P1 
= 1253 K
90
7.2.3 Specification Sheet
Table 7.7: Specification Sheet for Air Compressor K-2
91
REFERENCES
Abashar, M.E.E., 2000, “Application of heat interchange systems to enhance the
performance of ammonia reactors,” Chemical Engineering Journal, 78: 69–
79
Anjani K.S., 1996, “Modeling of Radial Flow Dynamics for Fixed Bed Reactor,”
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India.
Ali, D., Kayvan, K., Mehdi, A.M., Madjid, K., 2006, “Modeling and Simulation of
Ammonia Synthesis Reactor,” Petroleum & Coal, 48(2): 15-23
Douglas, J.M., 1988, “Conceptual Design of Chemical Processes,” McGraw-Hill
Dyson, D.C., 1968, “A Kinetic Expression With Diffusion Correction for Ammonia
Synthesis on Industrial Catalyst,” Chemical Engineering Department, Rice
Uniaersity, Houston, Tex. 4: 605-610
Enrico, R., Luca, R., 2009, “Safety and Reliability in Ammonia Synthesis
Converters,” AICHE, Ammonia Safety Symposium, 1(1): 1-11
Fogler, H.S., 2006, “Elements of Chemical Reaction Engineering,” Prentice Hall
Geankoplis, J.C., 1993, “Transport Processes and Separation Process Principles,”

Prentice Hall
Howard, F.R., “Chemical Reactor Design for Process Plant,” John. Wiley & Son, 2:
61- 86
Mahfouz, A.T., Elshishini, S.S., Elnashaie., S.S.E.H., 1987, “Steady-State

Modelling And Simulation of an Industrial Ammonia Synthesis Reactor – I.
Reactor Modelling,” Modeling Simulation & control, B, ASME press, 10(3): 1
Max, A., 1999, “Ammonia Principles and Industry Practise,” Wiley VCH
92
Nielsen, A., 1970, “Catalyst Review,” 4(1): 1-6
Peters, M.S., Timmerhaus, K.D., West, R.E., 2003, “Plant Design and Economics for
Chemical Engineers,” McGraw Hill, 5th Ed
Said, S.E., Mohamed, E.A., Abdulrahman, S.A., 1988, “Simulation and

Optimization of An Industrial Ammonia Converter,” Amirican Chemical
Society, 27: 2015-2022
Shah, M.J., 1967 “Control Simulation in Ammonia Production,” Ind. Eng. Chem.,
59(1): 72
Sinnott, R.K., 2005, “Coulson & Richardson‟s Chemical Engineering,” Volume 6, 4th
Ed., Butterworth Heinemann, Great Britain
Talarico, P., Bertini, P., 2010, “Process Safety and Reliability in Designing Grass-
Roots Casale Ammonia and Urea Plants,” 23rd AFA International Fertilizers
Technical Conference & Exhibition, 1(1): 1-36
93
APPENDIX II
Ammonia Converter R-6
Engineering Drawing
94

PDPII - May 2011 - Dhanaraj - 10644

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

PDPII - May 2011 - Dhanaraj - 10644

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

PDPII - May 2011 - Dhanaraj - 10644

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

GROUP

DESIGN OF MINOR EQUIPMENT

DOC PREPARE REVIEWED

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........…………………………………. 1

Figure 1.1 Radial Flow Reactor……………………………………………….. 3

Figure 7.1 Vertical Liquid-Vapour Separators………………………………… 80

Figure 7.3 Hemispherical Head Design tool……………………………………90

Figure 7.4 Pressure/Volume Map for various Compressor Types……………...93

APPENDIX I: Fatima Fertilizer Company Ltd

1.1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION

1.2 DESIGN METHODOLOGY

1. Selection of major equipment – Ammonia Reactor, R-6

According to Max. A, 1999, Commercial Ammonia converters can be classified into

Figure 1.1: Radial Flow Reactor (E.Gerhart, n.d.)

1st Catalyst Shell

3rd Catalyst Bed

Fig 1.2: Haldor Topsoe Series 300 Ammonia Converter

2.1 OPERATING CONDITIONS

In which the rate of disappearance of nitrogen is

For reverse reaction,

The rate of formation of nitrogen is given as

Since Ammonia reaction is a equilibrium reaction, therefore the equilibrium constant

The equilibrium conversion, is computed using scientific calculator fx-570ES,

Where R=1.987 and T = 473.15K

(Reactant Fluid Volume)

Table 2.2: Properties of promoted (K2O-CaO-Al2O3) iron-oxide catalyst (F.R.

Where the fractional conversion of nitrogen, V is is the volume of catalyst bed in

The fugacities of the component can be computed as follows:

Substitute (4) into (3)

The above equation is in terms of T and conversion percentage. The coefficients of

Table 2.3: Levenspiel plot Data

R-6 Catalyst Bed Levenspiel Plot

0.4 Levenspiel Plot

Figure 2.1: R-6 Catalyst Bed Levenspiel Plot

1 RNH3(X=0.08)+1 RNH3(X=0.08)+4 RNH3(X=0.10)+2 RNH3(X=0.12)+4

Thus, the required total amount of catalyst was determined to be;

2.5 REACTOR DIMENSION

2.6 CATALYST BED DIMENSION

Parameter Unit Bed 1 Bed 2 Bed 3

Diameter of Catalyst basket is assumed to be 4m which corresponds to the outer

The height of each bed is given by,

Table 2.5: R-6 Ammonia converter Catalyst Bed Dimensions Summary

Parameter Unit Bed 1 Bed 2 Bed 3

Figure 2.3: Concentration Profile

2.8.2 Temperature Profile

Table 2.7: Equlibrium Constant as a function of Equlibrium Conversion

Table 2.9: Log Ke – 2.6899 as a function of Temperature

Figure 2.4: Graph Log Ke – 2.6899 vs T

R-6 Equilibrium Curve

Figure 2.5: Ammonia Converter R-6 equilibrium curve

2.8.3 Interbed Heat Exchanger

Table 2.11: Interbed Heat Exchanger Temperature Data

Heat Shell Tube

Therefore, the area for heat exchange is shown below

Table 2.12: Coefficients of Cp polynomial for components

Therefore the heat capacity of the mixture is determined

Table 2.13: Heat Capacities of streams in Shell Side

Table 2.14: Heat Removed and Heat Exchanger Area