Disclosed is a dual pressure plant for the production of nitric acid on the basis of the oxidation of ammonia. The plant comprises a reactor configured to produce a burner gas stream; a gas cooling section configured to form a cooled burner gas; a condensation section configured to form an aqueous nitric acid condensate and an uncondensed nitrogen oxides gas stream; an absorption section configured to produce raw nitric acid and a tail gas; and a tail gas treatment system configured to form a purified tail gas. In a tail gas heating section a further heat exchanger configured to receive heat from the burner gas stream, said further heat exchanger being positioned relatively close to the reactor.

Disclosed is a dual pressure plant for the production of nitric acid on the basis of the oxidation of ammonia. The plant comprises a reactor configured to produce a burner gas stream; a gas cooling section configured to form a cooled burner gas; a condensation section configured to form an aqueous nitric acid condensate and an uncondensed nitrogen oxides gas stream; an absorption section configured to produce raw nitric acid and a tail gas; and a tail gas treatment system configured to form a purified tail gas. In a tail gas heating section a further heat exchanger configured to receive heat from the burner gas stream, said further heat exchanger being positioned relatively close to the reactor.

Process for the production of a product gas containing nitrogen and hydrogen from ammonia comprising the steps of non-catalytic partial oxidation of ammonia with an oxygen containing gas to a process gas containing nitrogen, water, amounts of nitrogen oxides and residual amounts of ammonia; cracking of at least a part of the residual amounts of ammonia to hydrogen and nitrogen in the process gas by contact with a nickel containing catalyst and simultaneously reducing the amounts of nitrogen oxides to nitrogen and water by reaction with a part of the hydrogen formed during cracking of the process gas by contact of the process gas with the nickel containing catalyst; and withdrawing the hydrogen and nitrogen containing product gas.

Process for the production of a product gas containing nitrogen and hydrogen from ammonia comprising the steps of non-catalytic partial oxidation of ammonia with an oxygen containing gas to a process gas containing nitrogen, water, amounts of nitrogen oxides and residual amounts of ammonia; cracking of at least a part of the residual amounts of ammonia to hydrogen and nitrogen in the process gas by contact with a nickel containing catalyst and simultaneously reducing the amounts of nitrogen oxides to nitrogen and water by reaction with a part of the hydrogen formed during cracking of the process gas by contact of the process gas with the nickel containing catalyst; and withdrawing the hydrogen and nitrogen containing product gas.

The present invention provides a catalyst for production of nitric oxide from ammonia and oxygen. The catalyst has the composition A.sub.3-xB.sub.xO.sub.9-y, wherein A and B are selected from the group Mn, Co, Cr, Fe and Al, x is between 0 and 3 and y is between 0 and 6. The catalyst has a high selectivity towards nitric oxide and a low ignition temperature in the reactor. Further the present invention relates to a method for the production of gas comprising nitric oxide by the catalyst of the present invention. The produced gas has a low content of nitrous oxide.

A dual-pressure plant for the synthesis of nitric acid comprising: a reactor (4) providing a gaseous effluent (15) containing nitrogen oxides; an absorption tower (6) nitrogen oxides react with water providing raw nitric acid and, said absorption tower operating at a pressure greater than the pressure of the reactor; a compressor (5) elevating the pressure of the reactor effluent (15) to the absorption pressure; said plant also comprising a first bleacher (37) and a second bleacher (7), said first bleacher (37) stripping with air (39) nitrogen oxides from the output stream (27) of the absorption tower (6) providing a partially stripped nitric acid stream (40) and a nitrogen oxides-loaded air stream (41), the former being fed to the second bleacher (7) and the latter being recycled to the delivery-side of said compressor (5).

Disclosed is a dual pressure plant for the production of nitric acid on the basis of the oxidation of ammonia. The plant comprises a reactor configured to produce a burner gas stream; a gas cooling section configured to form a cooled burner gas; a condensation section configured to form an aqueous nitric acid condensate and an uncondensed nitrogen oxides gas stream; an absorption section configured to produce raw nitric acid and a tail gas; and a tail gas treatment system configured to form a purified tail gas. In a tail gas heating section a further heat exchanger configured to receive heat from the burner gas stream, said further heat exchanger being positioned relatively close to the reactor.

Disclosed is a dual pressure plant for the production of nitric acid on the basis of the oxidation of ammonia. The plant comprises a reactor configured to produce a burner gas stream; a gas cooling section configured to form a cooled burner gas; a condensation section configured to form an aqueous nitric acid condensate and an uncondensed nitrogen oxides gas stream; an absorption section configured to produce raw nitric acid and a tail gas; and a tail gas treatment system configured to form a purified tail gas. In a tail gas heating section a further heat exchanger configured to receive heat from the burner gas stream, said further heat exchanger being positioned relatively close to the reactor.

Process for reducing the content of NOx and N2O from an input tail gas of a nitric acid process, said input tail gas having a temperature lower than 400 C., the process comprising an abatement stage at least including a deN2O stage and deNOx stage and providing a conditioned tail gas having a temperature greater than the input tail gas, wherein, prior to submission to said abatement stage, said input tail gas is pre-heated to a temperature of at least 400 C. by indirect heat exchange with at least a portion of said conditioned gas.

A novel concept for a high energy and material efficient nitric acid production process and system is provided, wherein the nitric acid production process and system, particularly integrated with an ammonia production process and system, is configured to recover a high amount of energy out of the ammonia that it is consuming, particularly in the form of electricity, while maintaining a high nitric acid recovery in the conversion of ammonia to nitric acid. The energy recovery and electricity generation process comprises pressurizing a liquid gas, such as air, oxygen and/or N.sub.2, subsequently evaporating and heating the pressurized liquid gas, particularly using low grade waste heat generated in the production of nitric acid and/or ammonia, and subsequently expanding the evaporated pressurized liquid gas over a turbine. In particular, the generated electricity is at least partially used to power an electrolyzer to generate the hydrogen needed for the production of ammonia. The novel concepts set out in the present application are particularly useful in the production of nitric acid based on renewable energy sources.