A method for loading an axial-radial flow vessel containing a bed of a particulate catalyst having a radial-flow portion and an axial-flow portion supported on and in fluid communication with the radial flow portion, includes: (i) placing a first catalyst material in the radial-flow portion and (ii) placing a second catalyst material in the axial-flow portion, wherein the second catalyst material has a smaller particle size than the first catalyst material. A vessel loaded with first and second catalyst materials is also described.

Process for the preparation of urea granules comprising the steps of obtaining an aqueous urea solution from one or more synthesis and recovery steps wherein ammonia and carbon dioxide are reacted together, subjecting the aqueous urea solution to an evaporation step wherein water is removed to obtain a urea melt (1), processing and treating said urea melt in a granulation step (7) and optionally in a cooling section (10) to obtain solid urea granules (14); the process further comprises a scrubbing step (3) of granulation offgas and an atmospheric evaporation step (32) to recover a urea solution (2) and a water-saturated air stream (18): the water-saturated air stream is fed back to the scrubbing section (3) without condensation, and the recovered urea solution is conveyed to the granulation step (7).

A method for retrofitting an existing steam methane reformer (SMR) for ammonia cracking is provided. In this embodiment, the existing SMR can include a pre-reformer, a desulfurization unit, a furnace, waste heat recovery sections, a water gas shift reactor, a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit, wherein the furnace has a plurality of SMR tubes and a plurality of burners. In certain embodiments, the method can include the steps of: providing the existing SMR; taking the desulfurization unit offline such that no fluid flows through the desulfurization during operation; taking the pre-reformer offline such that no fluid flows through the pre-reformer during operation; and adding means for providing a gaseous ammonia stream to the SMR tubes.

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).

An apparatus and method for adding an alkali metal promoter into steam and contacting the solution with a dehydrogenation catalyst during a dehydrogenation reaction is disclosed. The apparatus has a first conduit capable of transporting an alkali metal salt solution and a second conduit in fluid communication with the first conduit, the second conduit capable of transporting steam so that the alkali metal salt is dissipated into the steam prior to entry into a dehydrogenation reaction zone.

Method for revamping a multi-bed ammonia converter, wherein said converter comprises a plurality of adiabatic catalytic beds including a first catalytic bed and one or more further catalytic bed(s), said catalytic beds being arranged in series so that the effluent of a bed is further reacted in the subsequent bed; at least a first inter-bed heat exchanger arranged between said first catalytic bed and a second catalytic bed to cool the effluent of said first bed before admission into said second bed, and optionally further inter-bed heat exchanger(s) arranged between consecutive beds; said method involves the conversion of said first catalytic bed into an isothermal catalytic bed.

In an outlet flow control arrangement (1) arrangeable to control a flow of material through an outlet (2) with a predetermined diameter arranged at an end of a pressurized processing container (3), the outlet flow control arrangement (1) comprises an adaptor unit (4) configured so that a cross-section of a flow into the adaptor unit (4) is reduced as compared to a cross-section of the outlet (2), to enable the adaptor unit (4) to control and center a flow of processed material out of the processing container (3) and through the outlet (2) into a discharge pipe (5).

The present invention regards a process for the production of an aqueous solution comprising urea for use in the removal of nitrogen oxides from combustion gas or fumes, the process being characterized in that it comprises the steps of: subjecting at least a part of a urea-concentrated aqueous solution comprising residual free ammonia, obtained directly from or downstream of a recovery section of a plant for the production of urea, to washing with carbon dioxide, so obtaining a first vapor phase comprising carbon dioxide and optionally ammonia and a urea-concentrated aqueous solution comprising carbamate and essentially lacking in free ammonia, and diluting said urea-concentrated aqueous solution comprising carbamate and essentially lacking in free ammonia with water until the desired concentration of urea in aqueous solution is reached.

Processes for converting existing refinery units and equipment to enable processing of renewable triglyceride feedstock to provide hydrocarbon fuels. Originally, the existing refinery units may have bene configured as hydrotreating, hydrocracking, fixed bed reforming, or isomerization units for a petroleum based feedstock. Hydrogen from a second reaction zone may be provide to the first reaction zone, without or without the use of a compressor.

A process for producing an adsorption unit is disclosed, wherein an adsorber bed of the adsorption unit is filled with a bed of an adsorbent which is selected from a multitude of adsorbents by a test method, wherein, in the test method, a particle of each adsorbent is repeatedly laden with a sorbate and regenerated again, which converts the particle to an aged particle, and a fracture property B of the aged particle of each adsorbent is determined, wherein the adsorbent for the bed is selected depending on the fracture property B determined from the multitude of adsorbents.