Process for the synthesis of ammonia comprising the steps of reforming of a hydrocarbon feedstock into a raw product gas, purification of said raw product gas obtaining a make-up synthesis gas, conversion of said synthesis gas into ammonia; said purification includes shift conversion of carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide and the reforming process requires a heat input which is at least partially recovered from at least one of said step of shift conversion, which is carried out with a peak temperature of at least 450° C., and said step of conversion into ammonia.

One or more reactants are flowed into thermal contact with a heating element in a reactor for a first time period. During a first part of a heating cycle, the one or more reactants are provided with a first temperature by heating with the heating element, such that one or more thermochemical reactions is initiated. The one or more thermochemical reactions includes pyrolysis, thermolysis, synthesis, hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, hydrogenolysis, or any combination thereof. The first heating element operates by Joule heating and has a porous construction that allows gas to flow therethrough. During a second part of the heating cycle, the one or more reactants are provided with a second temperature less than the first temperature, for example, by de-energizing the heating element. A duration of the first time period is equal to or greater than a duration of the heating cycle, which is less than five seconds.

A process for producing ammonia and a derivative of ammonia from a natural gas feed comprising conversion of natural gas into a make-up synthesis gas; synthesis of ammonia; use of said ammonia to produce said derivative of ammonia, wherein a portion of the natural gas feed is used to fuel a gas engine; power produced by said gas engine; is transferred to at least one power user of the process, such as a compressor; heat is re-covered from exhaust gas of said gas engine;, and at least part of said heat may be recovered as low-grade heat available at a temperature not greater than 200° C., to provide process heating to at least one thermal user of the process, such as CO2 removal unit or absorption chiller; a corresponding plant and method of modernization are also disclosed.

In one embodiment, an ammonia synthesis system comprising, an ammonia synthesis reactor, a waste heat boiler, a supply water heat exchanger, a recycle gas heat exchanger, a water cooler, an ammonia chiller and refrigeration exchanger, a secondary ammonia chiller, an ammonia separator, a liquid ammonia tank, a recycle compressor and a start-up heater, and wherein, a process gas is heated in the recycle gas heat exchanger and enters the ammonia synthesis reactor and the waste heat boiler, a reacted gas stream exits from a bottom of the waste heat boiler and is cooled in the supply water heat exchanger, a gas stream enters the recycle gas heat exchanger, the water cooler, the ammonia chiller and refrigeration exchanger, the secondary ammonia chiller, and is cooled, the gas stream enters the ammonia separator to form a separate liquid ammonia and the separated liquid ammonia enters the liquid ammonia tank.

A method of producing synthesis gas in a dual pressure level ammonia plant having a first synthesis section operated in once through fashion at a first relatively lower high pressure and having a second synthesis section operated in recirculating fashion at a second relatively higher high pressure. In the first synthesis section downstream of an OT reactor of the first synthesis section the synthesis gas is cooled using cooling medium at a pressure below the first high pressure, wherein the cooling medium is provided at a pressure below the first high pressure level by means of a medium pressure steam generator or wherein the cooling is effected by means of the medium pressure steam generator. The disclosure further relates to a synthesis gas cooling assembly in such a dual pressure level ammonia plant and at least one plant component for providing or for utilizing the cooling medium.

High purity hydrogen is produced by a steam reforming hydrogen production unit with at least one of a bayonet reactor for reforming steam and a hydrocarbon, a recuperative burner, and a regenerative burner such that the steam reforming unit produces little or no steam in excess of the steam reforming process requirements. High purity hydrogen is separated from the syngas exiting the reformer via a pressure swing adsorption unit and combined with high purity nitrogen from an air separation unit as feedstock to a Haber process ammonia synthesis unit. Compressors for the ammonia synthesis unit are driven by higher efficiency drivers than are possible using the low temperature steam conventionally exported from a steam reforming unit. Compression power requirements are reduced.

A method for heating a feed of natural gas, used as feed for a steam reformer of an ammonia production system, wherein the system comprises a steam reformer, operably connected to a heat recovery unit comprising at least two heating coils maintained at a different temperature, wherein the feed of natural gas passes through the at least two heating coils, the method comprising: a) recovering heat in the heat recovery unit from the ammonia production system and b) exchanging at least part of the heat recovered in step a) with at least a portion of the feed of natural gas, thereby obtaining a heated feed of natural gas, wherein the feed of natural gas does not comprise steam.

Process for the synthesis of ammonia comprising the steps of reforming of a hydrocarbon feedstock into a raw product gas, purification of said raw product gas obtaining a make-up synthesis gas, conversion of said synthesis gas into ammonia; said purification includes shift conversion of carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide and the reforming process requires a heat input which is at least partially recovered from at least one of said step of shift conversion, which is carried out with a peak temperature of at least 450° C., and said step of conversion into ammonia.

An apparatus for producing ammonia or hydrogen may include a) a gas stream feed conduit having a connecting conduit to a steam reformer with a waste heat section; b) a heat exchanger downstream of the gas stream feed conduit; c) a gas stream preheater downstream of the heat exchanger; d) a recirculation conduit which is located downstream of the gas stream preheater and leads to the gas stream feed conduit or, upstream of the heat exchanger, to the connecting conduit; and e) the steam reformer with the waste heat section, where the waste heat section may be in thermal contact with the gas stream preheater and the flow of the gas stream which has been heated in the gas stream preheater through the recirculation conduit can be regulated. A process for producing ammonia or hydrogen may employ such an apparatus.

An ammonia production plant includes an ammonia synthesis facility; a synthesis gas generating facility which generates a synthesis gas for synthesizing ammonia from the carbon-based raw material; and a power generating facility which obtains power. The synthesis gas generating facility includes an exhaust heat recovery unit which recovers exhaust heat. The power generating facility includes a combustion device which burns oxygen and fuel and a gas turbine which is driven by using a combustion gas containing a CO.sub.2 gas obtained by the combustion device as power so as to generate power and is configured to supply the CO.sub.2 gas discharged from the gas turbine as a recycle gas to the combustion device. The power obtained by the power generating facility powers the ammonia synthesis facility. The exhaust heat recovered by the exhaust heat recovery unit is used to heat the recycle gas.