Ammonia Synthesis

Ammonia is one of the most important chemicals pro-duced globally with approximately 85% being used as fertilizer for food production. Ammonia synthesis occurs by the combination of hydrogen and nitrogen in what is essentially the Haber-Bosch process that was developed over 90 years ago (Figure 1). Today, global sales of am-monia are estimated at over $100 billion annually, con-suming nearly two percent of global energy and emitting over 400 million tons of CO2 per year. Though many in-cremental improvements have been achieved in both process and catalyst technology, the industry is seeking a step-change in ammonia synthesis efficiency. Product Specification QuantumSphere has applied its nano-Fe promoters to commercially available ammonia catalysts (Figure 2) to produce a significant improvement in activity. This en-ables improved per-pass conversion in the ammonia loop that, depending on plant configuration, can be lev-eraged into increased energy savings or capacity throughput. Figure 3 illustrates the performance difference between a QSI coated and an uncoated commercial ammonia synthesis catalyst – a 1% nano-Fe coating produces up to a 40% increase in catalyst activity. Depending on plant design, temperature and / or pressure constraints can be overcome using QSI’s enhanced catalyst – cus-tomer benefits are as outlined in Table 1. For existing plants limited on capacity, a 20% ca-pacity increase can be realized with a payback of less than 28 months - plants looking to improve efficiency can realize up to 5% annual energy sav-ings. Significant CAPEX savings can be realized for new plants that are designed to maximize the in-creased activity of QSI-enhanced catalysts – pay-back typically occurring in less than 18 months. Understanding that no ammonia plant is the same, QSI works closely with our engineering partners to ensure the maximum performance of the catalyst is realized and cost savings transferred to our cus-tomers. Ammonia Synthesis Catalyst Kevin D. Maloney President and CEO QuantumSphere, Inc. 2905 Tech Center Drive Santa Ana, CA 92705 Tel: 714-545-6266 Cell: 949-378-9851 www.qsinano.com For more information contact: 2.0E-03 2.5E-03 3.0E-03 3.5E-03 4.0E-03 4.5E-03 5.0E-03 5.5E-03 6.0E-03 6.5E-03 7.0E-03 300 350 400 450 500 Kg NH3/min /Kg Catalyst Temperature (oC) Commercial QSI Nano-Fe Figure 3. Comparison of QSI nano-Fe coated catalyst vs. commercial catalyst (69 barg). Catalyst Benefits Plant energy savings 5% Plant throughput increase 20% New-plant CAPEX savings >$50m Figure 2. QSI nano-Fe particles and SEM of nano-Fe supported on catalyst surface. Table 1. QSI’s enhanced catalyst provides compelling savings for both existing and new plants alike. 1500TPD plant used as basis for calculations. Figure 1. Ammonia synthesis loop. Catalyst Bed #1 High Pressure Steam Inert Purge Catalyst Bed #2 Catalyst Bed #3 Recycle Compressor "#$$%&'Liquid Ammonia Nitrogen / Hydrogen Feed Recycle Loop Heat Exchanger Separator Heat Exchanger Heat Exchanger Separator