1977 Gaines, Optimal Temperaturesfor Ammonia Synthesis Converters
1977 Gaines, Optimal Temperaturesfor Ammonia Synthesis Converters
1977 Gaines, Optimal Temperaturesfor Ammonia Synthesis Converters
A steady-state model for a quench-type ammonia converter is developed and used to study the effect of convert-
er temperature profile over a large range of operating conditions. A substantial improvement in converter effi-
ciency is possible by maintaining optimal converter temperatures. The converter efficiency is shown to be pri-
marily a function of fourth bed temperature. The optimal value of this temperature is a function of operating con-
ditions and may be determined from the ammonia effluent concentration and equilibrium concentration. Based
upon these results, a simple method of converter temperature control is proposed.
Ind. Eng. Chem., Process Des. Dev., Vol. 16, No. 3, 1977 381
Q'JENCI
QUENCH d
QUENCY YLI
P
Temperature
382 Ind. Eng. Chem., Process Des. Dev., Vol. 16, No. 3, 1977
H2
Nz
NH3
Ar
CH4
MF
.
TF
1
2
3
4
5
1.3445
2.3930
1.2907
2.2769
i
i
0.02096
0.05046
0.3415
Bed I1
w2
Quench Zone
113
Bed U 2
H4
Quench Zone
n5 75
Bed d 3
'6
Quench Zone
T6
Bed d 4
I
Figure 3. Block diagram of synthesis converter.
12
13
74
0.0504
0.420
476.87
riser gas has been heated to near reaction temperature. The of 0.5 was used in this study to obtain the reverse reaction rate
catalyst section is nearly adiabatic and an assumption of constant k 2 as outlined by Dyson and Simon (1968), but using
uniform radial temperature is made. A uniform velocity profile activities as discussed in this paper. Data from Nielsen (1968)
in the bed may also be assumed since the bed diameter is much for an industrial catalyst were fitted and the resulting equa-
larger than the catalyst diameter. The assumptions of uniform tion
radial temperature and velocity reduce the equations to an
k2 = 0.146578 x 1015e(-80899/RT) (8)
easily usable form while retaining the desired accuracy of the
model. has units of lb-mol/h f t 3 and T is in OR. R is the universal gas
Material Balance. The hydrogen consumed in a differ- constant and has a value of 1.987 Btu/lb-mol O R .
ential element of a catalyst bed is given by The effectiveness factor is derived by Dyson and Simon
F1 dx = rA dz (1968) for isothermal spherical catalyst particles. They as-
(2)
sumed the diffusion coefficients were independent of position
where A is the cross-sectional area of the bed in ft2 and x is the in the particle and that Knudsen diffusion does not occur. The
fraction H2 converted. F1 is the flow rate of Hz into the bed resulting equation
in lb-mol/h. Units are temperature, O R , pressure, atm, and
flow, lb-mol/h unless otherwise stated. Figure 3 is a simplified
[ = bo + blT + b27 + b3T2 + b472 + b5T3 t be73 (9)
diagram of the synthesis converter which shows flows and gives the effectiveness factor as a function of 8, temperature
temperatures used in the following equations. in K, and pressure for a 3 to 1 H2/N2 ratio and 12.7% inerts.
The component flows at any point in the bed may be com- Constants for use with eq 9 are given by Dyson and Simon
puted from inlet flows by (1968) and appear in Table I1 for pressures of 150, 225, and
F1' = Fi(1 - X ) 300 atm. The fractional conversion of nitrogen is 7 and may
be obtained from
F2' = F2 - F1X/3 7= molar flow of NH~/(molarflow of NH3
F3' = F3 + 2FlX/3 +
2 molar flow of Nz) (10)
F4' = F4 Catalyst activity, v , deteriorates a t high temperatures due to
changes in catalyst structure. The catalyst is also poisoned by
F5' = F5 (3)
oxygen and sulfur compounds. Factors affecting the rate of
where the order of components is hydrogen, nitrogen, am- deterioration are thoroughly discussed by Nielsen (1968).
monia, argon, and methane. r, the rate of reaction for equation Energy Balance. The converter may be divided into three
1 is found from the Temkin (1950) equation major sections: catalyst beds, quench zones, and heat ex-
[
r = 3k2t K ,2 a2 (37 v (4)
changer. The energy balance for the converter may be ob-
tained from the energy balance equations for the three sec-
tions by combining them in the proper order. The energy
where K , is the equilibrium constant, k 2 is the rate constant balance equations for each major section are developed. The
of the reverse reaction, v is the catalyst activity, is the ef- energy balance for a horizontal differential element of catalyst
fectiveness factor, and al,a2, and a3 are the activities of hy- bed involves four heat terms
drogen, nitrogen, and ammonia respectively. K , is calculated
dQreaction + dQgas + dQriser + dQannulus = 0 (11)
from the equation of Gillespie and Beattie (1930)
of which the last two are small as already indicated but are
log K , = -2.691122 log T - 5.519265 X 10-jT included in the model. The heat generated by the formation
+ +
1.848863 X 10-7T2 2001.6/T 2.6899 (5) + of ammonia is dQreaction and is expressed as
where T is in K. Activity coefficients used to calculate the dQreaction = -?3mRF1 dx (12)
activities for eq 4 are computed from
AH, is the heat of reaction corrected for the heat of mixing in
Btu/lb-mol of NH3 formed, and is computed from
AHR = -23840.57 + ( P - 300.0)(1.08 + (P - 300.0)
where Tis in K and R has the value 0.08206. Constants Ai, Eli,
and Ci are given by Nielsen (1968) and appear in Table I. S ,
X (0.01305 + ( P - 300.0) (0.83502 X + ( P - 300.0)
is computed as X(0.65934 X + 4.5(1391.0 - T) (13)
This equation was derived from the heat of reaction data
(7) presented by Kazarnovskii (1945) for the formation of a
mixture containing 17.6%NH3 in a 3 to 1Hz/Nz mixture. Most
where mi refers to the mole fraction of component i in the of the heat liberated by reaction is expended in raising the
mixture and the summation includes all components in the temperature of the reaction mixture as expressed by
mixture.
dQgas= -MC,(T, P ) dT (14)
Nielsen (1968) discusses the possible values of a and con-
cludes that a should have a value between 0.5 and 0.75. A value where M is the moles of reaction gas. CJT, P)is a function of
Ind. Eng. Chem., Process Des. Dev., Vol. 16,No. 3, 1977 383
pressure, temperature, and composition and is calculated from nent out of the zone is equal to the sum of the flows in since
the BWR equation. Calculation of mixture heat capacities, no reaction occurs.
enthalpies, viscosities, and thermal conductivities are ex- The energy balance for the heat exchanger located at the
plained elsewhere in this paper. bottom of the converter may be obtained from the heat
The remaining two heat terms refer to heat transferred from transfer equations. The cold gas flowing from the annulus
the bed to either the gas flowing in the annulus on the outside passes upward through the exchanger tubes into the riser and
of the catalyst basket or the gas in the riser. Heat transferred reacted gas flows countercurrent and is cooled on the shell
to the gas in the annulus is computed by side. The energy balance for the reacted gas in the shell is
dQannuius= k’C’(T - TA)/Gdz = ~ ~ M F C , ( T PF)
A , dTA MpC,(Ts, Pp)dTs = UA’(Ts - TT)dz (25)
(15) where A’ is the heat transfer area in ft2/ft of heat exchanger
since the primary resistance to heat transfer is the catalyst height and Ts and TT are shell side and tube side tempera-
basket insulation. Neglecting all other heat transfer resis- tures, respectively. U ,the overall heat transfer coefficient for
tances reduces computational effort without substantially the heat exchanger, is computed according to eq 17. h, for the
affecting the accuracy of the simulation. For converters heat exchanger is computed by the method of Donohue (1949)
without insulation, heat transfer to the feed gas would be for disk-and-doughnut baffles
considerable and an overall heat transfer coefficient would be
necessary. Since the riser is uninsulated, an overall heat h, = 0.23D,0.6 -)
(DOGe 0.6
N P ~ ~ . ~ ~
transfer coefficient U is considered in calculating this heat
term where De is the equivalent diameter in inches
dQriser = -UC(T - T d d z = f i M p C p ( T ~PF)
, dTR (16) De = 4 (flow arealwetted perimeter) (27)
where C is the outside circumference of the riser. The overall and G, is computed as
heat transfer coefficient is given by G, = WIS, (28)
l l U = llh, + lhi, + Dd(2k In (D,/Di)) + e (17) S, is the geometric mean of the cross-flow and the baffle-hole
h, is calculated for heat transfer inside packed tubes as de- areas, i.e.
scribed by Leva (1948) S, = (cross flow area X baffle-hole area)0.5 (29)
h, = \zr~iWO.~ (18) The energy balance for the gas in the heat exchanger tubes
where W is the mass flow in lb/h. The geometric factor \k is yields
calculated from ~ I M F C ~ ( TPF)dTT
T, = -UA’(Ts - TT)dz (30)
\k = 3.5e(-4.6DdD)(DP/A)O.7/D (19) The individual heat transfer coefficient for the tube side, hi,,
where D, is the catalyst diameter in feet and D is the bed di- is computed according to eq 22.
ameter. Equations 26 and 30 may be solved by numerical integration
The bed heat transfer factor A is a function of reaction gas or analytically as suggested by Shah (1967) if Cp(Ts,Pp) and
thermal conductivity K , and gas viscosity and is given by C,(TT, Pp) are assumed to be constant. The solution may be
obtained by letting
h = K/po‘7 (20)
P = ~ ~ M F C ~ (PF)
TT, (31)
The Colburn equation is used to calculate the heat transfer
coefficient inside the riser and
PF)NPR-~
hi, = 0.023GCp(T~, /~
NRE-O.~D~/D, (21) + = M P C ~ ( T SPP)
, (32)
G is the mass velocity lb-mollh f t 2 and the Prandtl number Equating eq 26 and 30 and integrating
is computed
Ts = Ta + P/$(TT - TRB) (33)
Npr = C ~ ( T RPF)P/K
, (22)
where T8 and TRBresult from evaluating the constant of in-
Di and Do are the inside and outside diameters of the riser, tegration. Substitution of eq 31,32, and 33 into 30 and rear-
respectively, in feet, and the Reynolds number is computed
N R e = DiGIp
TRB
dTT
(Ta + PI+ (TT- TRB)- TT)
(34)
fouling factor, was assumed to have a value of 0.001. Integration over the length of the exchanger yields after
The energy balance for the quench zones above each bed rearranging
is developed assuming the zone to be adiabatic and perfectly
mixed. Equating the energy flow from the previous bed, Figure
3 (or the riser in the case of the first zone), and the energy in
the quench stream to the energy flow into the next bed yields
C,(Ts, P p ) and C,(TT, P p ) are evaluated at average condi-
for the lth quench zone tions. Tp may be obtained from eq 33 since a t the bottom of
the exchanger TT becomes TAand Ts becomes Tp.
Calculational Procedure
M is the molar flow from the previous bed or riser and H is the The basic model eq 2,3,11,25,33,and 35 cannot be solved
enthalpy, Btu/lb-mol. The enthalpy of the quench is obtained analytically for component flows and converter temperatures
by multiplying the fraction of feed used for quench in the lth since they are nonlinear and coupled due to heat transfer
zone by the total enthalpy of the feed. Flow rate of a compo- between the feed and reacted gas. The method of solution
384 Ind. Eng. Chem., Process Des. Dev., Vol. 16, No. 3, 1977
Table 111. BWR Constants"
Nitrogen Argon Methane Ammonia Hydrogen
A 0.031 231 9 0.028 835 8 0.049 4 0.103 540 29 0.00810 853 4
A0 0.872 086 0.823 417 1.855 3.789 282 0.182 670 58
b 0.003 235 1 0.002 152 89 0.003 380 04 0.000 719 585 2 0.010 927 08
Bo 0.028 106 6 0.022 285 259 7 0.042 6 0.051 646 121 0.026 812 097
c x 10-6 0.000 547 364 0.000 798 243 7 0.002 545 0.000 157 532 98 0.000 003 553 07
co x 10-6 0.007 813 75 0.013 141 25 0.022 57 0.178 570 9 0.000 099 967 11
a 0.000 070 923 2 0.000 035 588 95 0.000 124 359 0.000 004 652 178 0.000 089 327 7
Y 0.004 5 0.002 338 271 1 0.006 0.019 805 156 0.002 576 974
a Units L/g-mol atm K.
consists of assuming a value of TRTand T1 is then found such Table IV. Base Case for Simulation of Single Converter
that eq 25 is satisfied to within 0.1 O F on TI. At this point,
values of TR,T1, TA,and F exist and an integration through Inlet pressure 140.0 atm
the first bed is performed using a fourth order Runge-Kutta Outlet presure 140.0 atm
Feed temperature 290.0 OF
method. The fraction Hz converted, x is set to zero to start the Hz feed 10243.0 lb-mol/h
integration. Molar flows a t any point in the bed may then be Nz feed 3414.0 lb-molh
found by eq 3. The pressure is assumed to vary linearly with NHs feed 330.0 lb-mol/h
the fraction catalyst traversed Ar feed 727.0 lb-mol/h
CH4 feed 1817.5 lb-mol/h
P = P' + M(B - z)/B (36) Fraction feed through exchanger 0.58
where P' is the pressure at the bottom of the bed, AI' is the Fraction feed for first bed quench 0.03
pressure drop through the bed, B is bed depth, and z is posi- Fraction feed for second bed quench 0.12
Fraction feed for third bed quench 0.12
tion measured from the top. The pressure, temperature, and Fraction feed for fourth bed quench 0.15
mole fractions are used to calculate a rate for eq 2 and a value Outlet temperature of bed 1 897.9 OF
of dx/dz is obtained. Values of dT/dz, dTR/dz, and dTA/dz Outlet temperature of bed 2 891.8 O F
for the element are found from eq 11,15, and 16. New values Outlet temperature of bed 3 880.0 OF
for TA,TR,T, and x result at the end of each integration step. Outlet temperature of bed 4 859.5 OF
Ten steps are normally required to obtain desirable accura- Mole fraction inerts in converter feed 0.154
CY. Hz/Nz ratio 3.0
When the bed integration is completed, compositions are Mole fraction ammonia in feed 0.02
adjusted according to the value of x and the temperature and Mole fraction ammonia in effluent 0.1265
composition in the next quench zone is computed, which leads
to initial values for the next bed integration. This procedure Stiel. Pure component thermal conductivities are computed
is repeated for each bed until the end of the catalyst section as suggested by Bromley and mixture thermal conductivities
is reached. The temperatures of the reacted gas and the cold are computed according to the method of Lindsay and
annulus gas are entered into the exchanger equations along Bromley; the mixture value is then corrected for pressure by
with the estimates of TRBand Tp. Heat exchanger calcula- the equations of Stiel and Thodos.
tions are repeated using the new values of TR and Tp until
convergence on the two temperatures is obtained. Results a n d Discussion
Solution of the heat exchanger equations completes one Model calculations were performed on an Interdata 7/32
pass through the converter. T o check for convergence, the with an average computational time of 10 s for each case.
value of TRBfrom heat exchanger calculations is compared Simulation results showing the effects of synthesis loop
with the value obtained after integration of the last catalyst variables upon converter efficiencies were obtained for the
bed. If they differ by more than 0.25 O F , a new value of TRT feasible operating temperature range for the ammonia con-
is computed verter. The volume of results necessitates a method or orga-
nization so that variable effects may be clearly presented. A
base case for the simulations was established as shown in
and used to start another pass through the converter. Four or Table IV and all simulations result from varying either quench
five passes are usually required to obtain convergence. fractions or quench fractions and one other process variable.
Mixture heat capacities and enthalpies are computed using Thus, the effects of process variables and the temperature
the BWR equation of state. Table I11 contains pure compo- profile are referenced to one set of operating parameters.
nent constants which are used to compute mixture constants The effect of converter temperature upon heat production
to be used in the BWR equation. Mixture constants are is shown in Figure 2. As temperature increases, the concen-
computed according to Reid and Sherwood (1966) except for tration of ammonia in the converter effluent approaches
Bo, which is computed equilibrium. However, the equilibrium concentration de-
creases with increasing temperature and a maximum in the
heat production curve results. Stephens (1975) indicated that
the fourth bed temperature is of primary importance. The
Mixture viscosities and thermal conductivities are calculated effects of bed outlet temperature were determined by holding
by methods suggested by Reid and Sherwood (1966). Pure all but one outlet temperature constant, and those are shown
component viscosities are obtained using the theoritical in Figure 4. The temperatures of the first two beds seem to
treatment of Chapman and Enskog. Low pressure mixture have little effect upon production as long as they are in the
viscosities are then computed by the method of Wilke and acceptable operating range. Ammonia production, however,
corrected for pressure by the equation proposed by Dean and may be affected if the third bed temperature is too high. This
Ind. Eng. Chem., Process Des. Dev., Vol. 16, No. 3, 1977 385
'930[ 0.15 ~
-+ S i m u l a t i o n
- Equilibrium
Temperature R t Yhrch O t h e r Beds
Were E v a l u a t e d 1 12.0% I n e r t s
2 15.3% l n e r t r
3 18,O%%lnerts
A x = 0.935
1890 / \
0.14 -
,-
r
-
~ 1900
\ E
<
E
o 1940 :. 0.13
+
it
Bed 2
1920
-
r
E
: 1900
0.12 -
-
1900
800 820 840 860 880 900 920 940
0.11
840. 850. 860. 870. 880. 890. 900.
Bed O u t l e t Temperature
Temperature O F
Figure 4. Ammonia production vs. bed outlet temperature. Figure 6. Effect of inerts upon ammonia concentrations.
0.15 - - S~mulation
- Equilibrium
should not be allowed to exceed that of the fourth bed by more
than 20 to 30 O F .
1 130 Atmospheres
2 140 Rtrncspheres The fourth bed temperature is the temperature of greatest
3 150 At-c:pheres
A x * 0.935 consequence, and the effects of other process variables may
be related to this temperature. The process variables con-
sidered are pressure, inerts, H2/N2 ratio, feed temperature,
0.14 - space velocity, catalyst activities, and ammonia concentration
in the feed gas. A series of simulations for each value of the
process variable being studied was made. The fraction of the
E
feed stream to be used as quench in each quench zone was first
4 chosen to give high converter temperatures. The temperature
*
of the fourth bed was then decreased by varying quench flows
: 0.13 and an attempt was made to obtain a declining temperature
profile where possible. The fourth bed temperatures became
-
L L
386 Ind. Eng. Chem., Process Des. Dev., Vol. 16, No. 3, 1977
,\: -
0.15
0.14
-
-
9
-
1
2
3
A ”
Simulation
Equilibrium
2.5
3.0
to 1 i2/N2
t o 1 H2/N2
Ratio
Ratio
3 .. 5 t o 1 H 2 / h 2 P a t i o
= 0 . 9 3 55
0.15
0.14
\
-
1
2
3
Simulation
Equilibrium
270°F Feed
290’F F e e d
310’F F e e d
A x = 0.935
E E
4 4
1
\
0 0.13 .p 3.1:
i i
2
Y i
-
E
-
L
0.12
I I I I I I 0.11 1 I 1 I I J
850. 860. 870. 880. 590. 900. 843. 850. 860. 870. 880. 890. 900
T e m p e r a t u r e ‘F T e m p e r a t u r e 1r
Figure 7. Effect of H*/Nz ratio upon ammonia concentrations. Figure 8. Effect of feed temperature upon ammonia concentra-
Ind. Eng. Chem., Process Des. Dev., Vol. 16, No. 3, 1977 387
0.15
\
-
- sE iqmuui ll iabt ir oi un m
1
2
90% A c t j v i t Y
100% A c t l v i t Y
0'15 1\ -
1
A2
Simulation
Equilibrium
2.0% N H ~i n F e e d
2.5%
X N H J i n Feed
0.935
3 110% A c t i v i t y
A X = 0.935
0.14
E
<
:.c 0.13
\
-r"
Y
0.12
0.11 I I I I I I 0.11 I I I 1 I I I
850. 860. 870. 880. 890. 900. 840. 850. 860. 870. 880. 890. 900.
Temperature O F Temperature O F
Figure 10. Effect of catalyst activity upon ammonia concentra- Figure 11. Effect of ammonia in feed to the converter.
tions.
of ammonia for the converter operating conditions. A function or lower temperature limit. Figure 4 also indicates that the
x may be defined as the optimal or "best" ratio of C"3/ redistribution of quench will have little affect upon
C N H ~The~ ~function
. x would depend upon component flows, CNH3oudCNH3eq.
pressure, feed temperature, and other variables affecting
converter efficiency and could be determined from Figures Conclusions
5 through 11or by other methods. C N His ~easily
~ ~calculated Converter temperature control is normally far down on the
using eq 5, 6, and 7 and CNH30ut may be estimated as fol- list when considering computer control functions. Plant tests,
lows however, reveal that good temperature control can increase
production by over 1%at a constant total gas rate to the
plant.
This study shows how converter efficiency may be improved
over current operating practices by the use of computer con-
trol. The equations necessary for computation of the fourth
bed temperature set point are simple and may be linearized
(39) for use with a programmable analog controller although digital
where C, refers to feed composition and MR is computed at systems are usually employed because of their increased ca-
an average pressure. C N H ~ ~ ~ J CcalculatedN H ~ ~ ~may be pability.
compared with the desired value x.It is known that CNHsout The optimum converter operating temperature changes
approaches G"Hseq at high temperatures. Therefore, if with inlet conditions and catalyst activity. The figures pre-
C"3ouJCNHaeq is greater than x,Ts should be reduced. This sented are for a low-pressure converter (150 atm), but the
method has the advantage of determining which direction to trends are consistent with those reported for converters op-
change T8 in order to reach the desired efficiency. x may be erating at 300 atm (Shah, 1967; Baddour et al., 1965; Slack et
set as far from the unstable region, point B in Figure 2, as al., 1953).It is felt that the procedure described in this paper
desired. As stated earlier, the converter becomes sensitive to for temperature control could be adapted to most ammonia
changes as T8 is decreased and the computed value of converters.
C N H ~ ~ ~ J may C N beH ~used
~ ~to calculate a variable gain for
the controller if necessary. Nomenclature
The method of calculation of x may be determined to give A = cross-sectional area of catalyst bed
the desired results. The A points in Figures 5 through 11were Ai = constantsineq6
determined with x set equal to 0.935. In all cases acceptable A' = heat transfer area per foot of exchanger
values for T8 resulted, indicating that a constant value of x ai = activity of component i
may be used. B = catalyst bed depth
In order to maintain the desired value x as operating con-
Bi = constants in eq 6
Boi = BWR constant for component i
ditions change, the fraction cold feed passing through the Bo, = BWR mixture constant
exchanger must be manipulated. As this fraction is changed, bi = constantsineq9
the temperature profile in the converter will change. Figure C = circumference of riser
4,however, shows that redistribution of quench will be nec- C' = circumference of catalyst section
essary only when one of the first three beds violates an upper Ci = constantsineq6
388 Ind. Eng. Chem., Process Des. Dev., Vol. 16, No. 3, 1977
(C,) = mixture heat capacity TRB = temperature a t bottom of riser
C N H =~ molar
~ ~ ~concentration of N H 3 out of converter 2's = temperature on shell side of exchanger
CNHseq = equilibrium concentration of NHB a t fourth bed TT = temperature on tube side of exchanger
outlet conditions U = overall heat trassfer coefficient
D = beddiameter W = moss flow rate
Di = inside tube diameter x 5 fraction Hz converted
D e = equivalent diameter z = distance from top of zone
D o = outside tube diameter Greek Symbols
D, = catalyst particle diameter
cy = kinetic parameters
Fi = molar flow of component i
FIi = molar flow of component i within bed P = definedbyeq31
f i = Fraction inlet flow y = activity coefficient
G = massvelocity e = fouling factor
G , = equivalent mass flow rate 7 = conversion based on nitrogen
(H) = molar enthalpy of mixture K = thermal conductivity of gas mixture
L~HR = heat of reaction p = viscosity of gas mixture
= average heat of reaction u = catalyst activity
h, = outside heat transfer coefficient E = effectiveness factor
hi? = tube side heat transfer coefficient x = "best" ratio of C ~ H 3 0 u J C N H 3 e q
i, J = 1refers to H2, 2 refers to Nz, 3 refers to NH3,4 refers A = bed heat transfer factor
to A, 5 refers to CH4 J, = defined by eq 32
K , = equilibrium constant in terms of activities \k = geometric factor
k = thermal conductivity of heat transfer surface d = thickness of insulation
k' = thermal conductivity of catalyst basket insulation
k 2 = rate constant for decomposition of ammonia Literature Cited
L = length of heat exchanger Annabie, D., Chem. Eng. Sci., 1, 145 (1952).
1 = subscript refers to converter zone Baddour, R. F., Brian, P. L. T., Logeais, B. A,, Eymery, J. P., Chem. Eng. Sci., 20,
M = molar flow rate 281 (1965).
M I = molar flow rate in zone 1 Brian, P. L. T., Baddour, R. F., Eymery, J. P., Chem. Eng. Sci., 20, 297
(1965).
M F = molar flow rate of feed Dyson, D. C., Simon, J. M., Ind. Eng. Chem., Fundam., 7,605 (1968).
M p = molar flow rate out of converter Donohue, D. A., Ind. Eng. Chem., 41 (ll), 2499 (1949).
mi = mole fraction of component i Gillespie, L. J., Beattie, J. A., Phys. Rev., 36, 743 (1930).
N p , = Prandtlnumber Hankinson, R. W., Phillips Petroleum Co., Bartiesville, Okla., Letter RWH-1-
76TSD (1976).
N E , = Reynolds number Hay, J. J., Pallai, I. M., Brit. Chem. Eng., 8 (3), 171 (1963).
P = pressure Hays. G. E., Poska, F. L., Stafford, J. D., Chem. Eng. Prog., 60 (l), 61 (1964).
P' = pressure at bottom of bed Heerden, C. van, Ind. Eng. Chem., 45, 1242 (1953).
P = pressure differential across bed Kazarnovskii, Ya. S., Zh. Fiz. Khim., 19, 392 (1945).
Kjaer, J., "Calculation of Ammonia Converters on an Electronic Digital Com-
PF = pressureoffeed puter," Akademisk Forlag, Copenhagen, 1963.
Pp = pressure out of converter Kubec. J., Burianova, J., Burianec, Z., Int. Chem. Eng., 14 (4), 629 (1974).
Q = heatterm Leva, M., Weintraub, M., Grummer, M., Clark, E. L., Ind. Eng. Chem., 40 (4), 747
( 1948).
R = gasconstant Nieisen. A., "An Investigation on Promoted Iron Catalysts for the Synthesis of
r = reaction rate Ammonia," 3rd ed, Jul. Gjellerups, Copenhagen, 1968.
S, = geometric mean of the cross-flow and the baffle-hole Reid, R. C., Sherwood, T. K., "The Properties of Gases and Liquids," 2nd ed,
areas McGraw-Hill, New York, N.Y., 1966.
Shah, M. J., Ind. Eng. Chem., 59 (l), 73 (1967).
S , = term computed from eq 7 Slack, A. V., Allgood, N. Y., Maune, H. E., Chem. Eng. Prog., 49, 393 (1953).
T = temperature Stephens. A. D., Chem. Eng. Sci.. 30, 11 (1975).
~'2 = temperature in lth zone Temkin, M., J. Phys. Chem. (USSR), 24, 1312 (1950).
T A = temperature in annulus
T F = temperature of feed
Tp = temperature out of converter Received far review October 13, 1976
T R = temperature in riser Accepted January 31,1977
Ind. Eng. Chem., Process Des. Dev.. Vol. 16, No. 3, 1977 389