General Measures for Ammonia Plants
There are a number of technologies and measures applicable to the ammonia plants in general. Examples of these are provided in this section.
General Measures for Ammonia PlantsTechnologies & Measures
| Technology or Measure | Energy Savings Potential | CO2 Emission Reduction Potential Based on Literature | Costs | Development Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Process Control |
Average payback period varies between 6 months and 2.5 years (A2A Toolkit).
|
Commercial | ||
| Improved Process Integration |
The cost of implementation is estimated at € 10/GJ of saved energy (Rafiqul et al., 2005 based on de Beer, 2000). |
Commercial | ||
| Retrofitting Steam Turbines for Higher Efficiency |
The payback time of the steam turbine upgrade is usually in the order of 1 year. Costs can be reduced by including the upgrade in the normal turn-around schedule. The cost for upgrading two back-pressure turbines with more efficient condensing turbines in an ammonia plant in the US estimated to require an investment of $ 1.2 million (U.S. DOE, 2007) |
Commercial | ||
| Retrofitting Gas Turbines for Higher Efficiency |
|
Commercial | ||
| Installing Gas Turbines for Air Compression | Commercial | |||
| Medium Pressure Process Condensate Stripper | Commercial | |||
| Gas Expansion Turbines for Power Recovery | Commercial | |||
| Improved Air Compression | The cost of improvement is estimated at €6.4/GJ (Nieuwlaar, 2001 p.15) . | Commercial | ||
| Cooling at Suction End of Compressors |
Investment requirements are in the range of US $ 0.8 – 1.2 million for 500 tonnes of refrigeration used for suction cooling of synthesis gas compressor [2010 figures] (FAI, 2013). |
Commercial | ||
| Motor System Optimization | Commercial |
In an Australian plant, the payback time for the installation of APC software was less than 6 months. (Australian Government, 2009)
In a plant in Belgium that was already optimized, implementation of an APC saved an additionl € 400 000 per year, resulting in a payback time less than one year (Thyssenkrupp, unknowndate). 
An APC that was implemented in a German plant and that has increased production by 2.5% had a payback time of less than 6 months (Honeywell, 2012). 
For a 1 500 tpd, investments are in the range of US $ 1 - 1.2 million (