Fluohmic process

Shawinigan Chemicals of Canada developed the Fluohmic process around 1960. This process involves the reaction of ammonia with hydrocarbons 

The fluidized bed is heated to 1350°C to 1650°C by passing an electric current between carbon electrodes immersed in the bed, and no catalyst is used to initiate the reaction. The performance of the reaction system is reported to be  

The low ammonia concentration in the off-gas eliminates the need for recovery. The HCN is separated from the off-gas for refining, and the hydrogen leaves the system as a by-product together with a small amount of nitrogen and unreacted ammonia. The high electrical consumption ( 3 kWh/lb HCN) makes the process attractive only in locations where the cost of electricity is extremely low. 

In 2003 the Fluohmic process was being used in Spain, Australia and South 

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The fluohmic process is a third process for manufacturing hydrogen cyanide, which is being appHed in Spain and AustraUa. This process involves the reaction of ammonia with a hydrocarbon, usually propane or butane, in a fluidized bed of coke particles. The endothermic heat of reaction is suppHed electrically through electrodes immersed in the fluid bed. Yields from propane and ammonia are reportedly above 85% and the waste gas is essentially hydrogen, but the costs for electricity are high. Thus this process is appHcable only when there is an inexpensive source of power. 

Plants for the production of sodium cyanide from Andmssow process or from acrylonitrile synthesis by-product hydrogen cyanide are operating in the United States, Italy, Japan, the UK, and AustraUa. In Germany, sodium cyanide is produced from BMA hydrogen cyanide, and in AustraUa one plant uses Fluohmic process hydrogen cyanide. 

Six processes are presently of economic significance the Andrussow process is currently the principal HCN manufacturing process in the world, the BMA process is practiced by two companies and provides high yield and selectivity by using a complex reaction system, the Fluohmic process is of interest in locations where electricity is inexpensive, the formamide process is useful for sites with inexpensive carbon monoxide, the BP (British Petroleum) acrylonitrile process produces HCN as a byproduct, and the methanol process. 

Fluohmic Process. The Fluohmic process was developed around 1960 by Shawinigan Chemicals of Canada. This process involves the reaction of ammonia with hydrocarbons (usually propane or butane) in an electrically heated, fluidized bed of coke. The reaction is ... 

Degussa Fluohmic process this is a variant of the above, which employs propane as... 

In HCN production, this question is even more complex because a third process called the Fluohmic process can be used to produce HCN via another reaction ... 

This process is rarely used, because it requires more electricity to run the reactor. But we could certainly ask why this is so. We should also note one additional method by which HCN is produced commercially. Much like the hydrogen generated in the BMA or Fluohmic processes, HCN is a recoverable byproduct in the process used to make acrylonitrile. In that case, the side-reaction (a reaction that produces something other than the desired product) is... 

Being able to write an expression relating equilibrium concentrations in chemical reactions provides a powerful tool for understanding chemical equilibrium. We will soon see how to evaluate these expressions for several classes of reactions. But first, let s look at what we can learn from the numerical values of equilibrium constants. For example, we could ask the question, Which reaction is more likely to produce hydrogen gas at relatively low temperature—the BMA process or the Fluohmic process How can we use the equilibrium constants for these reactions to find the answer ... 

In 1963, Jenks and Shepard of Du Pont reported that, by preheating the feed gases to 505°C (vs. 95°C conventional), the HCN concentration in the crude can be increased to 10 to 15 percent with an improved ammonia yield. Even with this improvement, the HCN concentration in the crude still is substantially below that of the BMA and Fluohmic processes. 

Fluohmic Process. This process was developed in the early 1960s by Shawinigan Chemicals. The reaction involves ... 

The Shawinigan process uses a unique reactor system (36,37). The heart of the process is the fluohmic furnace, a fluidized bed of carbon heated to 1350—1650°C by passing an electric current between carbon electrodes immersed in the bed. Feed gas is ammonia and a hydrocarbon, preferably propane. High yield and high concentration of hydrogen cyanide in the off gas are achieved. This process is presently practiced in Spain, AustraUa, and South Africa. 

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