Increased Ammonia Production by Steam Reforming

Since 1945 the capacity of ammonia plants has grown to more than 2000 tonnes per day and the operating pressure of the steam reformer has been increased from atmospheric to about 30-40 atmospheres. 

The more severe process conditions that were being developed imposed greater stresses, both physical and chemical, on the catalysts and the economic penalty of premature catalyst failure required that catalyst rehabiUty was of paramount importance in successful plant operation. Improvements in the testing of catalysts was needed to provide a better imderstanding of the various modes of catalyst failure, to meet the exacting standards now required by the users. 

The major process changes and the new catalyst types which have been introduced since 1920 are listed in Table 9.2. Relatively slow technical developments from 1920 up to about 1950 correspond to the period when coal was the source of synthesis gas. Rapid changes between 1950 and 1970 reflect the expansion of the fertilizer and chemical industries as erode oil, natural gas, and petrochemicals became so important. Increasing the level of fertilizer production from natural gas was just as crucial as the new range of petrochemical products supporting the tremendous increase in world population. 

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