Model catalysts ammonia synthesis

Catalysis may be understood at several levels. In recent years the understanding of ammonia synthesis has been taken to the level where the high pressure reaction has been treated in terms of numerical models based on a description of the reactants at the atomic level. In the present section we will first address the questions on the nature of the catalytically active structure in the catalysts and the information on the mechanism of ammonia synthesis available from chemisorption studies. We will then describe some models of ammonia synthesis in some detail and then proceed to discuss the remaining aspects of the mechanism of ammonia synthesis based on these models. 

LEIS has been applied to study the surface composition of Co-Mo and Ni-Mo hydrodesulfurization catalysts [46-48], Fe-based Fischer-Tropsch [49] and ammonia synthesis catalysts [50], and model systems such as Pt evaporated on Ti02 [51]. The review of Horrell and Cocke [52] describes several applications. 

In comparison to most other methods in surface science, STM offers two important advantages STM gives local information on the atomic scale and it can do so in situ [51]. As STM works best on flat surfaces, applications of the technique in catalysis concern models for catalysts, with the emphasis on metal single crystals. A review by Besenbacher gives an excellent overview of the possibilities [52], Nevertheless, a few investigations on real catalysts have been reported also, for example on the iron ammonia synthesis catalyst, on which... 

Catalysts consisting of more than one component are often superior to monometallic samples. Model studies with potassium on Fe surfaces revealed, for example, the role of the electronic promoter in ammonia synthesis. A particularly remarkable case was recently reported for a surface alloy formed by Au on a Ni(lll) surface where the combination of STM... 

In 2001 Hyprotech and Synetix announced an ammonia plant simulation that can be used for modeling, on-line monitoring and optimization of the plant. The simulation includes Synetix reactor models, customized thermodynamic data and information to simulate the performance of a range of catalysts. The reactor models in the simulation include Primary and Secondary Reformers, High Temperature Shift converter, Low Temperature Shift Converter, Methanator and Ammonia Synthesis Converter80. 

An analysis of this equation shows that, as in the case of ammonia synthesis, the maximum conversion rate at any point of the reactor can only be achieved by establishing a temperature gradieiiL This must be supplemented by the analyris of the kinetics relative to the reverse reaction of CO shift conversion. The models that can be constructed on the basis of published experimental results show that, wift catalysts based on cof icr... 

For some widely practiced processes, especially in the petroleum industry, reliable and convenient computerized models are available from a number of vendors or, by license, from proprietary sources. Included are reactor-regenerator of fluid catalytic cracking, hydro-treating, hydrocracking, alkylation with HF or H2SO4, reforming with Pt or Pt-Re catalysts, tubular steam cracking of hydrocarbon fractions, noncatalytic pyrolysis to ethylene, ammonia synthesis, and other processes by suppliers of catalysts. Vendors of some process simulations are listed in the CEP Software Directory (AIChE, 1994). 

Another test of validity is to check the performance of the model against experimental rate data obtained far from equilibrium. The microkinetic model presented in Table 7.3.1 predicts within a factor of 5 the turnover frequency of ammonia synthesis on magnesia-supported iron particles at 678 K and an ammonia concentration equal to 20 percent of the equilibrium value. This level of agreement is reasonable considering that the catalyst did not contain promoters and that the site density may have been overestimated. The model in Table 7.3.1 also predicts within a factor of 5 the rate of ammonia synthesis over an Fe(lll) single crystal at 20 bar and 748 K at ammonia concentrations less than 1.5 percent of the equilibrium value. 

The ammonia synthesis reaction is one of the most studied and best understood reactions in heterogeneous catalysis, but it has been the subject of few papers involving transient methods. SSITKA experiments have been performed at 350-500°C and 204-513 kPa using a commercial Haldor-Tops0e KMIR catalyst, with iron triply promoted by AI2O3, K2O, and CaO (262). Similar studies using K-promoted Ru/Si02 have also been reported 263). The promoted Ru catalyst is much more active than Ru alone, and new, very active sites are detected on the promoted catalyst. It seems that the analysis of this type of experiment would benefit from the elementary-step approach, as exemphfied by Kao et al. 107) two kinds of sites can be included in such a model. 

The wider utilization of microkinetic models is somewhat retarded by the vast amount of information needed about interactions of chemical intermediates with complex, heterogeneous catalysts. The microkinetic approach has been applied to numerous diverse chemistries including cracking, hydrogenation, hydrogenolyis, hydrogenation, oxidation reactions and ammonia synthesis to name a few. 

The majority of catalysts are subject to deactivation, e.g. to changes (deterioration) of activity with operation time. The time scale of deactivation depends on the type of process and can vary from a few seconds, as in fluid catalytic cracking (FCC), to several years, as in, for instance, ammonia synthesis. Due to the industrial importance, the modelling of deactivation was mainly developed for heterogeneous catalysis. Although the reasons for deactivation (inactivation) of homogeneous and enzymes could differ from solid catalysts, the mathematical approach can sometimes be very similar. 

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