Production of ammonium nitrate

It is prepared by the neutralization of pre-heated nitric acid (from ammonia) with ammonia in a continuous reactor. 

In the continuous reactor concentration to 10% of water is achieved, further concentration (8% water) being obtained by use of a falling film evaporator. The ammonium nitrate melt is passed down a cooling tower (prilling tower) up through which cold air is passed. The solidified NH4NO3 can be bagged at the bottom of the tower. 

Ammonium nitrate is potentially hazardous as it can decompose explosively to form nitrogen, oxygen and water. 

To avoid this the following precautions are taken in the neutralization process  

The apparatus is well ventilated to prevent a pressure build up 

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Uses of Nitric Acid. The primary use of nitric acid is for the production of ammonium nitrate for fertilizers. A second major use of nitric acid is in the field of explosives. It is also a nitrating agent for aromatic and paraffinic compounds, which are useful intermediates in the dye and explosive industries. It is also used in steel refining and in uranium extraction. 

Recent years, the authors have innovatively proposed a method by using the aqueous ammonia liquor containing hexamine cobalt (II) complex to scrub the NO-containing flue gases[6-9], since several merits of this complex have been exploited such as (1) activation of atmospheric O2 to a peroxide to accelerate the O2 solubility, (2) coordination of NO, as NO is a stronger ligand than NH3 and H2O of Co( II) complexes to enhance the NO absorption and (3), catalysis of NO oxidation to further improve the absorption both of O2 and NO. Thus, a valuable product of ammonium nitrate can be obtained. 

Nitric acid has a 65 25 fertilizer explosive end use ratio. The production of ammonium nitrate makes up nearly all of these two uses. The other 10% is made into miscellaneous compounds adipic acid, nitroglycerin, nitrocellulose, ammonium picrate, trinitrotoluene, nitrobenzene, silver nitrate, and various isocyanates. 

FLOW DIAGRAM FOR THE PRODUCTION OF AMMONIUM NITRATE BY THE STENGEL PROCESS (COMMERCIAL SOLVENTS)... 

Flow Diagram for Production of Ammonium Nitrate A3I6—7... 

Australia currently produces approximately 200 000 tonnes of nitric acid (100% basis) per year (Ref. MD5). It is a cyclical market that responds directly to the performance of the agricultural and mining sectors. This occurs because Australian nitric acid is used almost exclusively for the production of ammonium nitrate (a nitrogen-based fertilizer and a mining explosive). The nitric acid industry has grown from a production capacity of 32 000 tonnes in 1967 (Ref. MD1 ). During the last decade, large deviations in production levels have occurred (Refe. MD3, MD4, and MD5). The overall trend has been for a 3% increase each year. 

There are several manufacturers of nitric acid in Australia. They produce mainly for the fertilizer industry, which uses the acid for the production of ammonium nitrate and assorted nitrogenous compound fertilizers. A comprehensive list of those Australian producers is shown in Table 8.5 of Appendix B. 

As highlighted in Section 2.3.2, the major proportion of all nitric acid produced in Australia is used for the production of ammonium nitrate. Ammonium nitrate is in turn used in the agricultural industry as a fertilizer and in the mining industry as an explosive. Both of these areas have shown large demand fluctuations over the last decade. The collapse of world commodity prices, the expansion and recent decline of the agricultural sector for overseas markets, and seasonal weather variations have all had a significant impact. 

Nitric acid is produced by KNC predominantly for use as a raw material in the production of ammonium nitrate (both explosive and fertilizer grades), less than 1,000 tonnes of nitric acid is sold to outside buyers each year. 

Prilling (see also Table 7.1) Production of ammonium nitrate, urea... 

R.W.R. Carter and A.G. Roberts, The production of ammonium nitrate including handling and safety, Proc. Fertil. Soc., No. 110 (1969). 

We denote by Vr the volume of regenerant effluent recycled from one cation exchange cycle, and by Vea the volume of acid necessary for regeneration if it were used at the same concentration as in the production of ammonium nitrate or ammonium sulfate (55% for nitric acid and 98% for sulfuric acid). The acid is actually diluted twice, firstly when the regenerant solution is prepared and secondly in the resin bed by longitudinal diffusion wbich broadens the concentration profile at the front and tail. 

Table 2.2-5. Production of Ammonium Nitrate in selected European Countries in 199.5 in...

Regarding the production of ammonium nitrate by Ostwakl s process of directly oxidising the ammonia to ammonium nitrate hy catalytic platinum, the reader should see the following patents — English Patents, 698 and 8,300, 1902 7,908, 1908 American Patent, 858,904, 1907. 

Numerous attempts have been made to realise the production of ammonium nitrate from tlx-equation —... 

These grades or concentrations are used in the production of ammonium nitrate, which at present consumes some 65-75% of the total nitric acid made [44], as well as for many other minor uses. Some of these are, for example, adipic acid production (5-7%), military and industrial explosives (3-5%), isocyanates for polyurethane manufacture (1-2%), nitrobenzene (1-2%), and potassium nitrate preparation from the chloride (about 1%). Many smaller scale uses consume the remaining 10-15% of the acid produced. 

Ammonium nitrate is a raw material used in the manufacture of agricultural chemicals and explosives. The following reactions are believed to take place in the production of ammonium nitrate ... 

For the production of ammonium nitrate there are 4 absorption towers 6]/z feet square by 30 feet high, built of acid brick and filled with spiral tile, 4 coolers, 7 feet by 13 feet by 8 feet high, 4 neutralizer tanks, ii feet by 26 feet by 7 feet high 4 supply tanks ii feet diameter by lo feet... 

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