Nitrogen process for production of ammonia and liquid hydrogen

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11834333-B2
Application number	US-202117236751-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2021
Priority date	Apr 22, 2020
Publication date	Dec 5, 2023
Grant date	Dec 5, 2023

Abstract

A method of co-producing liquid hydrogen and ammonia, including a hydrogen generator, a nitrogen generator, and a HLU is presented. The method includes pressurizing a hydrogen stream from the hydrogen generator in a hydrogen compressor, dividing the pressurized hydrogen into at least a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion includes at least part of the flow of a first refrigeration cycle in the HLU, and the second part comprises at least part of the feed to an ammonia plant. The method also includes pressurizing a nitrogen stream from the nitrogen generator in a HP nitrogen compressor, dividing the pressurized nitrogen stream into at least a first part and a second part, wherein the first part comprises at least part of the flow of a second refrigeration cycle in the HLU, and the second part comprises at least part of the feed to the ammonia plant.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of co-producing liquid hydrogen and ammonia, comprising a hydrogen generator, a nitrogen generator, and a hydrogen liquefaction unit, the method comprising:
pressurizing a hydrogen stream from the hydrogen generator in a high-pressure hydrogen compressor, dividing the pressurized hydrogen stream into at least a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion comprises at least part of the flow of a first refrigeration cycle in the hydrogen liquefaction unit, and the second part comprises at least part of the feed to an ammonia plant, and
pressurizing a nitrogen stream from the nitrogen generator in a high-pressure nitrogen compressor, dividing the pressurized nitrogen stream into at least a first part and a second part, wherein the first part comprises at least part of the flow of a second refrigeration cycle in the hydrogen liquefaction unit, and the second part comprises at least part of the feed to the ammonia plant.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the high-pressure nitrogen compressor has an inlet pressure and the inlet pressure is between 5 bara and 15 bara.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the inlet pressure is between 8 bara and 12 bara.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the high-pressure nitrogen compressor has an outlet pressure, and the outlet pressure is between 40 bara and 90 bara.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the outlet pressure is between 60 bara and 70 bara.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen liquefaction unit comprises at least two expansion turbines in parallel.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen liquefaction unit comprises at least one nitrogen turbine.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the hydrogen liquefaction unit comprise two or more nitrogen turbine in parallel.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the hydrogen liquefaction unit comprise two or more nitrogen turbine in series.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen liquefaction unit comprises a low-pressure flash drum, thereby providing additional refrigeration.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen generator comprises a steam methane reformer, wherein the steam methane reformer comprises a process feed stream, wherein the nitrogen generator comprises a distillation column producing the nitrogen stream and an oxygen enriched stream, and wherein at least a portion of the oxygen enriched stream is combined with the process feed stream of the steam methane reformer.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen generator comprises a steam methane reformer, wherein the steam methane reformer comprises a fuel feed stream, wherein the nitrogen generator comprises a distillation column producing the nitrogen stream and an oxygen enriched stream, and wherein at least a portion of the oxygen enriched stream is combined with the fuel feed stream of the steam methane reformer.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the oxygen enriched stream comprises between 21 mol % and 40 mol % oxygen.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the oxygen enriched stream comprises between 23 mol % and 30 mol % oxygen.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the oxygen enriched stream comprises between 21 mol % and 40 mol % oxygen.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the oxygen enriched stream comprises between 23 mol % and 30 mol % oxygen.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising an ammonia reactor, wherein the ammonia reactor produces a first volume flowrate, the hydrogen liquefaction unit produces a second volume flowrate, and the ratio of the first volume flowrate to the second volume flowrate is between 4.0 and 15.0.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the ratio of the first volume flowrate to the second volume flowrate is between 6.0 and 12.0.

19. A method of co-producing liquid hydrogen and ammonia, comprising a hydrogen generator, a nitrogen generator, and a hydrogen liquefaction unit, the method comprising:
pressurizing a hydrogen stream from the hydrogen generator in a high-pressure hydrogen compressor, dividing the pressurized hydrogen stream into at least a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion comprises at least part of the flow of a first refrigeration cycle in the hydrogen liquefaction unit, and the second part comprises at least part of the feed to an ammonia plant, and
pressurizing a nitrogen stream from the nitrogen generator in a high-pressure nitrogen compressor, dividing the pressurized nitrogen stream into at least a first part and a second part, wherein the first part comprises at least part of the flow of a second refrigeration cycle in the hydrogen liquefaction unit, and the second part comprises at least part of the feed to the ammonia plant, and
an ammonia reactor,

wherein the ammonia reactor produces a first volume flowrate, the hydrogen liquefaction unit produces a second volume flowrate, and the ratio of the first volume flowrate to the second volume flowrate is between 4.0 and 15.0, and
wherein the hydrogen generator comprises a steam methane reformer, wherein the steam methane reformer comprises a process feed stream, wherein the nitrogen generator comprises a distillation column producing the nitrogen stream and an oxygen enriched stream, and wherein at least a portion of the oxygen enriched stream is combined with the process feed stream of the steam methane reformer.

20. A method of co-producing liquid hydrogen and ammonia, comprising a hydrogen generator, a nitrogen generator, and a hydrogen liquefaction unit, the method comprising:
pressurizing a hydrogen stream from the hydrogen generator in a high-pressure hydrogen compressor, dividing the pressurized hydrogen stream into at least a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion comprises at least part of the flow of a first refrigeration cycle in the hydrogen liquefaction unit, and the second part comprises at least part of the feed to an ammonia plant, and
pressurizing a nitrogen stream from the nitrogen generator in a high-pressure nitrogen compressor, dividing the pressurized nitrogen stream into at least a first part and a second part, wherein the first part comprises at least part of the flow of a second refrigeration cycle in the hydrogen liquefaction unit, and the second part comprises at least part of the feed to the ammonia plant, and
an ammonia reactor,

wherein the ammonia reactor produces a first volume flowrate, the hydrogen liquefaction unit produces a second volume flowrate, and the ratio of the first volume flowrate to the second volume flowrate is between 4.0 and 15.0, and
wherein the hydrogen generator comprises a steam methane reformer, wherein the steam methane reformer comprises a fuel feed stream, wherein the nitrogen generator comprises a distillation column producing the nitrogen stream and an oxygen enriched stream, and wherein at least a portion of the oxygen enriched stream is combined with the fuel feed stream of the steam methane reformer.

Assignees

• Air Liquide
• Lair Liquide Sa Pour Letude Et Lexploitation Procedes Georges Claude

Inventors

• Turney Michael A
• Guillard Alain
• Stroffolino Iv Joseph T

Classifications

• C01B3/025 Primary

  Preparation or purification of gas mixtures for ammonia synthesis · CPC title

• C01C1/0423

  Cold wall reactors · CPC title

• F25J1/0015

  Nitrogen · CPC title

• F25J1/0035

  by gas expansion with extraction of work · CPC title

• C01B2203/0233

  the reforming step being a steam reforming step · CPC title