Chemical Engineering Science, 1965, Vol. 20, pp. 281-292. Pergamon Press Ltd., Oxford.

Printed in Great Britain.

Steady-state simulation of an ammonia synthesis converter

R. F. BADDOUR,
Department

P. L. T. BRIAN,B. A. L~~E.-wJ,
and 1. P. EYMERY

of Chemical Engineering,

Massachusetts

Institute of Technology

(Received in revised form 28 September 1964)

Abstract-A
simple one-dimensional model of a T.V.A. ammonia synthesis converter approximates
closely the ammonia production rate and the catalyst bed temperature profile of an industrial reactor.
Using this simulation, the effects of space velocity, feed gas ammonia and inert contents, reactor
heat conductance, and catalyst activity upon reactor stability, ammonia production rate, and catalyst
bed temperature profile have been determined.

THE AMMONIAsynthesis as it is performed in a

Haber-Bosch reactor belongs to the category of
autothermic processes. This term has been introduced by VAN HEERDEN[l] to describe an exothermic chemical reaction for which the temperature
is maintained by the heat of reaction alone. In
order to achieve this condition, gas flow and heat
exchange are arranged to reduce the increase in
temperature associated with the exothermic reaction and to suppress the need for an external
source of heat once the reaction is started. The
Tennessee Valley Authority reactor (T.V.A. reactor), which is a particular design of the HaberBosch reactor, has been described elsewhere [2,3,4,]
and a simplified diagram of it is shown in Fig. 1.
In the catalyst section the preheated gas flows up
inside a large number of small tubes. There it
absorbs part of the heat generated by the chemical
reaction on the catalyst. At the top of the reactor
(C) the synthesis gas, now brought to a sufficient
temperature, reverses its direction and flows down
the catalyst bed where the reaction occurs.
The operating characteristics of a T.V.A. reactor
have been described by SLACK, ALLGOOD and
MAW [4]. The process variables they reported
are: temperature of the feed, pressure, space
velocity (equivalent to the feed rate of gas), ammonia and inert content of the feed gas, and
hydrogen to nitrogen ratio in the feed. They
reported the existence of an optimum feed temperature, which maximizes the production of ammonia
and the existence for each condition of operation
of a maximum in the temperature profile, called

the hot spot or peak temperature. Both the

optimum feed temperature and the hot spot
temperature were found to vary with the process
variables and the catalyst activity. SLACK, ALLGOODand MAUNE [4] reported that as the space
velocity increases the stability of the reactor
decreases. The reactor tends to blow off, causing
the temperature and the ammonia mole fraction
to decrease monotonically.
As the catalyst ages

281

SHELL COOLING
GASES
F

.c
CATALYST
CATALYST
BED
SECTlON
-G
-D
HEAT

-B

Es%FR

GASES

ENTRANCE
BY PASS
INLET

FIG. 1. Simplified diagram of a T.V.A. reactor.

R. F. BAJXXXJR,
P. L. T. BRIAN,B. A. LOGEAIS and J. P. EYMERY
an increase in the average feed temperature is
necessary to avoid instability and keep the ammonia production up.
To investigate the steady state behavior of such
a reactor, VAN HEERDEN[l], ANNABLE[5], BEUTLER
and ROBERTS [6], and KJAER [7] have derived
mathematical models of Haber-Bosch type reactors.
VAN HEERDEN,ANNABLE,BEUTLERand ROBERTS
derived one-dimensional
models allowing for
temperature and composition variations in the
longitudinal direction only. Even though their
results approximated experimental results, none
investigated the effect of operating and design
variables on the production, stability and temperature profiles in the reactor. KJAERSmodel took
into account the variations in temperature in both
the longitudinal and radial directions. His mathematical model consisted of three partial differential
equations which were solved by hand computation
using a double step integration technique, The
temperature and composition profiles in the reactor
were computed for only one set of operating conditions. The agreement of the computed production
rate and average bed temperatures with plant data
was very good. However, the KJAERmodel could
not explain the radial temperature gradient reported by SLACK,ALLGOODand MAUNE. KJAER gave
a qualitative explanation of this discrepancy based
on the location of the various thermocouple wells
with respect to the cooling tubes in the catalyst
bed. The work already published on the T.V.A.
reactor still leaves the following important areas
to be investigated. The effect of operating and
design variables on:
(1) the optimum feed temperature,
(2) the stability of the reactor,
(3) the temperature profiles in the reactor.
This information is necessary to determine the
conditions of maximum production. The objective
of this paper is to present the results of calculations
using a computer simulation of a T.V.A. reactor.
The operating variables investigated were : space
velocity, ammonia and inert content of the feed,
and catalyst activity. The design variable was the
heat conductance per unit volume of reactor
between the reacting gas and the gas in the cooling
tube. The pressure was kept constant, and the
hydrogen to nitrogen ratio was equal to 3.0.

Table 1. Parameters and their range of variation

Lower
Upper
limit Standard limit
SpaceVelocity, VO
Ammonia mole fraction in
the feed, y*
Inert mole fraction in
the feed, ant
Catalyst activity,f
Total heat conductance,US

9000

13,800 18,000

0.01

0.05

0.10

0.08
0.0
0.4
.
30,000 :&IO

0.15

investigated

appears

The range of parameters

in Table 1.

&IOO

MATHEMATICAL
MODEL

282

A one-dimensional model was used, neglecting

the temperature and concentration gradients in
the radial direction. The temperature of the gas
flowing through the catalyst at each location was
assumed equal to the temperature of the catalyst
particles. With these assumptions the T.V.A.
reactor can be lumped radially into two sections
as shown in Fig. 2. The empty tube section represents the gas inside the cooling tubes, and the
catalyst section includes the catalyst particles and
the gas flowing through them. The temperatures
TT and I, vary longitudinally in both sections.
The reaction rate expression used is that of TEMKIN and PYZHEV [S] with constants obtained by
TTOP

CATALYST
SECTON

EMPTY

TUBE

sEcnm

Tc

TT

l--L
1 I
TINLET

FIG. 2. Lumpedmodelof T.V.A. reactor

Steady-state simulation of an ammonia synthesis converter

fitting [3] this expression to SmOROV'Sexperimental
results[9] measured at the same pressure (300 atm)
and over the same range of temperature and space
velocities considered in this investigation. In this
equation the ?eaction rate is a unique function of
temperature and gas composition, neglecting mass
transfer and pore diffusional resistances.
In this model, both heat and mass diffusion in
the longitudinal direction have been neglected.
It was also assumed that the heat capacity of the
gas is independent of temperature and that the
effect of pressure on enthalpy is negligible. The
pressure drop along the reactor was neglected.
The validity of the major assumptions will be discussed in a later section.
A material balance written around a differential
slice of the catalyst section and enthalpy balances
in the empty tube section and in the catalyst
section completely characterize the steady state
behavior of the T.V.A. reactor with the assumptions presented before. These three equations are
presented in dimensionless form.
(a) Material balance

In equations (1), (2), and (3) the temperature is

normalized with respect to the temperature at
the top of the reactor where the gas reverses its
direction to enter the catalyst section.
The boundary conditions associated with this
mathematical model are specified at the top of
the reactor by

Atg=O,

To=l,

Tr=l,

y=y*

(4)

The numerical values of thermodynamic constants

in the dimensionless groups are reported in Table 2.

Solution of the mathematical model

This system of ordinary differential equations
was solved on an I.B.M. 704 digital computer
using the Runge Kutta formulas. The details of the
computation are in reference [3]. Increment
sizes used in the computation were:
A~=0.05
A~=0.1

for
for

0<ct<0.5
0.5<~<1

Comparison of the model with actual plant data.

fA

m =

d~

exp

-20,300
~

X {[ (K~P)2'~(~ -- y)1.5(c~ _ y)
Y

:.l (1 + Y) t
(a~ - y ) 1 5 ]

(1)

1 + y* J

(b) Energy balance in the empty tube section

dTr

/ US \ / A C \ T.

(e) Energy balance in the catalyst section

[1

The model was checked with plant data provided byALLGOOD [10]. These results were obtained
in a converter 17ft long containing 144 ft a of
catalyst. The operating variables used in the
model and in the plant are reported in Table 3.
In comparing the model with the actual converter,
an attempt was made to reproduce the south
thermocouple profile and to obtain the same rate
of ammonia production. By trial and error, a
value of heat transfer conductance, US, equal to
55,000 Btu/(hr) (F) was found to give the best fit
between the temperature profiles. This is in agreement with calculations of the overall heat transfer

(AC~(y - y*~] dTc +

Table 2. Thermodynamic Constants

-- [ C p o ] \ 1 + y / J
+

A Ho = - 19,870 Btu/Ib mole

I US \ / A C \ T
r(-AHo)

-L

Component

Heat CapacityBtu/(lb mole)(F)

Ha
Ns
NHa
Inerts
AC

7"19
7"20
11.12
6.67
3"26

-- T~AC

y*,,dy,
283

R. F. BADDOUII,P. L. T. BRIAN,B. A. LOGEAISand J. P. KYMERY

top

REACTOR

FIG.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Before discussing the agreement between the

computed and the experimental results, each of
the major assumptions made about the model will
be considered. As mentioned previously, ~AER [71
explained qualitatively the difference between the
temperatures reported by the center thermocouple
and by the outer thermocouple as due to the relative positions of the thermocouple wells and the
cooling tubes. As shown in Fig. 4, the center
thermocouple well replaces a cooling tube, while
each of the off-center wells is located in the middle

Operating Conditioh
Actual

Parameter
HB

Mole fraction in feed

Na Mole fraction in feed
NHs Mole fraction in feed
Inert Mole fraction in feed
Space velocity, (hr)-l
Pressure, atm
Catalyst volume, ft8

bottom

3. Typical temperature profiles.

coefficient which yielded a value of 57,300 Btu/(hr)

(F) for US. The calculated ammonia production
rate of 142 tons/day was 19 % higher than the plant
value. This discrepancy is discussed later.
Table 3.

LENGTH, (ft )

Converter

Model

0.65
0.219
O-052
0.079
13,800
286
144

O-6375
O-2125
0.050
O-08
13,800
300
144

COOLING
0

The temperature profiles are shown in Fig. 3.

At the outlet of the converter the model temperature is 12C higher than the plant outlet temperature; the hot point for the model is 1 ft lower
and the maximum temperature is 4C. higher than
in the plant reactor. Figure 3 also indicates the
computed temperature profile inside the tubes
where the synthesis gases are heated from 228C
to 421C. No experimental data are available for
comparison with these temperatures.
284

OUTER

FIG. 4.

TUBES

THERMOCOUPLE

WELL

THERMCCOlJP,_E

Thermocouple arrangement.

Steady-state simulation of an ammonia synthesis converter

of the equilateral triangle formed by 3 cooling

tubes. The same hexagonal area (hatched area on
Fig. 4) is cooled by two cooling tubes in the case
of the center thermocouple and by three cooling
tubes in the case of the off-center thermocouple.
For this reason the measured center temperature
prolYe should correspond approximately to a heat
transfer area decreased by one third, i.e., to a value
of US equal to 37,000.
In order to examine this explanation, the effect
of heat conductance on the temperature profile
was computed, and the results are shown in Fig. 5.
It can be seen that a conductance of 55,000 gives a
good fit with the profiles measured by the south
and north thermocouples when the experimentally
determined top temperature is used for each profile.
On the other hand, a conductance of 37,000 is
the value which gives a good fit with the center
thermocouple experimental temperature profile.
The results in Fig. 5 show that the difference in
area available for heat transfer accounts quantitatively for the higher readings of the center thermocouple as reported by SLACK,ALLGWD and MAUNE
[4]. Thus the computations performed by KJAER
appear to be reasonable, and they support the
choice of a one-dimensional model.
The difference in temperature
between the
catalyst particle and the gas flowing past it has
been estimated by KJAER [7] and EYMERY[2] for
the synthesis of ammonia using the same type
of catalyst. The maximum temperature difference

has been computed to be 2~3C at the top of the

reactor where the rate of reaction is a maximum.
This difference decreases as the gas proceeds
down the reactor to a value of 0.6C. near the
middle and 0.4C. at the outlet. These small
temperature differences justify the assumption that
the particle temperature is equal to the temperature
of the gas with which it is in contact.
The effect of longitudinal diffusion of enthalpy
in the T.V.A. reactor has been estimated by
EYMERY [2].A mathematical model taking into
account the axial diffusion of enthalpy by Taylor
diffusion has been derived and solved on a digital
computer. The inclusion of the longitudinal dispersion term altered the steady-state temperature
profile by less than 0.6C. This effect is considered to be negligibly small.
In addition to the assumptions discussed above,
the catalyst activity was assumed to be uniform
and constant with time. When a catalyst activity
factor of O-7 was used, the plant production of
120 tons/day could be obtained but with a temperature profile unlike any of those measured.
Finally, the converter was operated at a lower
pressure than that used for the model, and the
hydrogen-nitrogen
ratio in the plant was not
exactly 3. Because of both these factors, the
model should give a higher production rate. Also,
the data used in the rate expression were taken
from Russian experiments made using a catalyst
different from that in the T.V.A. reactor.

-----

0
top

MODEL
PLANT DATA

IO

REACTOR L~~oTH,

(ft 1

I5
bottom

Fm, 5. Comparison of mode.1with plant operation

Y. = 13,800,y* = 0.05, y; = O-08,f = I.
285

R. F. BADDOUR,P. L. T. BRIAN, B. A. LOGEAISand J. P. BYMERY

Existence of Several Steady States

225

2001
300

I
400
TOP

FIG. 6.

TEMPERATURE,

I
500

(C)

Relationship between inlet and top temperatures.

In view of these differences, agreement between

actual and calculated production rates within
20 % corresponds to a reasonable fit. Furthermore,
it is possible to explain the difference between
measured and calculated profiles in the upper part
of the converter in terms of a decrease in catalyst
activity in that region. For the first 3ft of reactor
length the experimental curves in Fig. 3 correspond
to computed curves for a catalyst activity reduced
by about 50%. For the next 3ft the temperature
rise in the actual converter is faster than in the
model, but this might be explained by the fact
that the gas mixture entering this section is farther
away from equilibrium because of the lower
catalyst activity in the upper part of the bed.
Thus, while the proposed model is only an
approximation to the actual reactor, it appears
to give a fairly good prediction of the ammonia
production rate and the catalyst bed temperature
profile. The results obtained from this model
concerning the effects of operating and design
variables on production, stability and temperature
profiles in a T.V.A. reactor are considered to be
reliable.

For the operating conditions in Table 3, Fig. 6

presents the relationship between the top tempcrature (computed at location C in Fig. 1) and the
inlet temperature (location G). Figure 6 shows that
there is a minimum inlet temperature called
blow-out feed temperature below which stable
operation of the reactor is not possible. For each
inlet temperature higher than the blow-out feed
temperature there are two top temperatures, an
example of which is shown by the upper dotted
line in Fig. 6. Likewise there are two different
temperature and composition profiles which satisfy
the steady state equations and which correspond to
the same value of the inlet temperature.
VAN
HIZERDEN [I] explained that the lower of the two
top temperatures corresponds to an unstable point.
Although the steady state equations are satisfied
at this point, a small perturbation would result in
either reactor blow-out or reactor heat-up and
change-over to the stable operating point for that
inlet temperature. Thus in Fig. 6 only the branch
of the curve to the right of the minimum corresponds to stable operation of the reactor.
Efects of parameters on production

The effect of top temperature on ammonia production rate is shown in Fig. 7. The middle curve
corresponds to the standard conditions of operation with a space velocity of 13,800. Figure 7 reveals
the existence of an optimum top temperature equal
to 425C for the standard conditions of operation.
As space velocity is varied, the optimum top
temperature changes as shown in Fig. 7. When
the space velocity increases from 9,000 to 18,000,
production rate increases as expected, but the
production rate near the maximum becomes more
and more sensitive to a change in the top temperature. A deviation from the optimum top temperature affects the production rate more strongly at
higher space velocity.
An analogous result is found when the ammonia
content of the feed gas decreases. The production
rate of the T.V.A. reactor is quite sensitive to
changes in ammonia mole fraction in the feed gas
but much less sensitive to changes in the inert
content of the feed gas. A decrease in catalyst

286

Steady-state simulation of an ammonia synthesis converter

activity decreases the production rate and requires

that the reactor be operated at higher temperatures.
Furthermore, at low catalyst activity, the production rate is more sensitive to changes in top temperature. The heat conductance has been found to
have a small effect on production. Although there
is a value which maximizes the production
(US = 60,000), the maximum is very flat.
Figure 8 presents the effects of the parameters on
the maximum production rate. For each set of
parameters the converter is operating at the optimum top temperature.
Around the reference
conditions the changes in operating variables
reported in Table 4 result in a decrease in production rate by 5 tons/day.

FIG.

Efects of parameters on stability

350

400

450

TOP

TEhtPEFfATLRE,

(=C)

It was shown previously that for each set of

parameters there is a minimum inlet temperature
below which the reactor cannot be operated. On
Fig. 9 the relationship between the top and the
inlet temperatures is shown for three values of the

7. Effect of top temperature on production rate

y* = O-05, g = 0.08, f= 1.0.

11

11

11

l0,000
,

15,000
I,

81

0.05
I$,,

Y;

,,,II,llllllll

0.05

0.5
I

I
3QOoO

I,

0.10
t

1.0 1

50,000

0.15

f
I

I,
l30,ooo

FIG. 8. Effect of parameters on maximum production rate.

287

Y'

0.10

US

R. F. BADDOUR,P. L. T. BRIAN,B. A. LOGEAIS

and J. P. EYMERY
400

I
v.

= SWCE

Table 5.

+lOC

VELOCITY

Changes in parameters resulting in a

change in the blow-ofl inlet temperature

Operating variable

Space velocity, VO
Ammonia mole fraction, y*
Inert mole fraction, yc*
Catalyst activity, f

50[
300

TOP

FIG. 9.

500

450

350

TEMPERATURE

550

(C)

Effect of space velocity on stability.

Table 4. Changes in operating variables resulting in

a 5 tons/day decrease in production rate

Reference
value
13,800
0.05
0.08
1.0

Change

+600
+oGN3
$0.024
-0.05

The stability of the reactor can also be expressed

in terms of changes of the top temperature corresponding to the blow-off inlet temperature. Figure 11
shows the effects of these same parameters on the
blow-off top temperature.
It can be seen that
while the effect of space velocity and ammonia
mole fraction on the blow-off inlet temperature is
relatively large, the corresponding effect on the
blow-off top temperature is much smaller. On
the other hand the catalyst activity a&&s the blowoff top temperature more strongly. The heat
transfer coefficient per unit volume affects the blowoff inlet and top temperatures in opposite directions:
an increase in heat transfer coefficient allows a
lower blow-off inlet temperature but increases the
blow-off top temperature.
Eflect of parameters on temperature profire

Operating variable

Space velocity, VO.

Ammonia mole fraction, y*
Inert mole fraction, yr
Catalyst activity, f

Reference
value
13,800
0.05
0.08
1.0

Change

-700
+0.01x
+0.02x
-10%

space velocity V,. The blow-off inlet temperature

corresponds to the minimum of the curve, and
this temperature can be seen to increase as the
space velocity increases. Figure 10 presents the
effects of the parameters upon the blow-off inlet temperature. Increasing the ammonia or the inert mole
fraction in the feed increases the blow-off inlet
temperature. Increasing the catalyst activity or the
heat transfer conductance decreases the blow-off
inlet temperature.
The changes in operating
variables reported in Table 5 result in a 10C
increase in the blow-off inlet temperature around
the reference condition.

Rather than study the effects of the various

parameters for a fixed value of the inlet temperature, the catalyst bed temperature profile corresponding to each set of operating conditions has
been computed for the inlet temperature which
maximizes the ammonia production rate. These
proties are presented in reference [3]; they will be
described qualitatively here.
An increase in space velocity shifts the hot spot
downward with only a small increase in the hot
spot temperature. A larger increase in the outlet
temperature results, and the average temperature
of the bed increases. The amount of ammonia
in the feed gas influences greatly the location and
the magnitude of the hot spot. As the ammonia
mole fraction in the feed increases, the profile
becomes flatter, the hot spot shifting downstream
and becoming cooler. The average temperature of
the bed remains approximately constant. A variation in inert content of the feed gas has little effect

288

Steady-state simulation of an ammonia synthesis converter

I_

100 -

01
YK
Y;

III!

US

I
05
I,
30.000

0.05

I
54000

,!!I

IIII

0.05

0.10

III)

"0

Y'
Y;

0.15

0.10
{
1.0
I

15,000

0
f

10,000

f
I

I
00,000

us

FIG. 10. Effect of parameters on blow-off inlet temperature.

0
Y-

I-
0.05
0

Y;

0.15

0.10

I
30,000

II

11
00,000

50,000

FIG. 11. Effect of parameters on blow-off top temperature.

289

us

R. F. BADDOUR, P. L. T. BRIAN, B. A. LOOEAIS

and J. P. EYMERY

I
l0,000

0
YS

Yi*

CO

f.

II
I
II
15,000
I
I
I
I
1
I
I
I
0.10
0.05
, I I I I I IS
I I I I f I I1
11
0.15
0.05
0.10

0.5

us 30,000

50,000

"0

Y
y;
f

I
I.o
I

11

us

80,000

FIG. 12. Effect of parameters on peak temperature.

bottom

I,

I
0.05

IO
I,

I I I I ,,,I
0.05

0
I

0.5
I
I
30,000

FIG. 13.

II,,,

10,000

15,000
I
I

I I I I I I

I
0.10
I

0.15

0.10

1.0
I
*
50,000

Yi*
f

80,OO

Effect of parameters on hot spot location.

290

Y'

Us

Steady-state

simulation

of an ammonia synthesis converter

on the temperature profile; the hot spot does

not move and its temperature varies little. A
decrease in the activity of the catalyst results in
an increase in the temperature at every location
in the catalyst bed. The heat transfer coefficient
per unit volume affects both the location and the
magnitude of the hot spot, but the average bed
temperature does not vary very much. High
values of the heat transfer coefficient give higher
hot spot temperatures located nearer the top of
the reactor. The effects of the parameters on the
magnitude and the location of the hot spot are
presented graphically in Figs. 12 and 13.
CONCLUSIONS

A simple mathematical model of a T.V.A.

ammonia synthesis reactor has been developed
which approximates within 15 to 20% the temperature profiles and the ammonia production rates
of an industrial reactor. With this model the
effects of design and operating parameters upon
reactor stability, ammonia production rate, and
catalyst bed temperature profile have been studied.
It has been shown that an increase in space
velocity increases ammonia production rate but
decreases reactor stability and requires that the
converter be operated at a higher temperature
level. Any increase in ammonia or inert content
of the feed gas was found to decrease both production rate and stability but not to affect the averaverage temperature of the bed. The use of a less
active catalyst was shown to decrease both production rate and stability and to necessitate operation at a higher temperature level. The heat transfer
coefficient per unit volume of catalyst was found
to have a small effect on the production rate and
the average bed temperature but a marked influence
on stability, a high coefficient increasing stability
and lowering the inlet temperature of the reactor.
The optimum temperature profiles were found to
be relatively insensitive to operating parameter
variations. However, the use of a high coefficient

291

of heat transfer increased local overheating of

the catalyst.
The reactor was shown to be sensitive to changes
in the operating parameters. Since under most
conditions the difference between the optimum
feed temperature and the blow off feed temperature is very small (5C or less), the stability problems associated with small perturbations in the
feed condition should be investigated from a
dynamic point of view. The results of such an
investigation appear in an accompanying paper.
machine computations
were performed at the Massachusetts
Institute
of Technology
Computation Center. H. Y. ALLGOOD supplied the operating
data, for which the authors are appreciative.
Acknowledgement-The

NOMENCLATURE
(359) (1.75 x 1016) (P-0.5)
(1.5 (Y$,

Yl*,2)1.5(03 +

Y;,)/(i

+ y*)2,5

1*5y*)l(1*5 - Y * a)
(YNa) + @5Y*)/(@5 - YN2)
molal heat capacity of the feed gas, Btu/(lb mole)
(F)
(1 + Y*)l(1*5 - Y&P5
molal feed rate
lb mole/hr
catalyst activity factor
equilibrium constant
(atm)-1
length of reactor
ft
total pressure
atm.
total heat transfer area
fP
top temperature
R
catalyst temperature
R
empty tube section temperature,
R
base temperature for enthalpy datum = 537R
normalized catalyst temperature
TCP&p
normalized empty tube section temperature T$/T&,,
normalized base temperature
T,*I%,
heat transfer coefficient
Btu/(hr)(ftz)(F)
space velocity = (359)(F)/v
W-1
reactor volume
fts
ammonia mole fraction
NHa mole fraction in the feed gas
Ha mole fraction in the feed gas
N2 mole fraction in the feed gas
inerts mole fraction in the feed
distance from the top of the reactor, ft
normalized distance = z/L
decrease in heat capacity resulting from the formation
of one mole of ammonia
Btu/(lb mole)(oF)
heat of formation of ammonia
Btu/lb mole

R. F. BADDOUR,
P. L. T. BRIAN,B. A. LOGEAISand J. P. EYMERY
&iFERENCES
VAN HEERDENC., Zndustr. Engng. Chem.,
EYMERYJ. P., Clrem. Engng. Sc.D. thesis,

45, 1242, 1953.

M.I.T., 1964.
LOOEAIS
B., Chem. Engw. M.S. thesis, M.I.T., 1959.
SLACKA. V., ALLGOOD
N. Y. and MAIJNEH. E., Chem. Engng. Progr., 49, 393, 1953.
ANNABLE D., Chem. Engng. Sci., 1, 145, 1952.
BEU~SR, J. A. and ROBWTS,J. B., Chem. Engng. Progr., 52,69, 1956.
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[l]
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[5]
[6]
[7j

RtiLEn
se basant sur un modele uni-dimensionnel du r&acteur T.V.A. pour la synth&se de
lammoniaque on a calcule leffet de la v&cite spatiale, de la composition de lalimentation, de la conductibilit6 thermique du lit et de lactivite du catalyseur sur la stabilitt du reacteur, la production et
les profils de temperature.

292