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Simulation of an Industrial Scale Ammonia Plant Using HYSYS

Conference Paper · January 2010

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 Proceedings of the
Conference on Engineering Research, Innovation and Education 2010
CERIE 2010, 11-13 January, Sylhet, Bangladesh

SIMULATION OF AN INDUSTRIAL SCALE AMMONIA PLANT

USING HYSYS™

Mohammad Mazharul Islam*, Md. Jasim Uddin and Dr. M A A Shoukat

Choudhury
Department of Chemical Engineering
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka-1000

A simplified simulation model of an ammonia production process has been developed using HYSYSTM.
Special attention has been given to the steady state modeling using proprietary equipment data of Haldor
Topsoe technology for ammonia process. Performance of this model has been compared with actual data
from Jamuna Fertilizer Company Ltd, a 1085 MTPD capacity ammonia plant in Bangladesh. Steady state
simulation results were within 4.4% variation from real plant data. Plant start up condition has also been
analyzed and explained. The secondary objective was to develop a dynamic model using appropriate sizing
and kinetic data. Two ratio controllers have been implemented to control the steam to carbon ratio and flow
rates of burner air to fuel natural gas ratio. Behavior of the model with change in natural gas pressure has
also been studied.

Key words: Simulation; Modeling; Ammonia; Haldor Topsoe; HYSYS

1. INTRODUCTION 2. Selection of a property package

Ammonia production process is becoming
increasingly complex with applications of new
technologies that include thermal integration,
modern process design and advanced process
control systems. This varies widely with respect to
feed purification, raw gas generation and
purification of synthesis gas. Among the existing
technologies Haldor Topsoe has been used
extensively in Bangladesh which includes a number
of process steps like feed purification, tubular
reforming, secondary reforming, CO conversion,
CO2 removal, methanation and ammonia synthesis.
HYSYSTM is a software package developed by
Hyprotech . The package combines comprehensive
data regression, thermodynamic database access
and the distillation technology to enable the design
and analysis of separation systems. The goal of
HYSYSTM is to provide the capability to design and
simulate an entire process as completely and
accurately as possible.
2. MODEL DEVELOPMENT
Development of the simulation model in HYSYS
involves the following basic steps:
1. Creating a unit set
3. Selection of the components
4. Specifying the feed streams
5. Installation of the unit operations
Peng-Robinson Equation of State was selected
because it is a reliable property package, predicting
properties of most hydrocarbon, non-polar or
slightly polar components over a large range of
operating conditions.
3. CHALLENGES IN DEVELOPING
THE MODEL
4.1 Selection of an Appropriate Fluid Property
Model
Proper use of thermodynamic property package
parameters is the key to successful simulation of
any chemical process. Peng-Robinson Equation of
State was selected, since it covers the necessary
temperature and pressure range for ammonia plant
operation and gives almost appropriate estimation
of properties for Hydrogen-rich systems like an
ammonia plant.
4.2 Modeling the Primary Reformer
Since HYSYS has no dedicated reformer unit it was
difficult to model the Primary reformer (PRF). To
overcome this problem the primary reformer was
modeled using a combustor and an equilibrium

*
Corresponding Author: Mohammad Mazharul Islam
E-mail: shahed080305@gmail.com
reactor in series. The convection zone was modeled
using a number of shell-and-tube heat exchangers.
4.3 Modeling of Ammonia Synthesis Loop
Ammonia synthesis loop contains a complex flow
sheet with several recycle streams, energy
integration and many different unit operations. The
recycle streams introduce a feedback of material
and energy among units upstream and downstream.
It is difficult to simulate these recycle streams with
accurate convergence. A Logical operation
RECYCLE was used to ensure that convergence
can be achieved more consistently and quickly.
4.4 Appropriate Sizing Data for the Equipments
Sizing data for equipments and reactors are very
crucial for dynamic simulation. To obtain sizing
data the authors frequently contacted plant
personnel and experts.
4.5 Reaction Kinetics Data
Though all reactions in ammonia production
process are catalytically controlled but modeling
requires kinetic, reactor and catalyst data which are
difficult to obtain. A significant amount of effort
was required to obtain these data from literature,
lab experiments and real plant experiences.
Fig.1: Startup Scenario
4. STEADY-STATE SIMULATION
The Steady-state simulation model has been
developed using the data of Jamuna Fertilizer
Company Ltd (JFCL), Bangladesh. During the
startup of the plant, the process variables converge
to steady state value from their initial transient
states.
Fig.1 shows the fluctuation of flue gas outlet
temperature prior to attain a steady level. Higher
flue gas temperature arises from preheating the
reformer before the reforming reaction. Before the
reforming reaction starts, the heat carried by the
flue gas is not transferred to the reformer tubes as
heat of reaction and thereby the outlet temperature
of this flue gas initially increases. After the
endothermic reforming reaction starts, the flue gas
outlet temperature decreases to its steady-state
value.
Various operating parameters along with product
specification data for real-life plant and HYSYS
simulation results are similar as shown in Fig.2.
The product ammonia composition is slightly less
than the real plant composition. Simplification of
the synthesis loop in the HYSYS model might
cause more impurities in the product stream.
 Fig.2: Comparison of simulation results with real plant data
One should also consider the absence of a Purge
Gas Recovery Unit which is an important unit to
recover ammonia and Hydrogen. Other variables
such as Flue gas outlet temperature, PRF outlet
temperature, H2:N2 ratios are within the plant
steady-state operating range.
5. DYNAMIC SIMULATION
The development of dynamic model using
AspenTech HYSYS simulation software consists of
the following steps.
1) Specifying dynamic characteristics of process
equipment
2) Switching the simulation mode to dynamic mode
3) Adding controllers to the simulation
4) Adding strip chart displays
The dynamic model is used to study the effects of
disturbances that hamper the production and
adversely affect the safety of the plant if corrective
control action is not taken in time. To implement
control strategy it is imperative to size control valve
properly and set appropriate controller parameters.
Inaccessibility of significant amount of real plant
data forced us to leave the control scheme in its
primary stage.
Fig.3 shows the dynamic simulation model for the
plant up to the Low temperature Shift conversion
unit. All the material and energy streams as well as
control loop for two ratio controllers is shown.
6. RESPONSE OF THE MODEL
6.1 Effect of 20% reduction in NG pressure
Natural Gas is a main raw material and fuel of an
ammonia plant. The change in NG pressure
adversely affects the plant performance with
respect to capacity, stream compositions and steam
requirement.
Reduction in NG pressure results in higher flow
rate of NG. This is because of HYSYS pressure-
flow specification relationship. When using
pressure specifications, if there is no resistance in
the processing equipment, HYSYS will increase the
flow rapidly. This phenomenon increases
combustion in the combustor. Higher heat duty by
flue gas causes more preheating of PRF feed stream
and higher heat consumption by PRF. This results
in higher conversion of methane and thus less
percentage of methane in PRF outlet as shown in
Fig.4.
Reduction in NG pressure results in higher flow
rate of NG. This will consequently increase the
steam flow rate to maintain steam to carbon ratio at
3.3. This is depicted in Fig.5.
Fig.3: HYSYS dynamic model of Ammonia plant (up to Low Temperature Shift Converter)
Fig.4: Effect of NG pressure change on methane composition in SRF feed

Fig.5: Effect of NG pressure change on process steam flow rate

 7. CONCLUSIONS
The project has set an example of the possibilities
TM
of using HYSYS as a successful ammonia process
simulation tool. In addition, it can be used for
steady state as well as dynamic simulations.

The developed model is based on all available

information such as reaction kinetic data,
compressor curves, vessel sizes etc. In some cases,
however, it has not been possible to get the data as
designed and in these situations values deemed
reasonable have been applied to the model. In spite
of these deficiencies in the model it is considered to
give a reliable picture of the overall performance of
the actual plant.

The simulation model can be further improved. The

authors suggest the following improvement works:

1. Modeling CO2 separation section with Benfield

solution (Hypothetical component)
2. Reactor modeling using PFR
3. Introducing control valve dynamics and
controller tuning.

8. REFERENCES
1. Aspen HYSYS, Dynamic Modeling.
Aspen Technology, Inc., Burlington,
Massachusetts, 2007.
2. Aspen HYSYS, Operations Guide. Aspen
Technology, Inc., Burlington,
Massachusetts, 2007.
3. Aspen HYSYS, Simulation Basis. Aspen
Technology, Inc., Burlington,
Massachusetts, 2007.
4. Aspen HYSYS, Tutorials and
Applications. Aspen Technology, Inc.,
Burlington, Massachusetts, 2007.
5. Aspen HYSYS, User’s Guide. Aspen
Technology, Inc., Burlington,
Massachusetts, 2007.
6. AspenTech HYSYS, Version 2006.5
(build 21.0.2.6924); Aspen Technology,
Inc., Burlington, Massachusetts, 2007.
7. Claus Hansen, Dynamic Simulation of
Compressor Control Systems , Aalborg
University Esbjerg, 2008
8. Slack, A. V., James, G. Russell, Ammonia,
Part II, Marcell Dekker Inc., 1974, pp 25-
71
9. Haldor Topsoe NH3 catalyst Manual, 1983

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