59
A
FIT
PERFECT
VALTER PLASGÅRD, TRANTER,
SWEDEN,
CONSIDERS WHICH
PLATE HEAT EXCHANGERS ARE
MOST APPROPRIATE FOR DIFFERENT
POSITIONS IN AMMONIA PLANTS.
S
ince the Haber-Bosch process was invented, the
ammonia industry has put great effort into
developing the original process with the main
aim of lowering the investment cost and the
energy consumption of the ammonia plant. Improvements
in catalysts, reactor design and heat transfer technology
have allowed for less of the hydrocarbon feedstock to be
combusted to power the process and higher conversion
rates of the feedstock. Efficient heat exchangers play a
crucial role in the optimisation of the plant’s energy use
and the choice of heat exchanger type should be taken
with careful consideration of each position’s design
properties and requirements.
For energy-intensive industrial plants, including
ammonia plants, efficient use of excess heat and cooling
capacity in each process step helps lower the total
required energy input. For a long time, plate heat
exchangers have been used for utility positions, such as
central coolers, but, for heat exchanger positions in the
ammonia production process, shell and tube heat
exchangers have been the default choice in the industry.
They have been seen as robust and well-suited for high
temperatures and pressures. And while they still are the
preferred choice for many positions in the ammonia
plant, plate heat exchangers offer more competitive
