Apparatus for ammonia synthesis gas production

Claim 1

An improved apparatus for the production of ammonia synthesis gas comprising: (a) means for introducing a hydrocarbon feed stream (b) hydrocarbon conversion means for converting said hydrocarbon feed stream to an effluent gas mixture containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide, said hydrocarbon conversion including a secondary reforming unit or a partial oxidation unit, and including means for providing air to said secondary reforming unit or said partial oxidation unit in excess of the stoichiometric amount of nitrogen required for said ammonia synthesis; (c) water gas shift conversion means for converting carbon monoxide present in said effluent gas mixture to hydrogen and carbon dioxide; (d) a pressure swing adsorption system being capable of selectively absorbing carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, nitrogen and other impurities from the thus shifted gas mixture to produce a product of hydrogen and nitrogen present in said stoichiometric amount for ammonia synthesis; (e) conduit means for discharging from said pressure swing adsorption system a partially purified ammonia synthesis gas mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen from said system; (f) conduit means for discharging from said pressure swing adsorption system purge gas effluent from said system.