Read our latest article in World Fertilizer where James Cross looks at the benefits, challenges and technologies for tube wall temperature measurements in the ammonia production process
The rapidly increasing global demand for food, which includes an increased emphasis on consumption of protein-rich diets, is supporting agricultural growth and therefore the demand for ammonia and fertilizers. Ammonia is also being increasingly chosen over hydroflurocarbons (HFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) as a refrigerant, due to its cost-efficiency and heat transfer properties. This has resulted in significant growth in the global ammonia market, which is forecast to realise a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.85% (with fertilizers expected to produce a CAGR of 6.23%), and to reach US$70.75 billion before the end of 2025!
This growing global demand for ammonia has placed an increased burden on producers to meet ambitious production targets, which generates additional demands on already highly utilised equipment, including the steam methane reformer (SMR). The SMR is used in the first phase of the ammonia production process to produce hydrogen before it is synthesised in the secondary Haber process.
Read the full article in World Fertilizer - March 2020