ammonia absorption

refrigeration plants

turning
waste heat
into a resource
 casale ammonia absorption refrigeration plants

ammonia absorption
Simplified AARP PFD

refrigeration plants

rich solution
heating fluid

Key features condenser

• Use of low grade heat rather than mechanical power to generate cold
• Ease of operation
heat
• Environmentally friendly exchanger
nh3 vapour + solution

• Maintenance free.

lean solution

cooling chill
fluid (evaporator)

foreword
Principle of operation in ammonia plants
An aqua ammonia refrigeration plant, or AARP, is an absorption chiller which uses thermal energy • The ammonia vapors coming from the synthesis loop ammonia chiller are condensed in an absorber
to drive the refrigeration effect rather than high grade mechanical energy, as it occurs in traditional, using a lean aqua/ammonia solution (i.e. with high water concentration) to co-currently contact
compressor-based refrigerators. the ammonia vapor. The heat released by the absorption is removed by cooling water.
A variety of low grade heat sources can be conveniently exploited (e.g. low grade steam or hot water, • The ammonia-rich solution so obtained is routed to a rectifying column where it is distilled using
solar energy, waste heat etc.) and as such an AARP is useful for energy saving applications. low heat grade (typically 3.5 kg/cm2g LP steam).
In ammonia plants an AARP can replace compressor-based chillers and it relies on the use • In the tower bottom the lean aqua/ammonia solution is separated and sent to the absorber while
of an aqua-ammonia solution as refrigerant. from the top of the rectifying tower pure ammonia is obtained and, after condensation in a dedicated
heat exchanger, it is routed back to the synthesis loop ammonia chiller.

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 casale ammonia absorption refrigeration plants

GIAP AMMONIA PLANTS

Ammonia absorption refrigeration systems have been in use for more than 70 years in view of their low energy
consumption, high reliability, low maintenance and easy operation. The only moving parts in the circuit are few
pumps. The instrumentation is simple and the control of the plant can be highly automated.
In Russia, GIAP-type ammonia plants typically have three types of ammonia absorption refrigeration units, which
supply liquid ammonia at, respectively, +1ºC, at -10ºC and at -30ºC to the synloop chillers. The second of such units,
serving the chillers 606A and 606B, or 606 only, is notoriously underperforming during summer period due to the hot
air temperature, which is limiting the capacity of the existing air-cooled ammonia condensers of the rectifying tower,
in addition to a reduced cooling capacity in the absorber, caused by higher cooling water temperatures.
Furthermore, GIAP plants are nowadays operated at rates of 1500 to 1750 MTD, which are substantially above
the original design capacity of 1350 MTD.
At such increased loads the existing AARPs can hardly be expected to keep the original design syngas outlet
temperature of -10ºC from 606A and 606B chillers. In particular, during summer, this temperature exceeds 0ºC,
causing, in turn, an increase of the synthesis loop operating pressure and of the circulator duty. The situation
eventually leads to overloading the syngas compressor turbine, and often also limiting the ammonia production below
the winter levels.

AARP in GIAP AM-70 revamp

Casale has successfully revamped a GIAP AM 70 plant which, as any other plant of similar design, is equipped
with three AARP units, respectively "A", "B" and "C".
The following table shows the design duties (GIAP AM70) for these AARPs operation.

AARP B (+1°C) AARP А 1/2 (-10°C) AARP C (-30°C)

DESIGN REFRIGERANT DUTY

2.5 2 x 2.7 = 5.4 0.5
(Gcal/h)

The AARP units were not operated as per original design. In fact the AARP "A" (-10°C) and the AARP "B" (+1°C)
were interconnected and feeding only the chillers 606A/B with ammonia at +1ºC instead of at -10°C (as per design).
This situation resulted in an overall poor efficiency of the entire refrigeration system.
The AARP "C" (-30°C) was operated as per original design.

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 casale ammonia absorption refrigeration plants

New CASALE AARP

As part of the whole ammonia plant revamping, a completely new AARP package,
designed by a qualified supplier, has been installed. The package, with approximately
10 Gcal/h of cooling capacity, is thebiggest ever installed in Russia and is able
to deliver to the 606 B chiller liquid ammonia at the correct temperature of -10°C.
In addition, in order to make the system even more efficient, an evaporative
condenser has replaced the traditional air cooler in the rectifier cooling section.
The new AARP uses 3.5 kg/cm2g LP steam to drive the refrigeration cycle.
Casale engineered the integration of the new unit within the existing ammonia
absorption refrigeration system and was responsible for all the project steps, from
basic engineering up to delivery.

Performances and advantages achieved

The revamped ammonia plant was restarted in June 2015 and achieved the following
performances:
Operation Higher summer production
Thanks to the new AARP the summer ammonia production exceeded 1700 MTD, i.e.
approximately more than 100 MTD above the maximum production before revamp.
Energy saving
The specific LP steam consumption per kg of cold NH3 sent to Battery Limits was
0.85÷0.98, significantly better than the design value of 1.01 kg/kg of LP steam.
Furthermore the performances of the synthesis loop have improved, saving valuable Left
MP steam, which eventually resulted in less Natural Gas burnt in the auxiliary boiler. 3D model of the new AARP.
Improved operational stability.
Other parameters are summarized in the table below.

Design value Test run value

Production [MTD] 1700 1700

606 B syngas outlet temperature [ºC] -5 -10 ÷ -12

NH3 vapour to AARP absorber [ºC] -10 -10 ÷ -14

Specific steam consumption [kg steam/kgNH3] 1.01 0.85 ÷ 0.98

Right
AARP operating pressure in absorber [kg/cm2g] 1.7 0.9 ÷ 1.2 NEW AARP in operation.

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 casale ammonia absorption refrigeration plants

IMPROVED AARP (+5ºC OR +10ºC condensing temperature)

Beside the classical AARP based on -10ºC or +1ºC ammonia operating temperatures, Casale has developed a new
version particularly suited for energy saving, summer stabilization and negligible consumption of utilities.
This improved AARP are designed assuming +5ºC or +10ºC respectively as ammonia operating temperatures, which
allow the use of evaporative condensers instead of shell and tube heat exchanger, for the absorption phase.
The use of cooling water as cooling medium is therefore not required in the new scheme; additionally the heating
source is very low pressure steam (1÷2 barg) or even hot water.
Such features make these new AARP particularly fit for revamping synthesis loop of different licensors (TEC, GIAP,
Chemico, KBR etc). The loop is revamped by installing a new ammonia chiller (with evaporating ammonia at +5°C
or +10°C) downstream the loop air cooler or loop water cooler.
The plant will get stabilized during summer time in addition to saving energy all the year round.
The table below summarizes the performances that may be achieve in a TEC plant.

TEC PLANT Original design With new AARP

(ambient conditions at 28÷30ºC and 65% Relative Humidity)

Final condensation temperature (106-F) ºC -6.9 -9

Ammonia Production [MTD] 1636 >1750

revamping of existing AARP: “Casale cooling module”

AARP are present in many ammonia plants and the typical upgrading consist in replacing the condenser to improve
the ammonia distillation section of the AARP. Usually, on the other hand very little is done on the absorption section
of the AARP. Casale, however, devised a new type of cooler, dubbed "Casale cooling module", which reduces
the duty requirement of the existing shell and tube cooler.
The final result of this new technology is the reduction of cooling water requirement in the synloop cooling water
exchanger. The cooling water saved in such a way becomes available for other purposes, such as for an additional
loop water cooler, a chilled water exchanger, additional air compressor interstage cooling or perhaps a new AARP.
The table below highlights the typical performances.

AARP (-10ºC)

Base configuration Revamped configuration

Rich solution temperature in exchanger 907 [ºC] 33.5 33.5

Cooling Water flow rate [m3/h] 1800 900

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 casale ammonia absorption refrigeration plants

IMPROVED AARP, +5°C or +10°C, typical atrrangement. Here an example of TEC synloop modification.

condenser
rich solution

heating fluid

NH3 vapour

heat
exchanger chillER
(evaporator)
casale
cooling modULE
lean solution +5°C
NEW Chiller
CW out 123-C 121-C 180-C 1179-C

179-C HRU FUEL GAS

CW IN

RICH solution

Installation of Casale cooling module upstream

the existing ammonia vapour absorber. NH3 to BLS

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 FEDERICO BOLLARINO SRL
Via Giulio Pocobelli, 6 | 6900 Lugano | Switzerland (CH)
tel. +41 91 6419200 | fax +41 91 6419291
www.casale.ch | info@casale.ch

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