Final Year Project- Mid Defense

“Recovery of Argon as By Product”

Group Members:
M. Hamza Rashid
Khizar Hayat Zafar
Khadijah Ali

Supervisor: Dr. Arshad Hussain

Industry: Fauji Fertilizers Ltd.
Industry Correspondant:
Engr. Tehseen-Ullah Khan 1
 Process Description

Rationale:
• Argon has many industrial, medical as well as domestic uses such as welding,
lighting, retinal surgery and preservation of wine.
• Waste gas can be put to economic use by recovering it efficiently.

Proposed Separation Process from Purge Gas:

Hydrogen Refrigeration &

• Absorption in Recovery • Removal of Throttling
water methane, 80% • Linde’s • 99.99% pure Ar
• Distillation • 93% Hydrogen nitrogen and liquefaction obtained
recovery steam process. Cooling
Ammonia Pressure Swing up to 90K Cryogenic
Recovery Adsorption Distillation

2
Proposed Process Flow Diagram

3
 Moles entering = Moles Exiting
Component Composition Flow Rate
(Steady(Mol
State
%) + No reaction)
(Nm 3/ hr)

Composition H2 Rate
Flow 14.87 1034
Component Composition Flow
Flow RateRate
Component N2 3/ hr) 52.54 3652 Component 3
(Mol %) (Nm (Mol %) (Nm(Nm / hr)
3 / hr)
H2 62.11 Ar
14589 4.82 335 H2H 1.04
66.80 14589 52
2
N2 20.70 CH4861
4 27.52 Component
1913 N2N2 Composition
58.57
22.26 Flow Rate
2921
4861
(Mol %) 3
(Nm390 / hr)
Ar 1.66 390
NH3 0.24 17 ArAr 1.79
1.68 84
CH4 8.43 1981
Total 100 6951H2 CHCH
4 4
57.309.07
38.36
982
1981
1913
NH3 7.10 1669 N2 NH3 42.650.08 7311717
Total 100 23490 NH3 0.35
Ar Total 0.05100 1
21838
Total 100 4987
Total 100 1714
Material Balance
Component Composition Flow Rate
(Mol %) (Nm3/ hr)
H2 91.05 13555
Component N2Component
Composition 8.12
Flow RateComposition 1209 Flow Rate
(MolAr
%) hr) (Mol %)
(Nm3/0.37 55 (Nm3/ hr)
Ar 100
CH4 H2 2500.46 14.87 68 982
NH3 N2 52.54 731
Total 100 2500 0
Total Ar 100 4.82 14887 251
Total 100 1964

4
 Parameter 1stQ = ΔH2=nd NCp
Stage Stage 3rd Stage
ΔT
avg
Temperature (C) 25 25 25
(n-1/n)
W = NZRT
Pressure (bar a)
Parameter
1
30.7(n/n-1)[(P
78.3 2 / P
Inlet )
1 200 - 1]
Outlet
Work done (kW)Temperature
116.2 116.3 -130 117 -183 Tinv = 2a/kbb
(C) μJT = 0 (at Tinv)
Pressure (bar 200 5.05
a)
Enthalpy Parameter 5780 Tops (Condenser)
5780 Bottoms (Reboiler)
(kJ/kmol) Temperature (C) -179.6 -186.1
Enthalpy Pressure
of NA(bar
(T above
a) critical 5790
5 1
x = (H - Hf)/ (Hg - Hf) Sat. Vap at GC temp)
≈ H/ Hg Energy Balance-137
% Argon
Quality of gas
Heat Duty (kW) 1
0.98
0.001 99.99
69
(x)

Parameter Parameter Inlet 1st Tube 2nd Stage

StageSide (Inlet gas)
rd Stage
3Shell Side (Top product)
Temperature 38 129 129.5 130
(C)
Parameter Inlet Stream Vent Gas Inlet Exit Stream
Parameter Outlet Product Gas
Parameter
Molar
Pressure
Temperature rate (kmol/hr)
12
25 Ammonia
30.720 88 78.3 24.5 200 Gases 76.6
25
(C)
(bar Cp a) Temperature (C) 38 158
Molar rate (kmol/hr) 2696 310
avg (kJ/kmol.K) 33.23 29.70
Pressure
Work done(bara) 12.4
CpInlet 0 4171 82.22 418 1 420 31.94 12
avg (kJ/kmol.K)
Temperature
Pressure(C) (bar a) 25 4.6 12.4 -179.6
Cp(kW) 28.17 28.48 28.09 28.01
InletavgTemperature (C) -3.6 158
(kJ/kmol.K)
Outlet Temperature (C) -130 19.4
Outlet
EnthalpyTemperature Work
(kJ)Change (C) done
218378 (kW) -3
61622 0 425
236141 kW 2543859
Enthalpy (kW) -125.9 125.7
Enthalpy Change (kW) 361.1 -360.7 5
References:
Future Plan with Timeline
[1] https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele018.html
[2] Perkins, S. (26 August 2000). "HArF! Argon's not so noble after all – researchers make
argon fluorohydride".
Science News.
10-28
[3] US 1-10
Patent No. 4750925, Argon Recovery10-20 20-30Ammonia Purge
from Hydrogern Depleted Mid Gasof
February
Utilizing a CombinationMarch March March May
of Cryogenic and Non-cryogenic Means. Jun 14, 1988.

of Cryogenic and THANK YOU

[4] US Patent No. 4689062, Argon Recovery from Ammonia Purge Gas Utilizing a Combination

Non-cryogenic Means. Aug 25, 1987.

[5] Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering, McCabe, Smith, Harriot, 5th Edition, McGraw
Process
Hill,Design
1991. Pg.
and414-417 Economic HAZOP Thesis Final
[6] Simulation Analysis
Introducton to Chenical Analysis
Engineering Thermodynamics, Completion
Smith, Van Ness, Abbot,Defense
McGraw
Hill, 2001.
[7] Pressure drop in fixed-bed adsorbers, M.H. Chahbani, Chemical Engineering Journal 81
(2001) 23–34.
[8] LIQUEFACTION OF GASES, Isalski, W.H., 2011, 10.1615/AtoZ.l.liquefaction_of_gases