To get the elements needed to make anhydrous ammonia (chemical name NH₃) three things are required: natural gas, steam, and air. The hydrogen comes from two sources, natural gas (methane CH₄) and steam (H₂O). The nitrogen is pulled from the air.


By passing the natural gas and steam through a two-stage reformer, at 1300º-1700º F and 300 PSI, the elemental components are separated then injected with air to achieve the required amount of nitrogen. The carbon and oxygen, thru a series of catalyst beds, are combined to form CO₂ which is then stripped out of the process gas stream. The resulting gas stream is then passed through four catalyst “bottles”, at 4000-4600 PSI and 930º F, to combine the nitrogen and hydrogen to form anhydrous ammonia.


 

The resulting liquid is sent to a storage tank that is 135 ft in diameter and is 83 ft tall, and takes around 185 days to fill. Green Valley sells all it’s product to agricultural dealers only, all shipped out by semi tanker. At peak loading season, early spring and late fall, GVC can load/ship around 120 semi trucks per day and empty the storage tank in a couple weeks if it is full. Green Valley run 24 hours a day year round.


Used as an agricultural fertilizer, anhydrous is also used as a commercial refrigerant. Anhydrous ammonia boils at -28º F and has an expansion rate of 30 to 1. Anhydrous means "without water" and is very caustic to humans. Breathing even small amounts of NH₃ vapor can cause severe irritation and possible permanent damage to the eyes, throat, and lungs. Since NH₃ seeks out water and can cause severe burns, any part of the body that comes into contact with liquid NH₃ should be flushed continuously with fresh water for at least 15 minutes to draw the ammonia out of the skin. Medical treatment should be followed up. Never handle NH₃ without the proper certification training and personal protective equipment.