Green Valley produces an average of 115 tons
a day of NH3. It's main storage tank is 135 feet in diameter,
and is 83 feet tall at it's center. It takes approximately 185
days to fill to it's capacity of 20,000 tons at 1/8 lb psi. At
peak selling seasons, early spring and late fall, Green Valley
can fill 120 semi-loads of anhydrous a day, emptying the tank
in 2 or 3 weeks.
Anyhdrous ammonia is produced
by the refinement of natural gas in the presence of steam and
injected with air. It takes about 32,000 cubic feet of natural
gas to produce 1 ton of NH3. After desulferization of the gas,
steam is induced to the process gas and passed through catalyst
in a heated reformer. Air is then injected, and the gas is sent
thru 2 separate catalyst beds for CO conversion. The gas is then
sent thru a CO2 absorber, then on to methanation. From there it
is sent to this large compressor to be compressed to 4,000 to
4,600 psi. This synthetic gas is passed thru 4 "bottles"
for ammonia conversion, and the liquid is dropped out and sent
thru a refrigeration section before being sent to the storage
tank
Here's some interesting facts
about anhydrous ammonia. It is used as an agricultural fertilizer,
and is used as a commercial refrigerant. NH3 has a ambient teperature
of -28 F. NH3 has an expansion rate of 30 to 1 at normal atmosphere
conditions. 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 continuosly 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 personnal protective equipment.
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