Process analysis and plant design for manufacturing of. The ammonia oxidation process for nitric acid manufacture. The main industrial use of nitric acid is for the production of fertilizers. The ostwald process is a chemical process used for making nitric acid hno3. In this process, anhydrous ammonia is oxidized to nitric oxide, in the presence of platinum or rhodium gauze catalyst at a high temperature of about 500 k and a pressure of 9 atm. Ostwald, a pilot plant for the production of nitric acid. Ostwald process is used in the manufacture of nitric acid. In the ostwald process, nitric acid is made from ammonia. It is a strong oxidizing agent and can oxidize metals and nonmetals easily. Nitric acid is most commonly produced by ostwald process. Fixed bed reactor is best suited for the reaction taking place in the process, also, the. Calculate the concentration of nitric acid produced when 0. May 21, 2014 the dow chemical company page 2 of 6 manufacture of product capacity angus chemical company angus has manufactured products from nitroalkanes and their derivatives for more than 70 years. The ostwald process is a mainstay of the modern chemical.
The two main types of weak acid process are the monopressure process and the dual. In industry nitric acid is manufactured by ostwald process. Nitric acid is produced industrially through a multistep reaction process known as ostwald process. It is used in the manufacture of fertilizers, silk industry, explosive materials such as t. In step 1, ammonia is oxidized to form nitric oxide and also nitrogen dioxide. Ostwalds original industrial plant had an output of some 100 tons of acid a year. At the heart of the contact process is a reaction which converts sulphur dioxide into sulphur trioxide. Nitric acid concentration process for many purposes, 55 to 60% nitric acid is satisfactory. Reactioninitially, nitrogenii oxide will be formed from the catalytic oxidation of ammonia using the transition metal platinum. It is named after wilhelm ostwald, who developed the process and patented it in 1902 ammonia is converted to nitric acid in two stages.
Continued exposure to vapor may cause chronic bronchitis. Selection of reactor mainly depends on three parameters. The production process of nitric acid produces nitrogen oxides nox, ammonia nh3 and nitrous oxide n2o emissions. Then in step 2, the nitrogen dioxide that was formed is absorbed in water. When he first developed it, he used platinum as the catalyst. Historically and practically, the ostwald process is closely associated with the haber process, which provides the. Manufacturing of nitric acid by ostwald process world of. The process was first discovered by jabir ibn hayyan c. A short video clip illustrating the process of nitric acid production that can be viewed online by students or downloaded for showing in class. However, this discovery was not then commercialised as ammonia was too expensive compared with the chile saltpetre used to manufacture nitric acid in those days. Industrial preparation of nitric acid ostwald s method.
The ostwald process is a mainstay of the modern chemical industry, and it provides the main raw material for the most common type of fertilizer production. Ostwald process has gained popularity over the years as it is the easiest way to produce nitric acid which is also widely used in many areas such as in the production of fertilizers as well as inorganic and organic nitrates or nitro compounds. Nov 12, 2012 a short video clip illustrating the process of nitric acid production that can be viewed online by students or downloaded for showing in class. Ostwalds pr ocess formation of nitric acid pravendra tomar pt sir iitjee, neet. Nitric acid is both a strong acid and a strong oxidizing agent, nitric acid can dissolve most metals. In the process for step 1, ammonia is oxidized to form nitric oxide and also nitrogen dioxide. Production of nitric acid is via the ostwald process, named after german chemist wilhelm ostwald. Ostwald process introductionindustrially, nitric acid is made by the catalytic oxidation of ammonia over heated platinum. Jan 03, 2018 the ostwald process is a chemical process for making nitric acid hno3.
The current production route of nitric acid is known as the ostwald process and has been used for nearly a century. It is these gases which are visible as a redbrown plume. Nitric acid manufacture vapor, nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide. Once ammonia has been produced by the haber process, it can be converted into nitric acid through a multistep procedure known as the ostwald process. Nov 19, 2017 hno3 manufacturing with process flow diagram 1. However, high energy demand and enormous greenhouse gas accompy these processes.
The nitric acid can then be used in the manufacture of countless numbers of different nitrogencontaining compounds. The ostwald process is a chemical process used for making nitric acid. The development of economical and green ways to synthesize hno 3 and nh 3 is highly desirable for solving the global energy and environmental. Nitric acid production by the oxidation of ammonia on platinum gauzes constitutes one of the worlds major chemical industries. Ostwald process simple english wikipedia, the free. Process intensification in nitric acid plants by catalytic. Aug 15, 2019 ostwald process for making nitric acid. Nitric acid manufacturing the engineering concepts. The manufacturing plant for the production of nitric acid by the ostwald s process, has the following components and processes. Oxidising ammonia produces oxides of nitrogen which can then be dissolved in water to produce nitric acid. He also discusses the changes that occur in the gauze leading to metal loss during operation. Sulphur dioxide gas is passed together with air as a source of. N 2 and o 2 is present in the air are used for the manufacture of nitric acid. Friedrich wilhelm ostwald inventor of ostwald process.
Ostwald also did significant work on dilution theory leading to his discovery of the law of dilution which later named as ostwald rule. Nitric acid, hno3, is manufactured by the ostwald process, in. In the laboratory preparation of nitric acid, it can be obtained below 200c or above 200c, but the lower temperature is preferred. Nitric acid manufacturing process is started from ammonia and oxygen gas in ostwald process. Plant design report on production of 140 mtpd conc. In this process, nitric acid is synthesized by the oxidation of ammonia. The ostwald process has many wellknown uses in both the industrial and health field.
Nitric acid is a colorless liquid that is used in the manufacture of inorganic and organic nitrates and nitro compounds for fertilizers, dye intermediates, explosives, and many different organic chemicals. The history of the modern nitric acid process really begins in 1901 when w. The plants range in size from 6,000 to 700,000 tons per year. From chile saltpeter nano3 and h2so4 react to produce nahso4 and hno3 electric oxidation of air n2 and o2 react in the presence of electricity to form no and more o2 produces no2 and then this is mixed with water to produce hno3 2. The current production route of nitric acid is known as the. Nitrogen manufacture of nitric acid ostwalds process. The manufacture of nitric acid the role of platinum alloy gauzes in the ammonia oxidation process by h. Whats happening here is ammonia is producing nitric acid.
Ostwald process is important chemical process since some chemical processes in the industries are difficult to carry out by other methods. This process can be traced back to 1838 when kuhlmann filed a patent covering the production of nitric acid by passing air and ammonia over heated platinum. May 31, 2014 nitric acid is most commonly manufactured by ostwald process. Steps involved in ostwald process ostwald process converts ammonia to nitric acid and involves two steps. Ostwald process and has been used for nearly a century. In 1901, russianborn german physical chemist friedrich wilhelm ostwald 18531932 invented a much better process for manufacturing nitric acid. Nitric acid was originally synthesized by heating saltpeter with sulfuric acids. It is named after wilhelm ostwald, who developed the process and patented it in 1902. The ostwald process for the commercial production of nitric acid from ammonia and oxygen involves the following steps. Weak nitric acid processes produce nitric acid in the concentration range of 5065 wt %.
Ostwald process is very close to haber process which is used for the manufacturing of ammonia. The ostwald process is a chemical process for making nitric acid hno3. A colorless liquid that is used in the manufacture of inorganic and organic nitrates and nitro compounds for fertilizers, dye intermediates, explosives, and many different organic chemicals. One of the case studies is concerned with the manufacture of nitric acid and calcium ammonium nitrate at ifi, arklow. Nitric acid manufacturing process uses ostwald process. The nitric acid process the foundation of the modern nitric acid process was laid by kuhlmann in 1838 when he filed a patent for the catalytic oxidation of platinum metals rev. The manufacture of nitric acid johnson matthey technology. Oct 04, 2010 nitric acid, hno3, is manufactured by the ostwald process, in which nitrogen dioxide reacts with water. In the first step in this reaction, ammonia and oxygen gas catalytically react to form nitrogen monoxide.
The contact process for the manufacture of sulphuric acid. In addition, the type of process batch or continuous and the uses of the products must be identified. Ammonia is the starting material for the commercial production of nitric acid. In19 the synthesis of ammonia from coal,air and water. Nitric acid is produced through the oxidation of ammonia to nitrogen oxides, which are then absorbed by water to produce nitric acid. Nitric acid is most commonly manufactured by ostwald process. Nitric acid with a concentration of up to 68% can be produced with the uhde azeotropic process. Nitric acid is used to manufacture explosives, some metal nitrates and many more. Germany, ostwald piloted a 3t per day nitric acid process based on the catalytic oxidation of ammonia with air. Ostwald is usually credited with inventing the ostwald process patent 1902, used in the manufacture of nitric acid, although the basic chemistry had been patented some 64 years earlier by kuhlmann, when it was probably of only academic interest due to the lack of a significant source of ammonia. The ostwald process provides the main raw material for the most common type of fertilizer production. Nitrogen manufacture of nitric acid ostwalds process youtube. In this article the author outlines some of the principal features of this process, and describes in some detail the chemical reaction taking place at the platinum surface.
Ostwald process for producing nitric acid worldofchemicals. Wilhelm ostwald developed the process, and he patented it in 1902. Ostwald is credited with inventing the ostwald process. The nitrogen dioxide is absorbed in water to form nitric acid. About 70 percent of the nitric acid produced is consumed as an intermediate in the manufacture of. Ostwald s process is chosen best because of the energy efficiency, economic feasibility among the other processes. Nitric acid video a short video clip illustrating the process of nitric acid production that can be viewed online by students or downloaded for showing in class. The resulting acidinwater solution about 5070 percent. The purpose of this simulation was to observe the thermodynamic.
The ostwald process is a chemical process used for making nitric acid hno 3. Questions of nitric acid manufacturing ask your question what are the raw materials required for the manufacture of nitric acid by ostwald process. Electrochemical synthesis of nitric acid from air and. Nitric acid is a colourless liquid that is used in the manufacture of inorganic and organic nitrates and nitro compounds for fertilizers, dye intermediates, explosives, and many different organic chemicals. The ostwald process is a chemical process that in two stages, converts ammonia to nitric acid also known as hno3. Gases coming out from the furnace are cooled at o c by passing through cooler then gases are passed in a boiler and cooled at 150 o c. Nitric acid ostwalds methodindustrial preparation of. Potassium nitrate and sulfuric gas can be used to produce nitric gas in laboratory scale.
However, for nitrations and other applications a more concentrated nitric acid is required. Nitric acid is a highly corrosive mineral acid and is commonly used as a strong oxidizing agent. Back to top product description7 nitric acid is a colorless to yellow liquid with a characteristic strong, choking, acidic odor. During the manufacture of nitric acid by ostwalds process excess of oxygen is taken. Nitric acid h no 3, also known as aqua fortis latin for strong water and spirit of niter, is a highly corrosive mineral acid the pure compound is colorless, but older samples tend to acquire a yellow cast due to decomposition into oxides of nitrogen and water. Processes for the manufacture of nitric acid international. Liquefied ammonia is vapourised and preheated before being mixed with preheated air. The fertilizer industry uses weak nitric acid in the range of 50 to 65% strength and thus the high concentration above 70% weight nitric acid production process is not included. He won the nobel prize for chemistry in 1909 for his work on catalysis, and today is regarded as the one of the founders of modern physical chemistry, the branch that investigates chemical changes by. It is reacted with oxygen and water using a platinum catalyst to produce nitric acid. The modern nitric acid process proceeds essentially in three stages. Manufacturing nitric acid by ostwald process slideshare. For example, nitric acid is hard to produce on the.
There are three stages in the production of nitric acid the oxidation of ammonia. The ostwald process converts ammonia to nitric acid and involves two steps. Ammonia, oxygen, water are the raw materials of nitric acid manufacturing. Literature nitric acid manufacture from chile saltpetre manufacture from the atmosphere birkelandeyde furnacepauling furnaceschonherr furnaceother furnacesgeneral plant for the manufacture of nitrate by electrical oxidation of the air manufacture of nitric acid from ammonia ostwald s process properties of nitric acid. The process i chose to research was the ostwald process. Process nitric acid is manufactured by the oxidation of ammonia by air or oxygen using a multistep process with a catalyst based on the ostwald6 reaction. Cold water is circulated around the boiler to cool the gases. Full details of the manufacture of nitric acid are given on this page because they dont appear elsewhere on this site. Commercial incentive to develop the process was lacking until the turn of the century, when ostwald began experiments on various types of platinum in order to obtain quantitative. Icse solutions for class 10 chemistry study of compounds.
Write the overall equation for the production of nitric acid by the ostwald process by combining the preceding equations water is also a product. Usually, in the ostwald process ammonia is transformed into nitric acid. Nitric acid, a colourless liquid used in the manufacture of inorganic and organic nitrates and nitro compounds. Co 2 and dust free air is heated in an arc furnace at 3000 o c. Wilhelm ostwald first developed this method in the early 20th century. Process intensification in nitric acid plants by catalytic oxidation of. Ostwald process simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. From the above process which have been discussed ostwald s process is the best among the other process. The ostwald process is a method used for the industrial production of nitric acid, patented by the germanlatvian chemist willhelm ostwald in 1902 and first implemented in 1908.
This process of making nitric acid was developed by wilhelm ostwald. Some 99% acid is required for the manufacture of, for example, organic nitrocompounds for the explosives and dye industries. Now, as you can see, the process isnt quite that simple. The ostwald process is closely related to haber process, which gives ammonia nh 3, a raw material for the ostwald process reactions liu et al. The ostwald process is used to produce nitric acid. The invention of the ostwald bauer process enhanced the ability of chemists to produce nitric acid. Among the special features which make this possible are. Excess of oxygen is taken because each and every step requires oxygen. Commercial nitric acid hno 3 and ammonia nh 3 are mostly produced through the ostwald process and the haberbosch process, respectively.
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