KAAPplus™ Ammonia Process

KAAPplus™ (KBR Advanced Ammonia Process plus) is KBR's preferred offering for new plants. KAAPplus combines three major features of KBR's ammonia technology: KRES™, Purifier™, and KAAP™.

The KRES (KBR Reforming Exchanger System) replaces the traditional primary reformer with much simpler equipment. The autothermal reformer in the KRES system uses air instead of oxygen enriched air, because the downstream Purifier requires excess nitrogen. Therefore, an air separation unit is not needed for the KRES system.

The cryogenic Purifier removes the excess nitrogen, all methane, and most of the argon from the syngas. This provides a very clean and dry make-up gas to the synthesis loop. This reduces the load on the synloop and refrigeration system which results in capital and operating cost savings. The small synloop purge is recycled to the Purifier, so a separate purge gas recovery unit is not needed.

KAAP synthesis catalyst uses ruthenium as the active ingredient. KAAP catalyst is 10-20 times more active than traditional magnetite catalyst. KAAP catalyst allows lower synthesis loop pressure than is practical with magnetite catalyst. The low synthesis pressure allows use of a single-barrel syngas compressor.

The KAAPplus Ammonia Process offers lower capital costs, more competitive energy consumption, increased reliability, and lower maintenance costs. KBR has eliminated the primary reformer and simplified the synthesis gas compressor. These are the two pieces of equipment in an ammonia plant that traditionally require the most maintenance.