Ammonia (Habor Process) (D) Flashcards
How do we obtain nitrogen?
Through fractional distillation of liquid air.
How do we obtain hydrogen?
Through cracking of crude oil.
What are the optimal conditions for Haber Process?
- Temperature: 450°C
- Pressure: 250 atm
- Presence of a finely-divided iron catalyst
What is the equation for the formation of nitrogen?
N2 (g) + 3H2 (g) ⇌ 2NH3 (g)
State two reasons why unreacted gases are fed back into the reactor.
- Unreacted gases are recycled and reused to produce the maximum yield of ammonia
- To save cost and energy from burning fossils fuels from obtaining nitrogen from fractional distillation of liquid air and hydrogen from hydrocarbons
Pros and cons of using higher temperature.
- Pro: Faster speed of reaction
- Con: Lower yield of ammonia
Pros and cons of using a lower temperature.
- Pro: Higher yield of ammonia
- Con: Slower speed of reaction
Pros and cons of using a high pressure.
- Pros: Higher yield of ammonia, Faster speed of reaction
- Cons: Higher cost of maintaining equipment
Pros and cons of using a lower pressure.
- Pro: None
- Con: Lower yield of ammonia, slower speed of reaction
Why are expensive metals as catalysts more economical
Catalysts speeds up rate of reaction so processes can be completer in a shorter time using less fuel
Catalysts are chemically unchanged so it can be reused indefinitely