Levels and experience are guidelines based on topic-specific experience. All courses support foundational and advanced learning.

This two-day course focuses on best practice operation and process control of ammonia plants to support plant availability, efficiency, and process safety. Participants follow the production process from primary and secondary reforming through gas purification, ammonia synthesis, refrigeration, and recovery. The course connects process fundamentals with the operating decisions that affect plant performance. Topics include catalyst handling and monitoring, reformer operation and tube wall temperatures, synthesis gas compression, and the utility systems that support reliable production. Two case study sessions provide opportunities to connect these topics with plant operating challenges. The program concludes with a wrap-up and question-and-answer discussion.

• Explain the main process steps in an ammonia plant and how their performance is connected.
• Recognize operating considerations for primary and secondary reformers, including carbon formation and catalyst deactivation.
• Describe catalyst loading, reduction, startup, monitoring, and performance evaluation considerations.
• Explain the roles of shift conversion, carbon dioxide removal, gas purification, and methanation.
• Identify key operating considerations for syngas compression, ammonia synthesis, refrigeration, and recovery.
• Connect boiler feedwater, steam generation, water treatment, and cooling water performance with plant operation.
• Apply course concepts to case studies involving ammonia plant operation and process safety.

This course is designed for process engineers, operations engineers, and senior operators involved in the operation and process control of ammonia plants. Technical personnel supporting plant performance, catalyst management, and troubleshooting will also benefit.

1. Introduction to Ammonia Plants and Catalysts
2. Primary Reformer Theory and Operation
3. Primary Reformer Monitoring
4. Secondary Reformer
5. Shift Conversion and Gas Cooling
6. Carbon Dioxide Removal and Gas Purification
7. Methanation
8. Syngas Compression and Ammonia Synthesis
9. Ammonia Refrigeration and Recovery
10. Plant Utilities
11. Case Studies and Wrap-Up

Taught By: 

Venkat Pattabathula

Venkat Pattabathula is an ammonia subject matter expert and process engineer with over 40 years of experience in ammonia, urea, hydrogen, gas processing, and energy projects. His background includes process design, plant operation, optimization, commissioning, troubleshooting, and process safety across Asia, North America, and Australia. He has published more than 140 technical papers and contributed the “Ammonia” chapter to the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. Venkat holds an M.Tech in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology and a certificate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a Chartered Professional Engineer with Engineers Australia and a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland.

Venue

This training is offered virtually only over four days, for a total of 16 hours. For the full training schedule, visit becht.com/training.