THE PRODUCTION OF AMMONIUM NITRATE FERTILIZER BY USING LOW-COST ENERGY FROM A NUCLEAR DESALINATION REACTOR

摘要

The cost of producing ammonium nitrate using low-cost power from a nuclear desalination reactor was estimated and compared with that for the conventional steam-methane process. Hydrogen was produced by the electrolysis of water using advanced-type cells now under development and ac power costs varying from 1.0 to 3.0 mills/kwhr. Nitric acid, ammonia, and ammonium nitrate were produced with the hydrogen by conventional methods. The capital cost of the nitric acid plant was reduced by about 8％ by using oxygen from the electrolysis plant instead of air. Nitrogen for the ammonia plant was recovered from the nitric acid tail gas. The results showed that ammonium nitrate produced in a 698-ton/day plant using low-cost nuclear power at 1.6 mills/kwhr could compete with the product from a conventional reforming plant using 31￠/106 Btu natural gas.