DESIGN OF A PLANT TO PRODUCE 20,000 TONNES PER

ANNUM OF ACRYLONITRILE

BY

OBAJI NW ANI OKIKE

, 2004/18525EH

A I'ROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL'ENGINEERING

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY,

FEDERAL'UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY MINNA,

NIGER STATE

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE -' ," ,.~ ,

AWARD OF BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING (B.ENG) IN CHEMICAL

ENGINEERING *

, DECEMBEI~, 2009

DECLARATION

I Obaji Nwani Okike with Registration Number 2004118525EH declare that this Design

project is my original and has not been presented elsewhere to the best of my knowledge.

Student Signature Date

ii

CERTIFICATION

This project has been examined and certified under the supervision of Engr. Habibu

Uthman on behalf of Chemical Engineering Department, Federal University of Technology

Minna to be adequate in scope and in quality as a meeting part of the partial fulfilment of the

requirement for the award of bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng) in Chemical Engineering .

.. ~ .......... .. ~QJI c>1! '2 t5{ 0 ............. / .......................... .

Engr. Habibu Utlunan Date

Project Supervisor

........................................ .........................................

(

Dr. 1. O. Okafor Date

Head of Department

........................................ ............................................

External Supervisor . Date

iii

DEDICATION

This Design project is specially dedicated to the Almighty God for being my strength,

defender, provider and supporter throughout my course of study. I travelled severally to places

far and near within this period and in all he saw me through. Praise be to his Holy name. ) '

HALLELUYAH!!!!!!!!!!! !!!

I also dedicate this project to my loving parents Chief Okaji and Mrs. Okike Obaji for

their care, love, support and prayers in the course of this programme. You are priceless and

incomparable.

iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

A saying says "Tough times never lack but tough people do". I bless the Almighty God for

giving me the determination, opportunity, strength and the grace to be part of this great institute and

for sparing my life to cope with the struggle, risk and rigorous pain during my academic pursuit. The

Almighty God saw me through thick and thin. Thanks a million times my heav~nly father. Glory be

to your HolyNAME forever. Amen.

An adage says "A tree cannot make a forest" which is explicitly true. This project was

successfully completed as a result of the collective efforts of many of whom lowe a debt of

gratitude.

I must express my sincere gratitude to my amiable and ever supporting supervisor, Engineer

Habibu Uthman for Supervising and guiding me through out the course of this project to make it a

successful one.

My sincere and warm gratitude also extend to all members of my family, Mr., Kingsley Obaji

Okike, Mrs. Nnennaya Obasi, Mrs. Confidence Godwin, Mrs. Jennifer Okoronkwo, Miss Uzoma

Okike Obaji, Miss Joy Obaji, Miss Ijeoma Okike, Miss Ngozi Okike" Miss Chinonyerem, Master 1.

Ogbonnaya Okike Obaji for all their prayers, moral and financial supports through out my course of

study. You are too wonderful to me.

A very big THANK You to all my dear and Loving friends who stood my me in the tough

and difficult times, Olalekan .T. Fakuade, Damilare Oladiji, Femi Owolabi, Chimankpam

Onwuchekwa, Chidi Anunobi, Pastor and Pastor Mrs. Okechukwu Okoro, Mr. and Mrs. Ogbonnaya

Obaji. Thank you for your prayers and support. I LOVE U ALL

My gratitude and thanks also go to all the Lecturers in Chemical Engineering Department

that has in one way or the other impacted me greatly with knowleqge; Dr J. C. OkafoI', Engr Dim

Paul, Engr Umaru, Engr Manasseh, Engr Mrs Muyibat, Engr. Mrs Olugbenga, Engr Aboje, Mallam

Sidi, Mr. Dikko. Thank you all for making me what I have become today. I pray that all your

children will be very great in life. God bless you all.

v

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,I

ABSTRACT

This project work was carried out to design a plant to produce 20,000 tonne/annum of

Acrylonitrile using propylene and ammonia as the raw material with bismuthmolybdate as

catalyst: The detailed design work like the material and energy balance was done with the aid of

computer aided design(CAD) software like:HYSYS alld MATHCAD. The major units in the < " ' ~ • , ••

plal~t are; ,Fluidized bed Reactor, Absorber, and Distillation unit. The, design of the major

equipment undertaken is the reactor, having a diameter of 4. \ 55m, and height of 5.006m: safety

control, environmental impact assessment"plant location' and site layout were also carried out. , • /1 • ".

Standard Co,~t esti~ationwascarried out using detailed factorial method and this gives the total

capital investment cost to be 198million Naira needed to generate a net 'profit of 314 million

Naira within a pay back period of app1ioximately'six(6) years for a plant life of 15 years. And the " ~ -.". .

pay ba,ck rate.is 22.56%~ Herl~e, the project was concluded to lJeecon~micallyviable .

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vi

TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER ONE .............................................................. 1

1.0 INTRODUCTION

<:1I~~1r~lt ~() ............................................................ ~3

2.0 LITERA TURE REVIEW

2.1 Uses and Consumption of Acrylonitrile

2.2 Sohio Production Processes

2.3 Detailed Description with Control Operation

CHAPTER THREE ........................................ ·.············ ... 1 0

3.0 MATERIAL BALANCE

<:~J»1r~1tJ?()1Jlt ••..••......•.•••••..••..•••••.••••••••••••• .••••.•..••... 64

4.0 ENERGY BALANCE CALCULATION

<:HA~TEll ]!~ •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••• 82

5.0 FLOW SHEET OF THE PROCESS

<:HA~1[1C1t SJ)( •••••••.• ~ •••••.••••••••••••••••••••.•••••••.•• ·• •• · •••••..••• 83

6.0 EQUIPMENT DESIGN

6.1 Design of a Fluidized bed Reactor

6.2 Absorber Sizing

6.:,) Acrylonitrile Recovery Column Design

, 6.4 Acetonitrile Recovery Column Design

6.5 Design of Light Column

6.6 Design of Product Column

CHAPTER SEVEN ........ · ..................... e •••••••• e ................. 138

7.0. EQUIPMENT OPTJMIZA, TION

7.1 Optimization of the Fluidized Bed Reactor

CHAPTER EIGHT ., ..................... " ........................................ 143

8.0 SAFETY AND QUALITY CONTROL

8.1 Safety control

8.2 Quality Control measure

8.3 General Process Safety Managenement

CHAPTER NINE ............................................................. 156

9.0 PROCESS CONTROL AND INSTRUMENTATIO

CHAPTER TEN ......................................................... e •••• 168

10.0 ENVIRONMENTAL ACCEPTABILITY

CHAPTER ELEVEN ..................................................... ,,0.172

11.0 START UP AND SHUT DOWN PROCEDURE

CHAPTER TWELVE ........................................................ 17S

12.0 SITE FOR PLANT LOCATION

CHAPTER THIRTEEN ...................................................... 184

13.0 COST ESTIMATION AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF PLANT

CHAPTER FOURTEEN .......................... e •••••••••••••••••••• 111 ....... 196

14.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

14.1 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

APPEND IX .......................... " ................................... 111 •••••• ".198

REFERENCE ......... It •••••••••••••••••••••••• 0 .......... • ' ••••••••• ' •• Co •••• 0 ••••• 205