Abstract: A mono-pressure plant for the production of nitric acid, comprising an ammonia convertor configured for operating at a working pressure ranging between 2 bar and 16 bar, for oxidizing ammonia, thereby producing a gaseous NOx gas/steam mixture; an air compressor in fluid communication with the ammonia convertor, for pressurizing air to the working pressure; an absorber unit, wherein the nitrogen oxides contained in a gaseous NOx stream react with water, thereby producing nitric acid; a first bleacher unit for stripping the dissolved nitrogen oxides from the output product stream, thereby producing a first NOx-loaded stripping gas; and a means for directing the first NOx-loaded stripping gas to an inlet of the absorber unit.

Abstract: A dual pressure plant for the production of nitric acid, comprising: an air compressor; a converter, operating at a low pressure (LP), operable to be fed with a stream of an ammonia/pressurized air mixture to produce an LP gaseous NOx gas/steam mixture, comprising water, NO, NO2 and N2O4; a NOx gas compressor; an absorber unit (6); and a bleacher unit; wherein the plant comprises means for directing the NOx-loaded stripping gas to the downstream side of the NOx gas compressor; the plant being characterized in that it further comprises a high-pressure (HP) water electrolyser, in fluid communication with the bleacher unit.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a ceramic heat exchanger manufactured from an oxide material that is highly refractory and highly stable in a wide range of oxygen partial pressures and in the presence of certain gases and which is capable of operating at temperatures ranging from below 400 to well above 1300° C. for a prolonged period of time. The oxide material is represented by the formula: A1-xBxO(3+x+z)/2 where A is selected from the group consisting of La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Y, and mixtures thereof, B represents Zr, Ti or Hf or mixtures thereof, x is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to one, and z is a number that renders the compound charge neutral and is greater than about ?0.1 and less than about 0.2.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a dense single-phase membrane having both high ionic and electronic conductivity and capable of separating oxygen from an oxygen containing gaseous mixture, where the membrane comprises a mixed metal oxide material with interstitial oxygen excess represented by the formula AyA′y′A″y″BxB′x′B″x″B′″x′″O4+&dgr;, where A, A′ and A″ are chosen from group 1, 2 and 3 and the lanthanides; and B, B′, B″ and B′″ are chosen from the transition metals according to the periodic table of the elements adopted by IUPAC wherein 0≦y≦2, 0≦y′≦2, 0≦y″≦2, 0≦x≦1, 0≦x′≦1, 0≦x″≦1, 0≦x′″≦1, and x and y each represents a number such that y+y′+y″=2, x+x′+x″+x′″=1, and &dgr; is a number where 0≦&dgr;<1 quantifying the oxygen excess.