Conditions of the Process

Catalyst

The catalyst is actually a little more complicated than pure iron. It has potassium hydroxide added to it as a promoter and potassium hydroxide increases efficiency.

Pressure

The pressure of the process varies from one plant to another, but usually is always high.

Recycling

At each pass of the gases through the reactor, only 15% of the hydrogen and nitrogen converts to ammonia.  By continual recycling of the not reacted nitrogen and hydrogen, the overall conversion is about 98%


The mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen going into the reactor is in the ratio of 1 volume of nitrogen to 3 volumes of hydrogen.

Avogadro's Law says that equal volumes of gases at the same pressure and temperature must contain equal numbers of molecules. That means that the gases are going into the reactor in the ratio of 1 molecule of nitrogen to 3 of hydrogen.