Integrated process for making methanol and ammonia

An integrated process for making methanol and ammonia, comprising the steps of:

• separating air into a substantially pure nitrogen stream and a substantially pure oxygen stream;
• reforming a desulfurized hydrocarbon feed with steam at a molar ratio of steam to carbon of from about 2.5 to about 3.5 in a primary reforming zone, at a pressure of from about 2.7 MPa(g) to about 5.2 MPa(g) and at an exit temperature of from about 750.degree. C. to about 900.degree. C., to form a partially reformed hydrocarbon stream;
• reforming said partially reformed stream with said oxygen stream and steam in an adiabatic secondary reforming zone, at a pressure of from about 2.7 MPa(g) to about 5.2 MPa(g) and at an exit temperature of from about 900.degree. C. to about 1050.degree. C., to form a methanol synthesis gas makeup stream containing less than about 3 mole percent methane;
• passing a methanol synthesis gas feed including said makeup stream to a methanol synthesis zone operated at a pressure of from about 6.2 MPa(g) to about 10.3 MPa(g);
• separating a recycle gas stream from methanol produced in the methanol synthesis zone to form a crude methanol stream;
• recycling a first portion of said recycle gas stream to said methanol synthesis zone in said methanol synthesis gas feed passage step;
• removing a second purge portion of said recycle gas stream as a purge gas stream;
• treating said purge gas stream for CO.sub.2 removal;
• washing said purge gas stream with nitrogen from said nitrogen stream to remove residual carbon oxides and methane, wherein said purge portion is mixed with a stoichiometric proportion of said nitrogen to produce an ammonia synthesis gas stream;
• reacting said ammonia synthesis gas in an ammonia synthesis zone at a pressure of from about 8.3 MPa(g) to about 17.2 MPa(g) to form ammonia;
• recovering said ammonia from the ammonia synthesis zone.