Latest issue:
March/April 2019

• Plant Manager+ Problem No. 53: Restriction orifices in VOP exchangers and their influence on biuret formation
  Vertical one pass (VOP) heat exchangers are used in many urea plants. As the residence time in these heat exchangers is small, unwanted side reactions like biuret formation and hydrolysis of urea are limited. Liquid enters the tubes of the heat exchanger at the bottom side via a control valve. Due to the pressure drop over this control valve some flashing will occur.

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• India's dream of self-sufficiency
  Narendra Modi's government has announced its intention to move India back to the self-sufficiency it last enjoyed in urea production in the 1990s. Several urea projects are now under development which could see this goal achieved by 2022.

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• Hydrogen markets and syngas
  Hydrogen production consumption is increasing rapidly as it is increasingly seen as a 'clean' fuel. The future role of syngas in its production however remains uncertain.

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• PGM prices impacting primary gauze technology
  Johnson Matthey demonstrates its expertise in optimisation of PGM based ammonia oxidation catalysts for current market conditions. By developing more sophisticated gauze pack systems, it has been possible to reduce PGM metal weight and therefore nitric acid productions costs, whilst lowering N2O emissions and increasing conversion efficiency.

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• Expansion from the conventional to a multifunctional granulation design
  Over the last 20 years Stamicarbon has been awarded 29 granulation plants covering a wide range of capacities. Today's challenge is the further expansion of the technology to a multi-functional granulation design, which is able to produce urea as well as specialty products like urea ammonium sulphate. B. Cuchiella of Stamicarbon recounts the history of the Stamicarbon urea granulation technology and describes the latest technology innovations.

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• Highly efficient vibrations for urea granules
  Pardis Petrochemical Company (PPC), Iranian owner of one of the world's largest urea granulation plants, uses RHEWUM direct excitation screening technology to achieve the desired high process efficiency, availability, reduced energy consumption and high quality urea granules.

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• A silver bullet to higher margins
  C. Schröder of thyssenkrupp Fertilizer Technology (tkFT) discusses the benefits of product diversification to match changing market requirements. Sulphur-enhanced urea fertilizers and non-fertilizer uses of urea are highlighted as potential attractive solutions for a wider product portfolio for urea producers based on the use of existing equipment.

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• New steam superheater for ammonia production
  A new steam superheater design has been developed to meet the needs of next generation ammonia plants. The improved design fulfils the critical criteria: life time, reliability, and availability, to provide the licensor and the customer with a more reliable solution for improved overall process efficiency. Dr Jörg Weidenfeller of Schmidtsche Schack / Arvos GmbH discusses the development, key features and benefits of the new design.

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