Author: meninderkaurdavies

This case study refers to the carbamate condensers and separators in the urea recirculation and hydrolyser desorber section of a urea plant, operating under normal operation at 0.3 MPa and 75°C. After 48,000 hours of operation, during the turnaround of the urea plant, the diaphragm type instruments were sent to the original equipment manufacturer for inspection and refurbishment. In addition to damage of the diaphragm, crevice corrosion was found in the gasket area (see picture) posing a health and safety risk .

Late February saw the diplomatic crisis between Russia and Ukraine abruptly devolve into all-out war, on a scale not seen in Europe since the collapse of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s – some would argue not since the end of the Second World War. At time of writing, the conflict is still barely two weeks old, but has already produced an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe, and a refugee crisis of massive proportions. But over the medium and longer term, together with the international sanctions that have swiftly followed, it also has the power to deliver an economic shock to commodities markets in particular and the world economy in general that may be as bad if not worse than the crash of 2008-9.

A complete listing of all articles and news items that appeared in Nitrogen+Syngas magazine during 2021.

A complete listing of all articles and news items that appeared in Sulphur magazine during 2021.

A complete listing of all articles and news items that appeared in Fertilizer International during 2021

Sulphur processing from sour gas fields dominates regional production, but the geographical remoteness of the area from end use markets and restrictions on sulphur storage means that producers often opt to reinject acid gas into oil and gas wells.

Catalytic converters are the heart and hub of sulphuric acid plants. Converter replacement of equipment that has come to the end of its life is an opportunity to make improvements to the performance, productivity, reliability, durability and plant emissions. NORAM discusses design and project execution considerations for SO2 catalytic converter replacement and Chemetics considers the challenges and opportunities of converter retrofits.

Global demand for oil products has seen strong recovery in 2021, but depressed kerosene demand from the aviation sector continues to be a major barrier to full recovery, according to data and analytics company GlobalData. The company’s analysis of oil product flows suggests that when kerosene is excluded, oil product demand in Q3 2021 had fully recovered compared to the same period in 2019. However, demand for kerosene, mostly used for jet fuel, has hovered at around two thirds of pre-Covid-19 levels throughout the year, and when that is taken into account, total oil product demand was 3% below pre-Covid levels for Q3 2021. Kerosene demand saw the greatest impact from Covid-19 due to restrictions on air travel. While the sector recovered, to an extent, in the second half of 2020, recovery stalled in 2021 due to new waves of infections and restrictions, with new restrictions linked to the Omicron variant likely to have hit demand again in Q4.

Meena Chauhan , Head of Sulphur and Sulphuric Acid Research, Argus Media, assesses price trends and the market outlook for sulphur.

It’s a slightly dispiriting fact about the sulphur industry that most of its producers don’t really want it. If you’re a refiner or a sour gas producer, you mainly care about the diesel and gasoline or natural gas that you can process and sell, and the sulphur is just the inconvenient component that the law and your customers force you to remove. But at times when sulphur prices, as they have at the start of this January, reach levels as high as $300/t, then the industry standing joke is that sulphur suddenly stops being a by-product or waste product, and starts to become a ‘co-product’ instead.