In every urea plant, high-pressure pumps are used to pump the feedstock ammonia and carbon dioxide to the high-pressure synthesis section and in most urea plants carbamate liquid is recycled from the recirculation section to the synthesis section. This discussion compares the advantages and disadvantages of reciprocating and centrifugal pumps based on operating experiences in the industry.
A discussion about the differences between loose liners and overlay welding for protection of high pressure equipment in urea plants.
Sometimes a serious problem occurs in a urea plant, which forces the plant to reduce capacity or even forces a shutdown. It is then vital to find the root cause of the problem as soon as possible, especially if the problem repeats. Such a situation happened at Khorasan Petrochemical Company in Iran which experienced a problem with the high pressure scrubber.
Pressure safety valves are critical equipment items in any chemical process plant. This article discusses experiences and challenges of pressure safety valves in urea plants.
In several urea plants, 3-way valves in urea melt lines have experienced leakage problems but successful innovations are available that provide a reliable solution.
A discussion on the best methods to solve oil fouling problems of the high pressure stripper in a urea plant.
When operators have a bad experience when operating critical equipment in certain modes, how do you convince them that operating in a certain mode should be possible and that it will bring benefits? This round table discussion discusses the parallel operation of high pressure centrifugal carbamate pumps.
Possible causes and solutions to the problem of high CO2 content in the liquid outlet of a high pressure SO2 stripper in a urea plant are discussed.
In several sections of a urea plant, pipelines can become easily blocked when temperatures become too low and during a shutdown of the plant blocking can occur if the right measures are not taken.
Prilling buckets are the oldest technology to form solid urea in a urea plant. This article looks at the design criteria for prilling buckets and reports on experiences with various designs.