Category: Technology

A report on CRU’s annual Sulphur+Sulphuric Acid Conference, held in Barcelona, in early November.

Urea revamp activities are performed to achieve improvements of the urea plant. Besides the typical capacity increase there are many options to reduce operation costs, increase plant availability or reduce environmental impact. In this article Marc Wieschalla of thyssenkrupp Uhde GmbH provides an overview of some of the options from an EPC contractor point of view.

One challenge of a green revamp by stepwise injection of green hydrogen into existing ammonia/urea complexes is to cover the nitrogen demand for the ammonia synthesis while stepwise reducing the front-end load, usually by applying a cost-intensive air separation unit (ASU). thyssenkrupp Uhde GmbH has developed an advantageous concept whereby, instead of an ASU, the nitrogen gap is closed by the introduction of pretreated reformer flue gas back into the ammonia process, with the side effect to also enhance CO2 production.

In recent years, extensive and severe internal attack has been observed of carbon steel equipment and lines in aqua ammonia service at several Yara manufacturing sites across the globe. In all cases, the damage has a distinct flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC) signature which challenges the current understanding of FAC. All features typically observed for this kind of damage mechanism, that seem to be specific to the NH3 recovery section of ammonia plant, are reported. Upgrading the material of construction for this unit, will solve this failure mode, but a leak would potentially generate health and safety problem for the release of ammonia.

One of the key challenges of producing RFNBO (renewable fuels of non-biological origin) compliant ammonia is managing the intermittency associated with renewable energy sources for hydrogen production. Furthermore, the additional costs associated with managing this intermittency can be significant. In this article, Dr Solomos Georgiou of AFRY Management Consulting explores those additional costs as well as potential ways to achieve cost savings and make RFNBO-compliant ammonia production competitive against conventional ‘grey’ ammonia.

As the oil and gas industry focus on new requirements for CO2 recovery, cryogenic processes come under the spotlight. Mahin Rameshni and Stephen Santo of RATE USA discuss the importance of cryogenic processes in acid gas sweetening. Liquefied H2 S and CO2 reinjection is proposed as a cost effective alternative to large sulphur plants.

Revamping aging urea plants with the latest urea technology brings many benefits. Not only can greenhouse gas emissions be reduced, but the overall performance and sustainability of these facilities can also be optimised. Hiroo Kunii of Toyo Engineering Corporation discusses TOYO’s approach to urea plant revamping.

For six decades, Chemetics has been a pioneering force in the sulphuric acid design and equipment industry, consistently introducing groundbreaking technologies that have revolutionised the field by optimising the methodology in which chemicals are produced. This year, Chemetics celebrates its 60-year anniversary as one of the leading designers, direct equipment suppliers and fabricators that has modernised the sulphuric acid industry of today. This article dives into Chemetics’ rich history and key innovations that have shaped and moulded the industry.

In this revamp case study Scott Kafesjian and Quinn Kotter of Wood demonstrate how Wood sulphur technology was implemented at a 46-year old refinery SRU to improve reliability, operability and performance to meet new requirements for increased flexibility and higher availability.

Stamicarbon, in collaboration with KT Tech, has developed a cryogenic energy storage system, named GALCES , for green ammonia plants that addresses the intermittency challenges of renewable energy supply. The technology not only supports the sustainability goals of the ammonia production industry but also contributes to broader energy market stability and efficiency.