Section: CRUNS Market & Features

Market Insight courtesy of Argus Media

The ammonia market appears to be oversupplied as of the end of October 2022, with a ready availability of spot cargoes. Coupled with increased availability from European producers due to an easing of gas prices, this seemed to indicate bearish market sentiment for the immediate future.

Casale has developed a range of methanol-ammonia coproduction processes to match different requirements according to product capacity.

The curtailment of ammonia production in Europe and reduction in export supply from Russia has led to an unprecedented year for the merchant ammonia market.

The latest improvements to melamine process technology now make it even easier to integrate a melamine plant with an ammonia and urea fertilizer complex. Guido Canti of Eurotecnica and Marc Wieschalla of thyssenkrupp Uhde discuss the benefits of plant integration.

Industry focus on technologies to reduce the carbon intensity of ammonia and methanol production has been intensifying. In this article thyssenkrupp Uhde, Proton Ventures, Toyo Engineering Corporation, Stamicarbon, BD Energy Systems and KBR report on some of their latest technology developments towards decarbonisation.

Refractories are heat resistant materials used in high temperature processes to protect industrial equipment such as utility boilers, heaters, and ammonia primary and secondary reformers against heat and chemical attack. In this article Hasan Akbari of Kermanshah petrochemical Industrial company (KPIC) reports on experiences of different stages of refractory casting in the secondary reformer of an ammonia plant, located in Kermanshah province of Iran (KPIC – Phase II). The pouring operation was carried out in three stages and each section was cast nonstop for a period of three days in total.

Fischer-Tropsch technology has long offered alternative production routes to synthetic fuels, but has struggled to make a use case outside of some niche applications. Could the greening of the chemical industry offer another way forward for the technology?

Venkat Pattabathula, a member of the AIChE Ammonia Safety Committee, reports on the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ Safety in Ammonia Plants and Related Facilities Symposium, held at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, USA, on 11-15 September 2022.

Catalysts are of crucial importance in a number of chemical processes and hence, their quality has a direct impact on the efficiency and operating costs of chemical plants. This refers especially to ammonia production, since this process is energy-consuming.