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Section: CRUNS Market & Features

New boilers enhance performance and reliability

A European ammonia plant, has successfully restarted following a revamp of the process gas cooling section, executed by Casale. Casale replaced the outdated boilers located downstream of the secondary reformer with three new double-tube type boilers supplied by Arvos. The new boilers were installed in the same location as the previous ones, minimising investment costs and plant modifications. The more robust and reliable design of the Casale-Arvos boilers has resulted in enhanced overall performance and reliability of the ammonia plant.

Price Trends

Support for ammonia prices in markets east of Suez eroded during February. The ongoing bubble of support seen in NW Europe remained just about intact, though news of further declines at Tampa for March and slumping natural-gas prices should begin to eat away at any remaining support in the West. After declining $70/t during the first two months of 2025, the Tampa settlement between Yara and Mosaic was revised down a further $40/t for March, imposing further downward pressure on f.o.b. values in Trinidad and the US Gulf.