Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources, said on June 3rd that it had begun a planned 60-day maintenance shutdown of its Nchanga smelter in Zambia. KCM said that the routine maintenance is aimed at improving operational efficiency, equipment reliability, and long-term production performance, and forms part of the company’s broader modernisation strategy, […]
CF Industries has delayed a planned multi-week maintenance turnaround at its Donaldsonville, Louisiana complex, the world’s largest ammonia production facility, in response to the supply disruption caused by the Strait of Hormuz closure, the producer announced in a press release. The company said the decision is expected to make approximately 100,000 tonnes of additional granular urea available to US customers during the spring application season. CF Industries added that it is also prioritising new sales to domestic customers over higher-priced export orders for the duration of the spring planting season.
A full sulphur pit turnaround and rehabilitation is typically a once in a lifetime experience for refinery personnel. Specialists in sulphur pit turnarounds, Gavin Palmer of Brindley Engineering, Tom Kline and Bob Hall of Structural Technologies have compiled a database based on multiple sulphur pit turnarounds to identify typical deficiencies in mechanical systems, along with improvements to enhance operability, restore functionality and meet all codes/standards and best practices.
Venkat Pattabathula of SVP Chemical Plant Services, Taylor Archer of Clariant and Seshu Dharmavaram of Air Products, all AIChE Ammonia Safety Committee members, look back at some of the key lessons learned from the Symposium’s 70 year history.
Aurubis says that it has successfully completed scheduled maintenance at its Pirdop plant on time. The two-month operation marked the largest planned maintenance shutdown at the site in the past 30 years. With an investment of €115 million, Aurubis says the work ensures the long-term reliability and performance of the facility. Key upgrades included a full overhaul of the flash smelter, replacement of two electrostatic precipitators, and a major modernisation of the sulphuric acid production line. This modernisation involved installing a new converter and replacing six heat exchangers.
Becht’s Risk Based Work Selection (RBWS) process is a structured, data-driven method that uses risk and benefit-to-cost analysis to optimise turnaround and maintenance work in industrial facilities, resulting in significant cost savings and improved reliability.
thyssenkrupp Uhde has signed a 5-year framework service agreement with Brunei Fertilizer Industries, aimed at advancing digitalisation and implementing clean technologies in the fertilizer industry. Central to these efforts is the set-up and implementation of a digital twin, which will provide a virtual representation of the plant to enable real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and data-driven decision-making. This technology, together with specialized trainings, will allow BFI to enhance operational safety, reduce downtime, and achieve greater energy efficiency.
Apart from having a good plant design, good maintenance practices and good operational discipline are key to optimise the performance of an acid plant and to protect it from corrosion and achieve a long life. B. Mumba, T. Mwanza and P. Ng’ambi of Kansanshi Mining PLC explore the Kansanshi sulphuric acid plant operations and the key parameters monitored and practices adopted that have helped to extend the catalyst campaigns from two years to four years.
In this case study AGRU Kunststofftechnik reports on how a new condenser design, engineered by OMV and INWA AG using PFA sheets from AGRU, was implemented at OMV refinery in Austria to address maintenance problems due to corrosion of the wet sulphuric acid (WSA) condensers and the follow-up units.
Preservation covers the method of protection and preventative maintenance carried out on equipment and systems before and after they are put into use. In power plants, fertilizer units and refineries, expensive equipment like turbines, chillers, power generators, boilers, condensers, panels etc. begin to rust and corrode when in storage or during shutdown or even when in operation due to the presence of excess moisture in the air. Proper downtime procedures are extremely important. In this discussion, preservation and its importance is discussed by urea plant experts.