Tag: Revamping

Sulphur production continues to expand in the Middle East and China both from new refineries and major sour gas projects.

Blended and compound NPK fertilizers are a mainstay of many markets globally. We review the main production technology options.

When revamping the steam methane reformer, a detailed analysis of the whole reformer by an experienced technology licensor with deep plant knowledge is required to achieve the best solutions. Casale presents two case studies which provide examples of what can be achieved when following this approach.

Håkon Reistad Fure stepped down from Yara International’s board of directors in mid-November due to new professional commitments, the company has announced.

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

The refurbishment and modernisation of fertilizer plants offers the opportunity to reduce operating costs, raise production capacity, improve energy efficiency and cut emissions.

Saipem, Stamicarbon, Toyo Engineering Corporation and KBR showcase recent projects and latest technology for urea and nitric acid plants.

The internals of ammonia synthesis converters are generally made of austenitic stainless steel to withstand the harsh operating conditions (high temperature, high pressure and synthesis gas containing hydrogen and ammonia). Since nitriding is the most critical material degradation for the converter internals, Casale has set up a large nitriding analysis campaign. In the last decade, samples of materials operated under different pressures and temperatures and for different time spans have been tested and analysed. The data obtained has been used to increase nitriding knowledge and to establish a correlation to predict nitriding rate to allow the most suitable material and relevant thickness to be selected. L. Redaelli and G. Deodato of Casale report on how this correlation was established and provide valuable insight on this phenomenon and how to predict and control it.

With the sulphur content of crude oil and natural gas on the increase and with the ever-tightening sulphur content in fuels, refiners and gas processors will require additional sulphur recovery capacity. At the same time, environmental regulatory agencies of many countries continue to promulgate more stringent standards for sulphur emissions from oil, gas and chemical processing facilities. Rameshni & Associates Technology and Engineering discusses options for compliance with new regulations on emissions regarding IMO 2020 compliance and report on the results and evaluation of three case studies. Worley Comprimo reports on the revamp of a sulphur complex built in the late 1980s at a refinery in East Asia with the aim to increase the capacity, improve the availability and reliability and make the unit environmental compliant.

An industry-wide push for greater environmentally accountability is driving the need for improved fertilizer cooling methods. Not only is indirect cooling technology more environmentally-friendly, says Igor Makarenko of Solex Thermal Science, it also provides fertilizer manufacturers with a better product.