The document summarizes recent advancements in ammonia and urea industries. Saipem has introduced new "Supercups" for urea reactors that make the process more energy efficient by optimizing urea production and lowering downstream steam consumption. Stamicarbon has launched a new "MeltTM flash design" between reaction stages that results in up to 100kg/tonne of steam savings. New dust control and urea finishing technologies have also been introduced, and Blasch has a new "StaBloxTM flue gas tunnel system" that improves flue gas distribution for higher reformer tube life.

1. Recent advancement in ammonia and urea industries
Sameer Pandey1
National Fertilizers Limited ,Naya Nanagal, Ropar, Punjab,140126
Abstract: The ammonia and urea industry is changing rapidly, with more advanced process coming up, the focus is
more on energy conservation. The newer processes are now designed to be reliable, with lower capital cost, more
service life and at the same time more energy efficient.
Saipem's Supercups:
Recently saipem has introduced snamprogretti supercups as a new solution for trays in urea
reactors. Saipem claims the new supercups make the urea manufacturing process more energy
efficient, as the reactor is optimized to produce more urea, thus lowering downstream steam
consumption for carbamate decomposition.
Supercups uniformaly distribute the light phase over themselves, secondaly each individual cups
acts as a mixer reactor, thirdly the design is such the residence time is optimized.
Stamicarbons Launch MeltTM
flash design :
Stamicarbon released a new concept of flash separator between the high pressure stripper and low
pressure stages. The urea solution from the stripper is flashed adiabatrically in the flash separator.
The recovered urea solution is fed to the rectifying section, the gases from the flash drum are fed to
the shell side of pre-evaporator, here heat of condensation is used for concentrating urea solution in
tube side. The resulting carbamate solution is fed back to the synthesis loop via HP carbamate
pump. The design can be modified to eliminate use of HP scrubber.
The process modification results in steam savings upto 100kg/tonne of urea. The first
implementation of the Lauch MeltTM
flash design was done in year 2013 in Linggu project in China.
The plant has capacity of about 2700 MTPD. The flas design has proven to be realiable concept in
operation in plants.

2. New Dust control technolgies in prilling towers:
Stamicarbon is partnership with Envirocare has launched a new Micromist Venturi scrubber as a
part of six step purifier. Still developments are going on this feature.
New urea finishing technology:
stamicarbon introduced a new flashing process for finishing urea melt as product in plants. The
process involves flashing the urea melt in presssure upto 0.3 bar, all the urea crystallizes and the
water evaporates. The final urea obtained is in the form of powder rather than granules. Reseacrh is
still going on the concept.
New Blasch StaBloxTM
flue gas tunnel system:
StaBloxTM
technology is patent pending. The flow of flue gas
in the radiant section and convection section of reformers in
ammonia plant is very important. A well distributed flue gas
system results in higher tube life of reformers. The tunnel
system design play a major role in this.
The new StaBloxTM
system has blocks containing two holes,
which can be modified with respect to block location and hole
design. The design is as such that the outer tunnel flue gas flow
and inner tunnel flue gas ratio is maintained throughout the
tunnel, which is not the case in conventional tunnel systems.