Urea Manufacturing Plant

Chapter 02
Comprehensive design project
24
2.2.2 Stamicarbon CO2
-stripping process
In this process to achieve maximum urea yield per pass
through the reactor at thestipulated optimum pressure oI
140 bar, an NH
3
:CO
2
molar ratio oI 3:1 is applied. The greaterpart oI the
unconverted carbamate is decomposed in the stripper,
where ammonia and carbondioxide are stripped oII. This
stripping action is eIIected by countercurrent contact
between theurea solution and Iresh carbon dioxide at
synthesis pressure. Low ammonia and carbon
dioxideconcentration in the stripped urea solution are
obtained. Such that the recycle Irom the lowpressure
recirculation stage is minimized. These low concentration
oI both ammonia and carbondioxide in the stripper
eIIluent can be obtained at relatively low temperatures oI
the urea solutionbecause carbon dioxide is only sparingly
soluble under such conditions.Condensation oI ammonia
and carbon dioxide gases, leaving the stripper, occurs
inthe high pressure carbamate condenser as synthesis
pressure. As a result, the heat liberated Iromammonium
carbamate Iormation is at a high temperature. This heat is
used Ior the production oI 4.5bar steam Ior use in the urea
plant itselI. The condensation in the high pressure
carbamatecondenser is not eIIected completely.
Remaining gases are condensed in the reactor and
providethe heat required Ior the dehydration oI carbamate,
as well as Ior heating the mixture to itsequilibrium
temperature. In recent improvement to this process, the
condensation oI oII gas Iromthe stripper is carried out in a
pre reactor, where suIIicient residence time Ior the liquid
phase isprovided. As a result oI urea and water Iormation
in condensing zone, the condensationtemperature is
increased, thus enabling the production oI steam at higher
pressure level.The Ieed carbon dioxide, invariably
originating Irom an associated ammonia plant,always
contains hydrogen. To avoid the Iormation oI explosive
hydrogen-oxygen mixture in thetail gas oI the plant,
hydrogen is catalytically removed Irom the CO
2
Ieed. Apart Irom the airrequired Ior this purpose,
additional air is supplied to the Iresh CO
2
input stream. This extrapotion oI oxygen is needed to
maintain a corrosion-resistance layer on the stainless steel
in thesynthesis section. BeIore the inert gases, mainly
oxygen and nitrogen, are purged Irom thesynthesis
section, they are washed with carbamate solution Irom the
low pressure recirculationstage in the high pressure
scrubber to obtain a low ammonia concentration in the
subsequentlypurged gas. Further washing oI the oII gas is
perIormed in a low pressure absorber to obtain apurge gas
that is practically ammonia Iree. Only one low pressure
recirculation stage is requireddue to the low ammonia and
carbon dioxide in the stripped urea solution. Because oI
the idealratio between ammonia and carbon dioxide in the
recovered gases in this section, water dilutionoI the
resultant ammonium carbamate is at a minimum despite
the low pressure (about 4 bar). Asa result oI eIIiciency oI
the stripper, the quantities oI ammonium carbamate Ior
recycle to the

Urea Manufacturing Plant

Chapter 02
Comprehensive design project
25synthesis section are also minimized, and no separate
ammonia recycle is required.The urea solution coming
Irom the recirculation stage contains about 75 wt
urea.This solution is concentrated in the evaporation
section. II the process is combined with aprilling tower
Ior Iinal product shaping, the Iinal moisture content oI
urea Irom the evaporationsection is 0.25 wt. II the
process is combined with a granular unit, the Iinal
moisture contentmay wary Irom 1 to 5 wt, depending on
granulation requirements. Higher moisture content canbe
realized in a single stage evaporator; where as low
moisture content are economicallyachieved in a two stage
evaporation section.When urea with an extremely low
biuret content is required ( at maximum oI 0.3wt) pure
urea crystals are produced in a crystallization section.
These crystals are separatedIrom the mother liquor by
combination oI sieve bends and centriIuges and are
melted prior toIinal shaping in a prilling tower or
granulation unit.The process condensate emanating Irom
water evaporation Irom the evaporation orcrystallization
sections contains ammonia and urea. BeIore this process
condensate is purged,urea is hydrolyzed into ammonia
and carbon dioxide, which are stripped oII with steam
andreturn to urea synthesis via the recirculation section.
This process condensate treatment sectioncan produce
water with high purity, thus tr
ansIorming this 'waste water treatment into the
production unit oI a valuable process condensate, suitable
Ior, e.g., cooling tower or boiler Ieedwater makeup. Since
the introduction oI the Stamicarbon CO2 stripping
process, some 125 unitshave been built according to this
process all over the world.