Reduce Process Costs with SICK Analytical Solutions: Fertilizer Plant Case Study

World population is growing, but agricultural land is not expanding proportionally. For this reason, large quantities of fertilizers are being used globally to increase agricultural yields. Particularly during the challenging period we are experiencing, the importance and value of agriculture and food production have become clearer. Fertilizer production requires intensive energy use and monitoring. One of the world's largest fertilizer producers selected SICK's gas and dust measurement technology. SICK stood out in the selection phase with its MCS300P process gas analyzer, GM series in-situ gas analyzer, DUSTHUNTER dust measurement devices, and comprehensive services from a single source for use in the facility. Additionally, SICK launched the FWE200DH model dust analyzer, specially developed for fertilizer plants to reliably measure adhesive dust in wet processes, overcoming the challenges of a demanding application. The customer is a global leader in the production of phosphoric acid, various phosphate fertilizers, specialty fertilizers, and feed additives. Phosphate is one of the essential nutrients for plants and one of the basic components of most synthetic fertilizers. Phosphate is typically obtained from phosphate ore, which is converted to phosphoric acid with the aid of sulfuric acid.

This material is then processed with ammonia to be converted to phosphate fertilizer. The customer has large phosphate rock resources and produces some of the basic products itself, such as sulfuric acid.

However, the measurement technology used previously did not always meet expectations as desired. With the addition of new production lines and additional measurements required by local regulations, the company's facility planner (EPC) began searching for a new supplier. Specifically, gas and dust emissions needed to be monitored during the processing of phosphate rock, sulfuric acid, and phosphoric acid production. Another task was process monitoring during monoammonium phosphate and diammonium phosphate (MAP/DAP) production. The objectives were higher facility safety, less downtime, lower operating costs, and real-time production data. Most tasks could be solved with SICK's proven products. During phosphate rock processing, SO2, CO, and CO2 components and accumulated dust needed to be monitored at the exit of rotary kilns. Here, reliable and accurate measurement in the presence of fine dust was of great importance. A GM32 model in-situ gas analyzer for SO2 and NOx, a GM35 in-situ gas analyzer for CO and CO2, and a DUSTHUNTER SP100 model dust analyzer for dust measurement were used. The selected solution stood out both for being reliable and sturdy in-situ measurement technology with an excellent price-to-performance ratio and for minimizing maintenance requirements.

During sulfuric acid production, SO2 emissions in the stack and O2 emissions needed to be monitored.

The MCS300P HW multicomponent analyzer system was the best option because, through hot extractive measurement technique, it required significantly less maintenance and did not require complicated sample preparation. Moreover, its special design proved it to be the most reliable solution due to its robustness in highly corrosive and acidic processes. Since phosphate rock contains fluorine, HF is released in the water scrubber during phosphoric acid production. To control the scrubber, HF monitoring in the stack is necessary. In the project, the GM700 laser gas analyzer, which has proven itself in measuring caustic and corrosive HF, took on this task. During the production of monoammonium and diammonium phosphate (MAP/DAP) from phosphoric acid and ammonia, low NH3 concentrations needed to be measured to control the efficiency of the water scrubber. Additionally, due to fluorine content and its negative impact on fertilizer quality, HF emissions in the stack needed to be monitored. The final, but equally important requirement, was simultaneous measurement of dust emissions. These tasks were particularly challenging because moist, corrosive, and dust-containing process materials seriously complicated continuous measurements. Here, an in-situ GM700 gas analyzer combined with an extractive FWE200DH dust measurement device was selected. SICK developed a special measurement lens for the GM700, which periodically self-cleans. The solution seamlessly prevents severe salt formation in the stack and significantly reduces existing maintenance costs. The ammonia surplus in the process was clearly reduced through continuous measurement. In summary, by continuously monitoring certain important and critical points in the process and taking necessary actions, production costs can be significantly reduced. As SICK, our primary business processes and objectives include reducing our customers' production costs, improving product quality, and being their long-term partner.   Özlem Yavuz Aydınlık Product Manager, Analyzers SICK A.Ş.