Krishak Bharati Licenses Patented Technology from KBR to Upgrade Ammonia Plants

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Krishak Bharati Cooperative Limited (KRIBHCO) (Noida, Uttar Pradesh) has initiated efforts to upgrade the technology and capacity of the company's ammonia plants in Hazira, Gujarat. As a part of this initiative, KRIBHCO has entered into an agreement with KBR (NYSE:KBR) (Houston, Texas) for re-engineering the basic design of the plants in addition to licensing KBR's patented Purifier ammonia technology. Work has commenced on the upgrade.

The Hazira complex houses four streams of urea production, each with a capacity of 1,310 tons per day, and two streams of ammonia production, each with a capacity of 1,520 tons per day. A bio-fertilizer unit with a capacity of 150 tons per day is also located at the facility. After the upgrade, the ammonia and urea streams will produce an additional 450 and 350 tons per day, respectively.

The licensed Purifier ammonia technology is a combination of other KBR technologies -- the KBR purifier, mild reforming temperatures, and a magnetite ammonia synthesis converter -- all aimed at increasing the effectiveness of both the process and the equipment.

The Purifier equipment is simple, consisting of only three components: a feed/effluent exchanger, a column with a built-in condenser, and an expander, all assembled within a perlite-insulated cold box. KBR's cryogenic Purifier synthesis gas (syngas) technology uses excessive nitrogen to strip the syngas of its argon and methane impurities. It also ensures a hydrogen to nitrogen ratio of 3:1. A pure and dry syngas input cuts down excessive load on the compression and refrigeration units, and also reduces catalyst usage, synthesis pressure, purge rate, and eventually the size of synloop equipment. The technology also replaces conventional magnetite synthesis units with horizontal or vertical magnetite ammonia synthesis converter units having inter-stage coolers and detachable catalyst baskets. A clean syngas input, shorter synthesis loop, milder reforming temperatures, and the recycling of purge gas are a few features that make the process very energy-efficient.

KRIBHCO is India's largest fertilizer cooperative, producing and marketing more than 1.806 million tons of urea, 1.092 million tons of ammonia, bio-fertilizers and high quality seeds. It has more than 10 seed-processing plants located across the country, providing high quality seeds for food and cash crops. Being a multi-state cooperative, KRIBHCO's products reach the regional agricultural communities through its members, primary agricultural cooperative societies, and Krishak Bharati Seva Kendras, cooperative societies and state cooperative federations.

In addition to providing high quality seeds to farmers, the cooperative also provides mobile soil-testing facilities, farm advisory services and organizes a range of educational programs aimed at improving the quality of seed life. KRIBHCO's indigenous farming model includes five components: the farmer, his fields, family, livestock, and the village-level cooperative. The cooperative's trained field force, consisting mainly of agricultural graduates, is positioned at the grassroot level to provide timely support to farmers.

KRIBHCO's products and services are presently available in 15 states of the country. The cooperative has recently planned to revive a captive jetty on the Hazira coast to import urea from its plant in Oman and also expand services in western and southern India. In addition to fertilizers and chemicals, the cooperative has also diversified into the power and insurance sectors. With the first ever implementation of Purifier ammonia technology in India, KRIBHCO's Hazira plant is set to meet the increasing demands of the country's agriculture sector.

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