Contents

S.No. Page No.

1. Preface 2

2. Introduction 3

3. Present Scenario 5

4. Ammonia plant 8

5. Urea plant 16

6. Offsites 20

7. Environment Management 24

1
 Preface

No professional curriculum is considered to be complete without work

experience. Every individual who is doing engineering studies has to
undergo this phase of practical study before he considers himself fully
qualified as a potential engineer.

Thanks for IFFCO, I did my summer training in IFFCO Ltd. Phulpur

Unit at Allahabad by the reference of T.P.O. Duration of my training was
four weeks.

IFFCO Ltd. is cooperative sector company. As it is evident from its

name, IFFCO is a reputed fertilizer manufacturing industry. It has
POWER PLANT, AMMONIA PLANT, UREA PLANT, OFFSITE PLANT,
BAGGING PLANT, and DM WATER PLANT. The organization is
functioning by help of 1350 employees.

2
 Introduction

In Asia IFFCO is a premier institution in the field of fertilizers,

Indian Farmers Fertilizers Cooperative Ltd. Popularly known as IFFCO
has emerged as the pioneer venture in the cooperative sector, Born on
3rd November 1967. IFFCO witnessed a meteoric rise and blossomed in
the largest manufacturer and marketer of fertilizers in the country with
an authorized capital of Rs. 35000 cooperative societies. Through its
products NPK, DAP and UREA channelized in 22 states and 2 union
territories, the societies come into being with a modest equity capital
of Rs. 6 lakh in 1967-68 that grew to Rs. 383.87 crores in 1998-99. It
realized its dream of acquiring an impregnable status of global fertilizer
major by expanding production facilities at Aonla, kalol, phulpur, and
Kandla in quick succession.

IFFCO alone contributed about 17.6% of nitrogenous and 16.3% of

phosphoric fertilizer produced in the country during 1998-99. IFFCO has
to its credit four state of the art fertilizer plant at Kalol, Kandla in
Gujrat, phulpur and Aonla in Uttar Pradesh with a total capacity of
production more than 47 lakh tones of fertilizer material.

The success of IFFCO has setup a space for organizing another

cooperative organization on same pattern. In 1980, IFFCO has
promoted the Krishak Bharti Cooperative Ltd. “KRIBHCO” having
authorized capital of Rs. 500 crores, with IFFCO’s contribution of Rs.
100 crores towards equity of this new venture. KRIBHCO has installed a
fertilizer at Haqira near Surat in gujarat with annual production of Rs.
14.5 lakh tones Urea. KRIBHCO owns 2*1350 TDP Ammonia and 4*
1100 TDP Urea plants at a cost of Rs. 960 crores.

3
 Units of IFFCO

There are five units of IFFCO all over the India:

1. IFFCO, Kalol unit.

2. IFFCO, Kandla unit.
3. IFFCO, phulpur unit.
4. IFFCO, Bareilly unit.
5. IFFCO, paradeep unit.

4
 The Present Scenario

At present in IFFCO Neptha Is not used as a raw material. The

natural gas (RLNG) is used as a raw material for production of H2. In
RLNG main content is methane gas which is about 98% and the other
are isopentene, propane etc.

The CEP [Capacity Enhancement Project] will increase the

production by 23% means the production of urea will increase from
1882 tons per day to 2300 tons per day and of ammonia it will be from
2593 to 3400 tons per day.

5
 Awards Won By IFFCO, Phulpur

IFFCO- Phulpur-I Unit has been awarded Runner-up trophy for

"Best Production Performance Award for Nitrogenous Fertilizer Plant -
2010" by Fertilizer Association of India (FAI). The award is given for the
best overall performance of an operating fertilizer unit for nitrogen
(ammonia and urea) for the year 2009-10.

IFFCO- Phulpur Unit-I has bagged “First Prize” of the Prestigious

“National Energy Conservation Award-2008” in the Fertilizer Sector
given by Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power, Government of
India.

IFFCO Phulpur Unit-I has bagged "First Prize" for "Best Production
Performance in Nitrogenous Fertilizer Sector" by "Fertilizer Association
of India".

Phulpur Unit has been adjudged the most "Water Efficient Unit"
by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) & awarded a trophy by
hon'able Minister of 'Major and Medium Irrigation', Govt. of AP, at the
National Award competition for 'Excellence in Water Management',
held in Hyderabad on 17th, Dec. 2008.

IFFCO Phulpur Unit has received following Prestigious Awards

recently:

A) IFFCO Phulpur Unit-I has received 1st National Energy

Conservation award by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE),
Ministry of Power, GOI in appreciation of the
achievement in Energy Conservation in Fertilizer Sector
on Energy Conservation Day in New Delhi.

6
B) IFFCO Phulpur Unit-II has achieved 2nd National Energy
Conservation award by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE),
Ministry of Power, GOI, in appreciation of the
achievement in Energy Conservation in Fertilizer Sector
on Energy Conservation Day.
C) IFFCO Phulpur Unit-I has received Ist Prize from Fertilizer
Association of India (FAI) for Overall Best Production
Performance in Nitrogenous Fertilizer Sector.

7
 Ammonia Plant

The ammonia plant of IFFCO uses the process technology of

Haldor Topsoe, Denmark. In this process the feed stock used was
naphtha. The manufacturing of ammonia involves the following basic
steps:

1. Hydrogenation and Desulphurization:

Ammonia is produced using naphtha as raw material which

contains some amount of Higher Hydrocarbon and the following other
elements:

Lead – maximum 3 ppm (wt.)

Sulphur – 1500 ppm (wt.)

The hydrogenation of cracking of the hydrogen into lower hydrocarbon

such as acetylene and propane is done by passing naphtha through a
catalytic medium.

Because naphtha contains 1500 ppm sulphur which is harmful to

various chemical reaction, catalyst, and therefore, needs to be
removed.

Desulphurization is carried out in two stages, in first stage

naphtha is pumped into a chamber where it is mixed with hydrogen
rich gas and heated. This hot mixture is sent into a hydrotreater reactor
containing two beds of cobalt- molybdenum catalyst where the organic
sulphur compound react with hydrogen gas and from hydrogen
supplied and one or more hydrogen gas and from hydrogen supplied
and one or more hydrogen molecule, unsaturated hydrogen in the
naphtha are also saturated by reaction with hydrogen. The outlet is

8
cooled and condensed unreact hydrogen is separated from naphtha.
The hydrogen sulphide absorbed in condensed naphtha is stripped out
in hydrotreater stripper under comparatively low pressure and higher
temperature. Therefore, in the hydrotreater section, sulphur is reduced
up to 5 ppm.

In the second stage naphtha is devoid of most of the sulphur

compound is pumped to a final desulphuriser unit where again in the
presence of hydrogen rich gas of naphtha is preheated in a fired
furnace and nonreactive sulphur compound are made to react with
hydrogen in presence of cobalt-molybdenum catalyst in a desulphuriser
reactor and the hydrogen sulphide formed, is absorbed by zinc oxide.

In this way final desulphurized naphtha contains less than 0.25

ppm sulphur.

2. Primary and Secondary Reformation:

The desulphurized naphtha and hydrogen rich gas from the zinc
oxide bed of desulphuriser is mixed with excess quantity of medium
pressure superheated steam and it is preheated with the flue gases of
primary reformer furnace. And then this is send to primary reformer
catalyst tubes packed with nickel catalyst and operated at elevated
temperature of 800 to 812 deg.C and pressure 31.6 kg/cm2 (gauge) at
outlet. The hydrocarbons and steam react and form carbon mono
oxide, carbon dioxide and methane. This reaction is an endothermic
reaction, so heat is supplied to the catalyst tubes by burning naphtha
externally as fuel outside the tubes.

9
 Ammonia produces at gaseous state having temperature of 35
deg.C but we store the ammonia in liquid form and this have the
temperature near about -33.5 deg.C at the pressure of 1 atm.

10
 Production of Ammonia By Natural Gas

In this process the feed stock used is now natural gas not
naphtha.

CO2 is the by product.

Ammonia is produced by Haber process

N2 + H2 = 2NH3

Nitrogen is collected from air via air compressors.

The whole plant is working for the hydrogen gas achievement only.

RLNG is supplied by the GAIL in the plant, after reformation

hydrogen is produced. In RLNG sulphur content is very small whereas in
naphtha sulphur content is high. So RLNG is better as compared to
naphtha. In RLNG the major content is methane gas about 98% of its
amount.

Primary Reformation

In the presence of nickel catalyst tubes and at 8120C temperature

and the pressure at 31.6 Kg/cm3 (gauge) at the outlet following reaction
takes place:

CH4 + 2H2O = H2 + CO + CO2 – HEAT

It is an endothermic reaction. This heat is provided by the burners

around the tubes. In primary reformation, the 90% hydrogen is
produced.

11
Secondary Reformation

In secondary reformation rest of 10% methane is reformed. In this

reformer air is supplied at 40 kg pressure and the primary outlet is also
combined. The burning takes place and 10000C temperature is
achieved. For this no heat is supplied and after reformation the
temperature becomes 9400C.

Shift Converter-

To convert the carbon mono oxide gas into carbon dioxide these two
shift converters are used.

High temperature shift converter

Temperature: 3500C

Catalyst: Fe (i.e. iron)

Low temperature shift converter

Temperature: 2000C

Catalyst: Cu (i.e. copper)

CO + H2O = CO2 + H2 + HEAT

Thus CO is converted into CO2.

In ammonia-1 plant the BENFIELD system is used. For absorption of

CO2, K2CO3 solution is prepared.

12
 CO2 + K2CO3 + H2O = 2KHCO3

At high pressure and low temperature (700C). In ammonia-2 plant this

temperature is 660C only.

Strippers are used to strip out the CO2 from mixture of gases. The
pressure of first stripper is 1 Kg/cm3 and temperature is 700C. The
pressure of second stripper is 0.1 Kg/cm3 and temperature is 1250C.

C.D.R. Plant

The new plant called carbon dioxide recovery plant is used for the
production of CO2 from flue gases coming from the burning of RLNG.

Activators

In ammonia-2 plant the activators are DEA (1%) and Glycine. Glycine is
an amine group reagent. V2O5 is mixed for reducing the corrosion
produced by the gases. It creates a layer on the metal. In CDR plant, the
KS-1 is given as activators and it absorbs the CO2 very frequently.

H2O + CO2 = H2CO3

Thus in this way the content of carbon dioxide gets reduced and it
becomes only 0.05% after secondary reformation and shift converters.

The gases coming from the secondary reformers have the

following percentage

H2 : 74%

N2 : 23-24%

CO : 0.3%

CO2 : 0.0.5% or 500 ppm

13
For removing CO and CO2, the Methanation process is done.

H2 + CO or CO2 = CH4 + H2O + HEAT

At last by increasing pressure with compressors from 25 to 125 kg and

at high temperature at 4800C and in the presence of iron catalyst the
Haber reaction takes place which form ammonia. Using Heat
exchangers we reduce the temperature of Ammonia from 4800C to
350C. Here shell and tube type heat exchangers are used.

Ammonia produces at gaseous state having temperature of 350C,

but we store the ammonia in liquid form and this have the temperature
near about -33.50C.

After cooling the refrigeration of ammonia is done by

refrigeration compressors.

Tanks Capacity:

There are two tanks:

1. 10000 ton
2. 5000 ton

In which the ammonia is stored as in liquid form.

14
The main mechanical devices and equipments used in ammonia plant
are:

1. Valves: isolation, check valves, automatic regeneration valves,

control valves.
2. Preheater
3. Gas exchanger
4. Steam trap
5. Turbine: to drive the compressor
6. Gearbox
7. Heater
8. Mechanical seal: to arrest any leakage of steam of ammonia.
9. Couplings
10. The lubrication system is oil based.
11. Reformer
12. Stunner
13. Rotary compressor
14. Filters
15. Centrifugal pumps: to convey the ammonia.

15
 UREA PLANT

Urea synthesis is of historic importance. It being the first organic

compound made in laboratory by a German Wholer in 1828 from
ammonium cynate.

Urea was not produced commercially until 1920, when I.C. Farben
built a plant in Germany, based on ammonium carbamate process.

Uses of Urea:-

a. As fertilizer
b. As a raw material
c. As cattle feed.

Major Commercial Process:-

1. Toyo-Koatsu process (total recycle process)

2. Stami carbon stripping process
3. Snam Progetti process

16
 Description of the Urea Process Technology

In brief urea is produced by synthesis from liquid ammonia and

gaseous carbon dioxide reach to form ammonium carbamate, a portion
of which is dehydrated to form urea and water. The reactions are as
follows:

2NH3 + CO2 = NH2COONH4

NH2COONH4 = NH2CONH2 + H2O

The urea plant uses the process technology of Snam Progetti. This is a
sell striping process. The process root of area production is summarized
in following steps:

a. Compression of Carbon Dioxide-

Compression of carbon dioxide available at approximate 1
atm pressure, to reaction pressure of 155kg/cm2 is done in this
step. This is achieved by a two centrifugal compressor driven by
an extraction cum condensing turbine. Pumping of liquid
ammonia by combination of booster centrifugal pump and by
reciprocating pressure pumps. The high pressure liquid ammonia
also provided for motive force for ejector which recycles
carbamate solution to the urea reactor.

b. Urea Synthesis and High Pressure Recovery Process-

High pressure loop consisting of urea reactor, high pressure
stripper, and horizontal carbamate condense (two units placed in
series). Liquid carbamate separator and high pressure ejector.
Urea is formed in reactor at the about 150 kg/cm2 and 1900C. The
unconverted carbamate and excess ammonia are removed from

17
 urea reactor which enters in the high pressure stripper and self
stripped. Heat required for stripping is supplied by 26 kg/cm2
steam obtained from extraction of carbon dioxide compression
turbine.
The ammonia, carbon dioxide and water vapors from
stripper are condensed along with carbamate in recovery section
of carbamate condenser. Low pressure steam about 1.5 kg/cm2 is
produced in the shell side of the condenser. The high pressure
carbamate is recycled to reactor via high pressure ejector.

c. Urea Purification and Low Pressure Recovery-

Purification of urea takes place in the medium and low
pressure sections operating at 18 kg/cm2 and 4 kg/cm2
respectively. The urea solution leaving the low pressure section
has strength of 72%. The vapors from decomposer of the
purification section are absorbed/stages. The carbamate is
recovered and then pumped to high pressure carbamate
condenser using reciprocating pumps.

d. Urea Concentration-
Two stage vacuum concentrators operating at 0.3 kg/cm2
are provided for concentrating the urea solution to 99.8%. The
low pressured steam in the plant is used for the evaporation
purpose. The melt urea is pumped to prilling tower by means of
melt pump.

18
e. Urea Prilling-
The melt urea is sprayed by a rotating prilling bucket,
rotating at 280-300 rpm, in the prilling tower top. Prills are forms
by cooling of the falling spray droplets against the counter flow of
ambient air inside the prilling tower by natural draft. Urea prills
collects at prilling tower bottom are scraped by revolving scrapper
and dumped on a belt conveyer for transfer to bagging plant bulk
urea storage.

19
 Offsites

All things, which help in production, are-

1. Raw material and water treatment plant

2. Water softening plant
3. Cooling tower
4. Effluent treatment
5. Ammonia storage
6. D.M. plant
7. A.M.F sets

1. Raw Material and Water Treatment Plant-

IFFCO phulpur unit utilizes deep sub soil water from deep
bore wells located in and around plant premises in collected into a
raw water storage tank of 1,60,000 m3 capacity. This water under
goes extensive treatment to make it suitable for use as cooling
tower makes up and boiler feed. The temporary hardness of raw
water is brought down in a lime softener and softened water is
used as cooling tower make-up.

2. Water Softening plant-

This plant is designed to produce 800m3/hr of water for
make-up in cooling tower. The raw water is treated in a reactor
clarifier to remove hardness by using lime and alum.

20
3. Cooling Tower-
Cooling tower are of induced draft cross flow type and
supplied by M/S Paharpur cooling designed to handle
24,500m3/hr cooling water flow to ammonia plant 18,400m3/hr
cooling water to urea plant.

4. Effluent Treatment-
Plant has an elaborate system for proper treatment of each
stream of effluents, so that treated water quality conforms to
applicable standards i.e. limit laid down by UPPCB and MINAS.
The facility provided includes a neutralization system for
regeneration effluent from water treatment plant; deep urea
hydrolyser, sewage treatment plant for domestic sewage, a
stream stripper unit and reverse osmosis effluent recycle plant.
The treated water is completely recycled and reused in the plant
itself and there is no effluent discharge from the plant.

5. Ammonia Storage-
Produced ammonia is stored at 330C and at atmospheric
pressure in a 10000 MT double walled insulated storage tank and
a 5000 MT capacity doubled integrity tank. Ammonia transfer
pumps for transfer of liquid ammonia to the urea plant,
refrigeration package unit for maintaining tank pressure, flare
stake and loading/unloading facilities are provided to meet the
plant requirement safely.

21
6. D.M. Plant (Demineralization)-
Raw water from deep well is collected into a raw water
storage tank of 16000m3 capacity. Water from steam generation
is treated in D.M. Plant.
The plant has two streams each having a capacity of 140
3
m /hr. The plant has been designed and supplied by INDOCAN
ENGG. SYSTEM LTD., PUNE. This plant consist of sand filters,
cation exchangers, mixed bed which are used to remove turbidity,
cations and anions present in water. The treated water is sent to
power plant and other locations of the plant for steam
production. DM plant operation is completely computer
controlled.

7. A.M.F. Sets-
The set is designed to supply electricity during failure of
main power and its capacity is 2.2 MW. It takes auto start incase
of power failure and keeps critical equipments/motors run. DG set
has been supplied M/s B.H.E.L. Bhopal.

22
 Stem Generation Plant

In the IFFCO phulpur four boilers are used for steam generation
purpose. Three are coal fired boiler and one is oil fired boiler.
Generation of steam in each coal fired boiler is 125 TPH at 119 kg/cm2.

Clearly boiler is not completely cubic in shape but is slightly

different. Due to its shape fuel burning is good. Whole fuel is burn in
boiler.

Ash Handling Plant

Power plant consists of three nos. pulverized coal fired boilers each of
125 tons/hr capacity. Normally two boilers will be running and one will
be remain as stand. The ash handling plant has been designed to cater
for all the three boilers. The basic fuel for steam generating units is coal
with average ash contents of around 35%. Bottom ash formed in the
dry bottom, water cooler furnace of steam generating units will be
quenched and collected in water impounded bottom and hoppers. Fly
ash carried away by the flue gas will be collecting in various hoppers in
the flue gas path namely hoppers below economizer, air preheater,
electrostatic precipitator and stack. The various ash hoppers will be
conveyed up to the ash dumping area in the form of slum mixed with
water.

23
 Environment Management and Pollution Control

In IFFCO, the environment is polluted by two main types-

1. Air pollution
2. Water pollution

Other pollution like sound pollution is very less and discussion on this
stage is meaningless.

Environment pollution control and water conservation has been

the motto of IFFCO. The Phulpur unit of IFFCO has proved itself to be a
domed fertilizer plant in the field of environment management and
water conservation. The unit has achieved excellence in the field of
capacity utilization, energy conservation, safety, and environment
management and pollution control. The environment quality and
pollution control at IFFCO Phulpur is efficiently affected by providing all
necessary and sufficient pollution control measure for liquid effluents,
air emissions, domestic sewage and solid wastes. “Prevention is better
than cure” has been the basic of its pollution control program. It has
adopted zero pollution or low pollution technology. Sufficient green
belt has been developed around the factory and township in order to
keep the environment quality in its most natural condition. Several
water conservation schemes have been implemented to conserve the
precious commodity i.e. water to reduce the amount of liquid effluent.

All the necessary effluent treatment units have been

installed and operating efficiently. The treatment facilities comprised of
pH nutrition system for acidic alkaline effluents, gravity oil separator
and disc oil separator for oil recovery, distillation column and deep urea
hydrolyser for waste water generator in urea plant, and ETP based on

24
stream stripping for spec, effluents and guard ponds. For the treatment
of domestic sewage township one sewage treatment plant has been
installed compressing extend biological and physio-chemical treatment.
One effluent recycle plant based on the latest technology of reverse
osmosis has also been installed and operating efficiency for complete
recycle of effluents.

25
 Air Pollution Control Measures at IFFCO Phulpur

1. Pure gas recovery unit for H2 and NH3 recovery burning in next
stage in the ammonia plant.
2. Electrostatic precipitator for separating fly-ash from flue gases.
3. 100 m high chimney for controlling SO2 content in the ambient air.
4. 96 m high natural draft prilling tower to discharge minimum urea
along with air coming out in urea plant.
5. Cyclone dust collector for coal and product handling system in
bagging plant.
6. A flare stake to burn any hydrocarbon emerging from naphtha
handling system.
7. Ammonia scrubber for gaseous emission.
8. An environment lab to check the effluent quality.

26
 Water Pollution Control Measure

1. Waste water treatment section for recovery of CO2 and NH3 from
waste water and recycle into process.
2. Recycling of quench water from inert gas plant into water
softening plant to decrease the effluent.
3. Ash water slurry to discharge the ash produced by burning of coal
to ash pond and then overflow water is carried to guard pond.
4. The most efficient reverse osmosis plant is designed separately to
clean the industrial waste water and for recycling purpose.
5. Sewage.

27