Casale is happy to announce the award by Fertiberia of 3 high pressure process boilers (RG boilers) to replace the existing units placed downstream the secondary reformer in their ammonia plant at Palos (Spain). The new boilers will feature the
Casale - SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK design.
The plant was built in the early 70’s under license by MW Kellogg license. The old boilers are based on the traditional design featuring vertical lay out and bayonet-type tubes with water flowing inside the tubes and the hot gas shell side for the first 2 boilers (101-C A/B) and process gas in the tubes for the second boiler (102-C).
This configuration - widely used in the industry so far - has some inherent design weaknesses which determine serious reliability issues during operation, in particular:
- Sludge deposition in the pocket of the bayonets;
- Erosion and corrosion of the tubes;
- Overheating;
- Vibration due to high velocity.
The above drawbacks lead to damages to the tube bundles, which, in turn, are the main cause of costly unexpected shut-downs in ammonia plants and frequent replacement of the tube bundle (typically every 4 years for 101-C).
Casale and SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK | ARVOS have combined Casale’s prowess and experience in ammonia plant revamping with SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK | ARVOS excellence in design and fabrication of heat transfer components and have developed a breakthrough design that addresses the above described issues.
Drawing upon SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK | ARVOS well proven, proprietary SCHMIDT’SCHE
® Double Tube & Oval Header technology platform the new design allows the realization of the following advantages:
- No change in plant configuration;
- Re-use of existing foundations;
- Easy and fast installation, minimising the downtime required;
- Water-cooled tube sheet, no use of any refractory;
- No sludge/scale deposits;
- Low tube skin temperature;
- No crevice corrosion;
- Thermal expansion compensation;
- Trouble-free operation and easy maintenance.
Furthermore the new boilers for Fertiberia will be designed to meet also the future conditions when the plant will be operated with the addition of green hydrogen.
Please contact us if you want to discover how the Casale - SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK boiler can significantly improve the reliability of your plant.
