Suction Air Cooling for Fertilizer Industry
Deepak Fertilisers & Petrochemicals Corporation Limited, a leading producer of fertilizers and industrial chemicals in India, faced production challenges with their weak nitric acid plant located in Dahej, Gujarat. The plant had been acquired, shifted, and reinstalled from a working site in the USA, but was not realizing the same capacity of production as it did in the USA. The process involves compressing ambient air for the synthesis process, and the key parameter was the mass of air fed to the synthesis.
Problem:
The plant was facing issues with realizing the same production capacity of nitric acid as that in the USA, especially during the hot months of summer. The problem was diagnosed as the suction air to the compressor needed to be cooled to increase the compressor's output.
Solution:
Aqua Chill Systems, along with the user team, came up with a unique solution to improve the productivity of the plant by cooling the suction air of the process air compressor. The solution involved using absorption chillers powered by low-cost steam from a gas recovery project.
Challenges:
- Achieving thermal performance of cooling the ambient air to ISO conditions was managed by selecting appropriate cooling equipment and metallurgy.
- Achieving fluid dynamic properties, with limited pressure drop in the compressor intake and no suspended moisture particles in the compressor inlet.
- Addressing the peak cooling demand of the suction air cooling through the absorption chiller, which had surplus steam only sufficient for 70% of the demand.
Innovation:
Aqua Chill came up with a highly innovative idea of using a thermal flywheel to address the peak cooling demand issue. The flywheel involved storing chilled water in a tank, reducing the size of the absorption chiller by 30%, and improving energy efficiency by reducing the energy consumption of cooling water pumps and cooling tower fans. The system was monitored by a full- fledged instrumentation and PLC system and was a first-of-its-kind in India.
Result:
Aqua Chill's unique solution and implementation increased the compressor output by 15% or more, and the company continues to provide the best solutions to its customers through technical expertise and seamless execution processes.
Conclusion:
With Aqua Chill in charge of your project, you can always expect the best solutions and seamless execution processes, resulting in improved production and energy efficiency.