Indirect Plate Heat Exchangers Offer Long Term Operating Performance

Abstract

Twenty years ago a new technology was introduced to the fertilizer industry for cooling the final product before storage. The technology is based on indirect heat transfer using water cooled plates, instead of the rotary drum and fluid bed coolers which to that point were the industry standards. By eliminating large volumes of air, indirect plate exchangers offer the benefit of lower installed capital cost, much lower power consumption and reduced emissions. The result is significantly lower cost of ownership. Although the concept of the technology is simple, successful implementation requires a detailed knowledge of the science of indirect heat transfer, mass flow of bulk solids and the thermal characteristics of fertilizers. The technology is proven in more than 100 fertilizer plants worldwide in every type of fertilizer, nitrogen base, phosphates, potash and specialty fertilizers.