Techno-Economic Study of Retrofitting Ammonia Unit to Reduce Carbon Dioxideemission in a Typical Fertilizer Plant

Abstract

This research presents a comprehensive techno-economic study of the CO2 removal section of a 3850 MTPD ammonia unit in a typical fertilizer plant. The focus is on retrofitting the CO2removal section with a flash gas scrubber to capture significant CO2losses to the reformer fuel header and fuel gas. The captured Carbon dioxide is utilized in the downstream Urea Plant, enhancing the heating value of fuel gas and reducing environmental emissions. Aspen Hysys V8.8 was employed for simulation, using Activated Methyl Diethanolamine (AMDEA) as the absorbent. The results indicate a 95% Carbon dioxide absorption with the installed flash gas scrubber. Design parameters, economic evaluations, and savings calculations were carried out using Excel and Aspen Process Economic Analyzer. The payback period for the project is estimated to be 20 and 21 months for undiscounted and discounted scenarios, respectively. AutoCAD was used for the mechanical drawing of the flash gas scrubber.