Page 12 - European Energy Innovation - Summer 2016 publication

12 Summer 2016 European Energy Innovation

COMMUNICATION

“Blackbox” cooling solution to

enhance Yara’s growth goals

Yara is the leading provider of sustainable crop nutrition solutions,
supporting farmer profitability through knowledge, optimal quality and
productivity. It has a leading position in nitrogen applications, and has
become a total solutions provider in the market for emission control
solutions. The Porsgrunn location, about 140 km southwest of Oslo
produces NPK and CN fertilizers.

NPK fertilizers are primarily makes it the perfect synonym for the because the solution was the focal
composed of three main fast-growth plans of Yara. As part of point, and no stone was left unturned
elements: Nitrogen (N), this program the plant-management in finding this solution. Bronswerk
Phosphorus (P), and has decided to increase the production allocated all possible resources to
Potassium (K), each essential in plant capacity. One of the bottlenecks is the conduct extensive research resulting
nutrition. Nitrogen helps plants grow cooling capacity of the plant during the in a suitable (customized) solution.
quickly, increases the production of summer period. The difficulty in finding this solution
seed and fruit, and betters the quality lay in increasing the production
of leaf and forage crops. Nitrogen is STANDARD OPTIONS VS “BLACKBOX performance while meeting the
also a component of chlorophyll, the OPTION” demands and staying in compliance
substance that gives plants their green As standard solutions could not achieve with the restrictions of Yara. The result
color, and also aids in photosynthesis. the required output temperature (i.e. was an air-conditioning unit different
Phosphorus, also a key player in the as low as possible without having from standard solutions in terms of
photosynthesis process, supports freezing problems) Bronswerk was temperatures and allowable pressure
the formation of oils, sugars, and requested to prepare three customized drops (see figure 1). These kinds of
starches. Additionally, phosphorus options in order to realize the preferred challenges are perfectly suitable for
encourages the growth of roots, and air conditions. The main difference Bronswerk: debottlenecking and
promotes blooming. Potassium, assists between the three options could be revamping existing installations to
in photosynthesis, fruit quality, the found in the degree of compliance improve the capacity within the actual
building of protein, and the reduction with the specifications. All of the plot size limits keeping the original
of disease. The production capacity of three solutions would have the same equipment in tact as much as possible!
the plant is stated in table 1. thermal performance, however the These were exactly the reasons why
“blackbox” option, which was chosen Yara allowed Bronswerk to make their
PORSGRUNN by Yara, would be the fastest and process more sustainable.
The company started the so called most economical solution within the
Bamboo project a couple of years ago. project requirements. This option
Bamboo is a fast growing plant, which was called the black box option

Table 1: Production volumes Yara Porsgrunn site

Production volumes 500,000 tons PROCESS OPTIMIZATION AND
Ammonia 1,350,000 tons SOLUTION
Nitric acid 2,000,000 tons The proposed solution was especially
NPK 810,000 tons designed to meet the critical design
CN (as solids) demands (to cool back washed
ambient air of a temperature of 13°
Celsius (100% RH) to a temperature

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