Stamicarbon, the urea process technology company of Italian engineering group MAIRE, has signed a contract to supply three high-pressure (HP) urea strippers to SKW Stickstoffwerke Piesteritz GmbH in Germany, it is reported.
The client, SKW Piesteritz, is reported to operate one of Europe’s largest integrated ammonia and urea production complexes in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Germany. Stamicarbon will supply three HP strippers based on its proprietary NX STAMI™ Urea process technology, which is expected to debottleneck existing capacity constraints, reduce high-pressure steam consumption, and improve the reliability of the liquid distribution system, according to reports.
Stamicarbon’s parent company, MAIRE, announced that alongside the German contract, it also secured urea plant-related technology contracts in Asia and North America. In Asia, the company was awarded licensing, a process design package (PDP), and proprietary equipment for a roughly 3,500 tonnes-per-day (tpd) grassroots urea plant based on its Ultra-Low Energy (ULE) design. In Canada, it was awarded a PDP contract for a roughly 1,150 short-tpd grassroots urea plant based on its LAUNCH MELT™ Conventional Total Recycle technology, it is reported.
Europe’s fertilizer industry has reportedly been increasing investment in energy cost reduction and efficiency improvements at existing facilities, and this contract is seen as part of that trend. Implications for Korea’s Industry
The contract is cited as a reference point for Korea’s fertilizer and specialty chemical plant sector regarding trends in urea process debottlenecking technology.
Attention is focused on the actual installation and startup schedule for the three HP strippers, and on how much SKW Piesteritz’s production capacity increases through the debottlenecking.