Energy-saving and environmental-protection potentialities of the falling-curtain process for granulation of urea

Conference · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5202863

Myers, E D; Nunnelly, L M

A new process for production of granular urea from urea melt has been developed by TVA through the pilot-plant stage, and a demonstration-scale plant of 330-ton-per-day (300 metric tons/day) capacity now is under construction. This process offers attractive potentialities for lower investment costs, lower energy consumption, and less generation of dust. There are promising indications that incorporation of formaldehyde in the granules, a practice now used widely to harden granules, reduce dusting, and prevent caking, may not be required in this process. An essential feature of the process is a rotating granulation drum with specially designed internal flights and baffles that direct the in-process urea particles into the form of a dense falling curtain onto which urea melt is sprayed through high-pressure atomizing nozzles. Granules grow to product size by successive surface layering and solidification of melt. Design of the baffles in the drum is such that long drops of the in-process granules, with resultant dust generation, are avoided. Nozzle placement is close to the falling curtain, which promotes efficient layering of melt. A significant portion of the heat released by the solidification of melt and cooling of granules is removed from the grenulator drum by evaporative cooling. With this method of cooling, required airflow per unit of product is relatively low and a relatively small granulation drum is sufficient.

• Research Organization: National Fertilizer Development Center, Muscle Shoals, AL (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5202863
• Report Number(s): CONF-820361-1; ON: DE82902541
• Resource Relation: Conference: TFI environmental symposium, San Antonio, TX, USA, 10 Mar 1982; Other Information: Portions of document are illegible
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
UREA
PRODUCTION
ECONOMICS
ENERGY CONSERVATION
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FERTILIZER INDUSTRY
FORMALDEHYDE
GRANULAR MATERIALS
MANUFACTURING
MATERIALS RECOVERY
PILOT PLANTS
POLLUTION CONTROL
QUALITY CONTROL
RECYCLING
TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
ALDEHYDES
AMIDES
CARBONIC ACID DERIVATIVES
CONTROL
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
INDUSTRY
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
RECOVERY
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
320303* - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Industrial & Agricultural Processes- Equipment & Processes
320302 - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Industrial & Agricultural Processes- Materials