RASHTRIYA CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS LIMITED

Mini Ratna company

ISO -9001 : 2008

ISO -14001 : 2004
OHSAS -18001:2007
OVERVIEW OF THE COMPANY

• Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd. (RCF) is a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU)
in India under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers of the Government of India, based
in Mumbai.
• Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited (RCF) was established in 1978 consequent to the
reorganization of Fertilizer Corporation of India. RCF manufactures Urea and Complex
fertilizers (NPK) along with a wide range of Industrial Chemicals. It is 4th largest Urea
manufacturer in India after IFFCO and NFL.
• The Government of India holds 80% of the Share Capital of the Company as on 31 March
2013.
• Government of India has accorded "Mini-Ratna" status to RCF.
• It has two operating units,
• Trombay Unit, Multiproduct integrated fertilizers & process chemicals factory
in Mumbai spread across 765 acres (including township) ,Manufactures Ammonia, Urea,
Suphala,ANP, Methanol, Nitric Acid, Sulphuric Acid, etc.
• Thal Unit, Large producer of Urea along with Industrial Chemicals located 100 km south
of Mumbai spread across 997 acres (including township), Manufactures Ammonia, Urea,
Methylamines, Formic Acid etc.
RCF LIMITED (THAL UNIT )
 THAL UNIT

• RCF’s super fertilizer unit is locked at Thal in Alibag which is Raigad district of state of Maharashtra . Thal is
5 km away from alibag and 114 km from Mumbai. This complex is spread over 1500 acres. It has
investment of about rs.917/- crores.
• The project was started in 15th January 1981 with the first prills of urea making their debut on ocotober 7
, 1984 , the plant went into commercial production in full swing from march ,1985 onwards.

• The selection of Thal area was done on the basis of basic raw materials . Associated gas and water. The
associated gas is coming up to Mandwa from Uran in the under sea pipeline and the underground pipeline
from Mandwa to Thal.
• The water required in plant is obtained from rivers amba (45km away from factory side) and kundalika.
• A special railway line is laid up to thal for transporting fertilizers from site.
Area covered:
➢ For plants : 820 acres
➢ For townships : 300 acres
➢ For railway siding : 250 acres

Basic raw material requirements:

➢ Gas requirement : 3.15 million Nm3/ day from GAIL
➢ Power requirement : 25 MW from MSEB
➢ Water : 56000 cubic meter / day from MIDC
PLANT IN THAL UNIT

1. Ammonia plant
2. Urea plant
3. Chemical group of plant
4. Heavy water plant
5. Steam generation plant
6. Effluent treatment plant
7. Bagging plant
 THE FERTILIZERS PLANT AT GLANCE

Sr no Plants Plants in nos Capacity

1 Ammonia 2 3500 MTPD
2 Urea 3 6100 MTPD
3 Steam generation (SGP) 2 550 TPH
4 Steam generation stanby 1 275 TPH
5 Heavy water (HWP) 2 110 TPA
6 Capative power ( T.G.Set) 2 30 MW
7 Water treatment (WTP) 2 900 m3/hr
8 Dimethyl formide (DMF) 1 2500 MTPA
9 Methyl amine (MAP-Old) 1 5000 MTPA
Sr no Plants Plants in nos Capacity
10 Methyl amine (MAP-New) 1 6400 MTPA
11 Dimethyl acetamide(DMAC) 1 5000 MTPA
12 Carbon Monoxide (CO plant) 1 1200 Nm3/hr
13 Formic acid (FAP) 1 10000 MTPA
14 Effluent treatment (ETP) 1 1500 m3/hr
15 Bagging plant 1 4500 MTPD
16 Ammonia storage tanks 2 25000 MT
17 Urea storage silos 2 90000 MT
UREA PLANT

VARIOUS PROCESSES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF UREA

1. Snamprogetti process ( Italy )
2. Stamicarbon ( Holland )
3. Mitsui Toatsu or Toyo Koatsu process ( Japan )
SNAMPROGETTI PROCESS ( ITALY )

The urea production process takes place through the following main
operations :
1. Urea synthesis & high pressure recovery.
2. Urea purification & low pressure recovery.
3. Urea concentration.
4. Urea prilling.
 UREA SYNTHESIS & HIGH PRESSURE RECOVERY.

• Urea is synthesized from liquid ammonia & gaseous carbon-di-oxide. . The carbon dioxide drawn from battery
limits at about 1.6 ata pressure & about 40°C temp is compressed in a centrifugal compressor upto 162 ata .
A small quantity of air is added to the CO2 compressor suction in order to passivate the stainless steel
surfaces .Thus protecting them from corrosion due both to the reagent & the reaction product .
• The liquid ammonia coming directly from battery limits is collected in the ammonia receiver tank from
where it is drawn to & compessed at about 23 ata pressure by means of centrifugal pump. Part of this
ammonia is sent to medium pressure absorber & remaining part enters the high pressure synthesis loop . The
NH3 of this synthesis loop is compressed to a pressure of about 240 ata . Before entering the reactor it is
used as a driving fluid in the carbamate ejector, where the carbamate coming from carbamate separator is
compressed upto synthesis pressure . The liquid mixture of ammonia & carbamate enters the reactor where
it reacts with compressed CO2 .
• In the reactor the NH3 & gaseous CO2 react to form amm. Carbamate , a portion of which dehydrates to
form urea & water . The fraction of carbamate that dehydrates is determined by the ratios of various
reactants , operating temp , the residence time in the reactor & reaction pressure . The mole ratio of NH3 /
CO2 is around 2:1 , the mole ratio of water to CO2 is around 0.67 : 1 .
2NH3(g) + CO2(g) NH2COONH4(s) exothermic
NH2COONH4(s) NH2CONH2(s) + H20(l) endothermic
• In the synthesis conditions ( T= 190°C , P= 154 atm) , the 1st reaction occurs rapidly & is completed . The
2nd reaction occurs slowly & determines the reactor volume .
• Urea reactor is a plug flow type with 15 no.s of sieve trays to avoid back mixing & to avoid escape of
gaseous CO2 which must react in the lower part of the reactor . Stagewise decomposition is carried out to
reduce water carry over to the reactor which could adversely affect conversion .
• Urea solution containing urea , carbamate , H2O & unconverted CO2 & NH3 enters the high pressure
stripper where the pressure is same as that of the reactor . The mixture is heated as it flows down the
falling film exchangers . The CO2 content of the solution is reduced by the stripping action of NH3 as it
boils out of the solution . The carbamate decomposition heat is supplied by 24 ata steam . The overhead
gases from stripper and the recovered solution from the MP absorber, all flow to the high pressure
carbamte condenser through mixer, where total mixture , except for a few inerts is condensed &
recycled to the reactor by means of carbamate ejector . Condensing the gases at high temp & pressure
permits the recovery of condensation heat in the production of steam at 4.5 ata in the high pressure
carbamate condenser.
• From the top of the carbamate separator the incondensable gases come out consisting of inerts & a little
quantity of NH3 & CO2 unreacted in the condenser .These are sent to the bottom of MP decomposer.
UREA PURIFICATION & LOW PRESSURE RECOVERY

Urea purification takes place in two stages at decreasing pressure as follows :

• 1st stage at 18 ata pressure, i.e, MP decomposer
• 2nd stage at 4.5 ata pressure ,i.e, LP decomposer

1st stage purification & recovery stage at 18 ata:

• It is falling film type MP decomposer . It is divided into 2 parts : Top separator, where the
released flash gases , the solution enters the tube bundle & decomposition section where the
residual carbamate is decomposed & required heat is supplied by means of 24 ata steam
condensate flowing out of the stripper .
2nd purification & recovery stage at 4.5 ata:
• The solution leaving the bottom of MP decomposer is expanded at 4.5 ata pressure & enters
the LP decomposer (falling film type). This is again divided in to two parts : top separator
where the released flash gases are removed before the solution enters the tube bundle .
Decomposition section where the last residual carbamate is decomposed & the required heat
is supplied by means of steam saturated at 4.5 ata.
UREA CONCENTRATION

• Next section is urea concentration & objective is to reduce water content of urea to as low
as 1 % . For the purpose a vacuum concentrator in two stages is provided . The solution
leaving the LP decomposer bottom with about 72% urea is sent to the 1st vacuum
concentrator operating at a pressure of 0.23 ata .
• The mixed phase coming out enters the gas liquid separator, wherefrom the vapours are
extracted by the 1st vacuum system, while the solution enters the 2nd vacuum concentrator
operating at a pressure of 0.03 ata .
• The two concentrators are fed by saturated steam at 4.5 ata . The mixed phase coming out
enters the gas liquid separator , wherefrom the vapours are extracted by the 2nd vacuum
system .
UREA PRILLING

• The molten urea leaving the 2nd vacuum separator is sent to the prilling bucket by means of a
centrifugal pump .
• The urea coming out of the bucket in the form of drops fall along the prilling tower &
encounters a cold air flow which causes its solidification .
• The solid prills falling to the bottom of the prilling tower are sent through the screeners to
retain lumps only , & then to belt conveyor which carries the product to the automatic
weighing machine & to the urea storage sections .
• Urea lumps by the means of belt conveyor are recycled to the underground tank, where they
are dissolved .