Tower packing increases fertiliser production

Flexeramic structured packing from Koch Knight has been selected and installed for in several towers at a leading phosphate fertiliser producer, providing increased throughput

Koch Knight, a leading innovator in corrosion proof materials and environmental heat transfer equipment, recently provided Flexeramic Type 88 Structured Packing in the new alloy tower of the world's leading potash and phosphate crop nutrients producer.

Over the course of two days in January 2007, Koch Knight Flexeramic Structured Packing was installed in nine, one-foot deep layers in the 20-foot plus diameter tower.

This is the latest installation of Koch Knight packing for the company.

The owner of the installation had previously installed Flexeramic Structured packing in six towers; each employed producing phosphoric acid for crop nutrient products.

Chosen for its low pressure drop compared to random packing, Flexeramic Structured Packing provides the plant with increased throughput for the tower, without the need to increase the tower diameter.

"We're excited to have Flexeramic Structured Packing installed in this sixth tower", said Paul Sims, Southeast region sales manager at Koch Knight: "We look forward to our continued partnership as we help meet the needs and long-term goals of this client".

Designed for long-lasting performance and low pressure drop, Flexeramic structured packing elements are composed of corrugated sheets of ceramic that are vertically aligned in a packed column, eliminating any horizontal surfaces that may create resistance to fluid flow.

This geometric construction dramatically reduces the channeling of both liquid and vapour and provides for more effective contact of sulphuric acid and sulphur trioxide gas.

This increased efficiency offers improvements in moisture removal from the incoming air, which minimises the opportunity for SO3 slip along the absorber wall.

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