Process Simulation of

Urea Plant in Aspen

Under the guidance of

Prof. Ashish Gangwal

By

Rahul Ghalme
Chemical Engineer

Urea
Properties of urea
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

Molecular Weight: 60.05

Molecular Formula: NH2CONH2
Melting Point: 132.7
Boiling Point: Decomposes
Fairly soluble in water

6) State : Crystal prismatic or powder

7) Flammable Limit : Non-flammable
8) Density : 1323 kg/m3 at 20-24C

Consumption Pattern
End uses:
Urea is used in solid fertilizer, liquid fertilizer and
miscellaneous applications such as animal feed, urea,
formaldehyde resins, melamine and adhesives.

Production Pattern :
Urea is the nitrogen compound with the largest production
volume In world. Its utilization is increasing steadily, it being
the preferred nitrogen fertilizer. Because it is the world wide
shift to the high nutrient-high nitrogen fertilizers provided by
urea in solid or aq. solution form.
Urea can be easily granulated.

Methods of Production
Ammonium

carbamate decomposition

Ammonia and CO2 are compressed and reacted at 100-200

atm and 170 C-190 C in an autoclave to form ammonium
carbamate. Urea is formed by dehydration in low pressure
stripping operation. Process modifications occur in recycle of
unreacted NH3CO2 and percentage excess NH3 in reactants.

Chemical reactions
CO2 + 2NH3 NH4COONH2;
NH4COONH2 NH2CONH2 + H2O;
Undesirable side reaction
2NH2CONH2 NH2CONHCONH2 + NH3

 Raw materials:
The principal raw materials required for this purpose are
CO2 from synthesis gas manufacture and NH3 .

Process description:
1. Ammonia and CO2 are compressed separately and added

2.

to the high pressure autoclave which must be water

cooled due to highly exothermic nature of the reaction.
The average residence time in autoclave which is
operated on cont. basis is 1.5-2 hours. A mixture of urea ,
ammonium carbamate , water and unreacted NH3+ CO2
results.
The liquid effluent is let down to 27 atms and fed to a
special flash evaporator containing a gas liquid separator
and condenser .

Unreacted water, NH3 , CO2 as a solution are thus removed

and recycled. An aq. Solution of carbamate urea is passed to
atmospheric flash drum where further decomposition of
carbamate take place. The off-gases from this step can either
be recycled or sent to NH3 process for making chemical
fertilizer.

3.The 80% aq. Urea solution can be used as is or sent to a

vacuum evaporator to obtain urea containing less than 1%
water. The molten mass is then sprayed into a prilling tower.

Flow sheet designed in ASPEN

Major Engineering Problems

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Autoclave variables
Carbamate decomposition and recycle
Production of granular urea(Prilling)
Heat dissipation in autoclave
Corrosion

THANK YOU