Wet electrostatic dust separation in ammonium nitrate plants

Fertiliser production plants have many issues to be solved regarding emission levels, mainly relating to dust and ammonia, and which require different types of technical solutions and products.

Options that companies such as AWS can supply to achieve the required emissions limits include

• demisters, candles, meshpad and lamellar type mist eliminators
• Jet Venturi scrubbers
• Wet electrostatic precipitators.

This presentation reviews the principles of operation of these technologies, with a comparison between them in terms of efficiency removal and pressure drop.

Focusing on dust control, many industries may be required to reduce the amount of particulates they release into the environment.  These requirements typically depend on application field, location of plants, type and quantity of dust.

The technologies for the dedusting of industrial plants are as follows:

1. Scrubbers
2. Filters
3. ESP

• • Wet ESP
  • Dry ESP

The presentation reviews the applications, advantages, and limitations of each of these technologies. It will conclude with a description of a case study: a new installation of WET ESP technology to control dust at an ammonium nitrate plant run by Lovochemie a.s, which is the first time that this technology has been used in the fertiliser industry.