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The synthesis of urea from ammonium carbamate requires elevated pressures due to its volatility at high temperatures. The process involves converting raw materials, carbon dioxide and ammonia, in a reactor, followed by a separation step to recover unconverted materials for recycling. Operating conditions are typically between 170-200 °C and 130-300 bars, necessitating advanced technology due to factors like reaction heat, pressure, and corrosiveness.

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13 views

ExtractPage3

The synthesis of urea from ammonium carbamate requires elevated pressures due to its volatility at high temperatures. The process involves converting raw materials, carbon dioxide and ammonia, in a reactor, followed by a separation step to recover unconverted materials for recycling. Operating conditions are typically between 170-200 °C and 130-300 bars, necessitating advanced technology due to factors like reaction heat, pressure, and corrosiveness.

Uploaded by

GoKwo Wong
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Since ammonium

carbamate is quite
volatile at these
temperatures it is
necessary to carry
out the synthesis at
elevated pressures.

Figure 1 also shows


that the conversion
of ammonium
carbamate to urea
does not go
completely, leading
to the necessity of a
dissociation and a
recycle process step.

All processes follow


the same general
principle: The raw
materials carbon
dioxide and
ammonia enter the
autoclave or reactor,
Figure 1: Conversion of ammonium carbamate to urea with time at
different temperatures sometimes as
carbamate already,
in which they
(further) react and form urea. The reacted mixture then flows out from the reactor into a decomposer
or stripper, in which the non converted materials are decomposed and separated from the urea
product in the solution. The urea solution is in a condition to recover the final product urea. The
unconverted ammonia and carbon dioxide recovered from the decomposer or stripper are typically
recycled back to the reactor to reach a complete conversion into urea; this is the principle of the so
called total-recycle process.

The corrosion working of carbamate in the liquid phase, like the kinetic rate of the urea formation
reaction and the vapour pressure of the synthesis solution, are roughly an exponential function of the
temperature The conditions in a urea reactor are therefore a compromise of high reaction rate and
degree of conversion and low corrosion rate and reactor pressure.. Normal operating conditions lie in
the area of 170-200 oC and 130-300 bars.

All of the above mentioned factors such as removal (and optimum use) of the large reaction heat of
the carbamate formation reaction, the high pressures involved, the necessity of substantial
recirculation and the severe corrosiveness of the liquid carbamate have necessitated a much more
sophisticated technology for the production of urea than for the production of other nitrogenous
fertilizers.

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