Nitric acid

process na1000tm
simple, reliable
and well-proven
 casale NITRIC ACID Process na1000tm

nitric acid
process na1000tM ammonia
water

absorber

The NA1000TM nitric acid technology technology is Casale process for plants with capacities ranging
from 50 to 1000 MTD. air

The process was formerly developed and delivered by GP and was acquired
reactor
by Casale in 2014 together with entire technology portfolio of GP’ Nitrates and Phosphates.
air
KEY FEATURES bleacher
• Mono Pressure process
• Proven design De nox
• Optimized plant cost
• High ammonia conversion
expander
• Low emissions
• High energy efficiency. nitric acid

nitric acid processes

Two different processes are available, depending on the operating pressures, respectively:
• mono pressure processes
• dual pressure processes.
In the mono pressure processes the operating pressure is the same throughout the plant
whilst in the dual pressure ones ones the oxidation of ammonia takes place at a lower
pressure than in the subsequent phase.
The typical operating range required is 70 - 110% of the nominal plant capacity.
The investment costs of mono pressure plant are lower than in case of dual pressure ones but their
operating costs are higher. Mono pressure processes are usually preferred for small capacity plants.
Dual pressure plants are more sophisticated, requiring higher investments on one hand but, on the other
hand, having reduced operating costs, and for such reasons they are recommended in case of higher
capacities.
The selection between mono and dual process is usually driven by:
• the capacity of the plant
• the cost of raw materials, catalysts and utility
• specific local conditions or client demands.

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 casale NITRIC ACID Process na1000tm

na1000tm
process outline
The nitric acid is produced in a mono pressure unit and it is delivered at the battery limits The heat released by the acid formation and the NO oxidation is removed by the cooling water
at different concentrations, depending on Client s specific needs. circulating in the coils.
The ammonia feed is supplied as liquid and it is first evaporated and superheated, A discontinuous purge from some trays is effected in order to maintain the chlorides
then mixed with air before oxidation in the burner followed by the absorption of nitrous gases concentration at a low level.
and the eventual acid production. The nitric acid is recovered from the first tray of the absorber and sent to the bleacher housed
in the tower, below the absorption part. Here, the dissolved nitrous gases contained in large
The gas distribution, velocity, contact time and oxidation temperature on the platinum gauzes amounts, which color the acid, are eliminated by stripping with hot air, reaching a NO2 content
are optimized to achieve a high ammonia conversion efficiency and to minimize the catalyst in the colorless, bleached acid of less than 100 ppm (expressed as HNO2) .
losses. The acid is then finally sent to storage.
At the outlet of the burner, the nitrous gas mixture flows successively through a train of heat At the outlet of the absorber the NOx content in the tail gas is usually lower than 600 ppm.
exchangers: The tail gas from the absorber, pre-heated in the two tail gas heaters, is sent to the selective
• Steam super heater catalytic reactor for reduction of its NOx and N2O content and then to the tail gas expander
• Waste heat boiler for energy recovery.
• Tail gas superheater
• Economizer
• Reaction water condenser.
The heat exchanger train is optimized to maximize both the energy transfer to the tail gas
Turbo machines
The mechanical train includes:
and the production of HP steam without over-complicating the process and avoiding the risk
• an air compressor to supply the process air
to work in corrosive areas.
• a tail gas expander to recover the energy of the hot tail gas before venting to the atmosphere
The nitrous gas cooling and the strong acid condensation occurs in a cooler condenser. • a steam turbine to balance the power.
The acid is separated from the nitrous gas in a separator at the outlet of the condenser
and recycled to the absorber where it is fed on the tray with the matching nitric acid
concentration.
The nitrous gas coming from the condenser enters into the bottom of the absorption part of
the tower where the production of nitric acid takes place on the absorber trays by absorption
and reaction of nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen tetra oxide with water fed on the upper tray.
The process water flows counter-currently in respect to the nitrous gas, down from the top
tray to the bottom of the absorber.

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 casale NITRIC ACID Process na1000tm

services
Casale provides a comprehensive range of services including:
• know-how and process design
• basic engineering
• detail engineering
• procurement and supply of all materials.
Furthermore, in combination with their sister company, Casale Project (formerly known as
Chemoproject Nitrogen), Casale is in position to supply the entire plant on turnkey basis.
Casale Project is a reputed engineering and construction contractor with over
20 years of experience in the following fields:
• Nitric acid
• Ammonium Nitrate
• Ammonia
• Urea melt and granulated
• NPK fertilizers
• CAN.
Since 2014 Casale Project is part of Casale Group and the synergic combination of
their experience as global contractor together with Casale know-how and process leadership in
nitric acid technology brings unparalleled advantages to our clients:
• Best performances from one of the most referenced process in the world
• Minimum environmental impact
• Optimized plant configuration for high cost effectiveness
• Wide flexibility in the project execution, with capacity to adapt our scope of supply to specific
needs and local conditions
• Proven construction capabilities
• Effective integration with both upstream processes (ammonia) as well as downstream
(e.g. nitrates), thanks to Casale’s complete technology portfolio encompassing the entire
nitrogen fertilizer production chain.

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 casale NITRIC ACID Process na1000tm

nitric acid plant

GPN, Le Grand-Quevilly

nitric acid plant

BorsodChem, Kazinbarcika

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 casale NITRIC ACID Process na1000tm

Left page Absorption tower

Left General view

nitric acid plant

Right Compressor house
ZAK, Kedzierzyn

references
More than 15 plants worldwide have adopted Casale’s mono pressure process, up to 900 MTD
capacity, whilst Casale Project has completed 10 nitric acid projects.

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 FEDERICO BOLLARINO SRL
Via Giulio Pocobelli, 6 | 6900 Lugano | Switzerland (CH)
tel. +41 91 6419200 | fax +41 91 6419291
www.casale.ch | info@casale.ch

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