Problems Experienced in Ammonia

Storage Tank at GNFC, Bharuch

R.N. Desai
and
M.B. Shah
Gujarat Na rmada Valley Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd.,
PO:Narmadanagar - 392 015, Bharuch, Gujarnt

Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd, Bharuch promoted by the
Government of Gujarat in the year 1976 has diverse business entities. The company
produces more than 5.5 lac tonnes of Ammonia and 7.0 lac tonnes of urea per annum.
GNFC is India's largest producer of Industrial chemicals like Formic Acid, Acetic Acid,
Methanol and Aniline and TDI. It has two 18000 MT liquid ammonia storage tanks. One
tank is single wall installed in 1980 and the other is double wall double integrity tank
installed in 1987.

The safety and integrity of the Ammonia storage tank is always a vital issue in fertiliser
industry. Therefore, these tanks are being inspected periodically. This paper describes
the problems observed during routine inspection of double wall Ammonia storage tank
and its repair.
1.0 INTRODUCTION double integrity tank D1003B was B. Top root railing supports,
carried out in year 1996 and at that nozzles - corrosion and thinning.

G
uj arat Narmada Valley
Fertilizers and Chemicals
Limited (GNFC)
manufactures Ammonia
and fertilizers like Urea, CAN,
ANP etc. along with other
industrial products like Meth anol,
Formic Acid, Acetic Acid, Aniline,
TDI, WNA, CNA etc. at its Bharuch
plant in Gujara t s tate.
The Ammonia plant has capacity
of 1350 MTD. GNFC h ave two
Liquid Ammonia atmosphe ric
Storage Tanks (D-1003A & B) with
capacity of 10000 MT each. Both
tanks were manufactured and
supplied by M/s Vijay Tanks in the
year 1980 (D-1003A) & 1987 (D-
1003B).
D1003A is w ith single wall design
while D1003B is with double wall
double integrity design. Liquid
ammonia is stored at -33°C in both
tanks.
2.0 INSPECTION OF TANK
The first inspection of double wall
time no abnormalities were
noticed . La test inspection of
D1003B tank was carried out in the
year 2012 by M/s NDT Services-
Ahmedabad to check the safety
and integrity of tank . Th e
schematic drawing of storage tank
is as per Figure 1.
The tank is made from SA537-Class
I (LTS) pla tes w ith varying
thickness as sh own in Figure: 1.
various insp ection ac ti vities like
visual inspection, FMPI, DP test,
thickness survey, hardness testing,
vacuu m tes t, metallographic
examination, Low Frequency
Electromagnetic Technique (LFET)
examination etc. have been carried
out.
Following two m ajor problems
we re obser ved during this
inspection.
A. Stress Corrosion cracking at
weld joints (Total - 231 n o. of
cracks).
2.1 Stress Corrosion Cracking at
Weld Joints
2.1.1 Inspection
During inspection, 231 no. of cracks
w ere observed at various locations.
A ll cracks were found during we t
FMPI. Out of total 231 no. of cracks,
94 no. were observed a t bottom
plates of inner tank and 134 no. of
cra cks were observed in vertical
shell area of inner tank. 3 no . of
cracks were observed in the outer
tank also. Out of 134 vertical she ll
cracks, majority of cracks (86 no.)
we re in bottom three cou rses and
17 no. of cracks were at ladder
supports pad plates welding.
Th e developm en t of inner tank
shell and bottom plate of inside
ta nk, which is placed a t Figure 2
and Figure 3, w hich sh ows
location of cracks.
Most of th e cracks we re Stress