Topsoe, Technip sign Slovakia ammonia contract
Haldor Topsoe A/S has reached agreements with Technip and Duslo s.a. of Slovakia for the construction of a new ammonia plant adjacent to an existing fertilizer complex in Šaľa, which is located 65 km from Bratislava, the capital of the Slovak Republic.
The new plant will be designed based on Haldor Topsoe’s Exchange Reformer (HTER) technology, which the company said ensures an efficient and reliable conversion of the feedstock, significantly improving plant economics minimizing the environmental impact.
The HTER consists of catalyst-filled tubes installed in a refractory lined shell located in parallel with the main reformer, utilizing the waste heat available from the secondary reformer. The layout not only reduces the size of the main reformer and its natural gas fuel consumption, but also minimizes steam generation from the plant.
Haldor Topsoe will supply licensing and basic engineering as well as proprietary catalyst and equipment for the ammonia plant. Technip has been awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the new plant, which will contribute to economic growth and provide a reliable source to downstream urea and ammonium nitrate that can benefit productivity in the agricultural sector.
Over the last decades ammonia-related production locations have undergone a geographical shift away from Europe towards areas where abundant natural gas resources allow for ammonia production at comparatively low costs.
“The project in Slovakia is unique because it represents the first entirely new ammonia plant to be built in Europe over the last decades,” says Per Bakkerud, group VP in Topsoe’s chemical business. “The ammonia industry is highly competitive and even the slightest changes in performance can impact the bottom line significantly. Improvements in production technology such as HTER are paving the way for improved production economics, in new plants as well as revamps of older plant facilities in Europe.”
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