History of carbon dioxide recycling project of Kermanshah Petrochemical Company

Economic studies of the carbon dioxide recycling project were carried out in 2011-2012 by the Process Engineering Unit. Considering its technical and economic benefits, it was presented to the integrated board of directors and with its approval in 2012, the contract for this project was concluded in February 2012 for 24 months as an EPC with Shahrekord Carbon Dioxide Company, and the project started in May 2013 according to the contract.

Recovery of carbon dioxide from the reformer chimney of the ammonia unit in Kermanshah Petrochemical

The main feed of the CDR unit is the incoming smoke from the ammonia reformer. In Kermanshah Petrochemical, about 25% of the exhaust smoke from the stack is transferred to the CDR unit through a branch with a diameter of 50 inches. This branch was taken while the ammonia unit was in service.

Carbon Dioxide Machinery Company, in addition to being the owner of the project's technical knowledge, has been responsible for designing, supervising the construction of equipment and installation. This project is designed and implemented based on petrochemical standards.

About 30% of the natural gas used in the ammonia unit is used as fuel, and the carbon dioxide produced is introduced into the environment through the reformer chimney. Considering the surplus of ammonia produced in Kermanshah Petrochemical, extraction of CO2 from chimney exhaust gases and its reuse as feed in the urea unit will be economical. This is achieved by the implementation of the recycling project with a capacity of 132 tons per day by Shahrekord Carbon Dioxide Machinery Company. This project officially started in March 2012 and was opened in June 2015. With the implementation of this project, about 1.21 million normal cubic meters will be saved in natural gas consumption and the release of more than 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere will be prevented. The carbon dioxide extracted from the CDR stripper outlet is transferred to the Knock Out Drum, the compressor of the urea unit. This amount of extracted carbon dioxide increases the capacity of the urea unit to 105% of the nominal capacity.

The implementation of this plan in petrochemicals can be done with different approaches, such as:

  • Increasing production capacity without increasing raw materials.
  • Saving in natural gas consumption and reducing energy consumption.
  • Preventing the emission of greenhouse gases.
  • Getting rid of excess ammonia, which is associated with problems in its storage and sale.