Russia’s Acron Group completes revamp of key ammonia plant

LONDON (ICIS)–Russian fertilizer manufacturer Acron Group and Danish engineering major Haldor Topsoe on Tuesday announced the completion of an ammonia unit revamp project.

One of the largest units of its kind in Europe, the modern Ammonia-4 plant at the Veliky Novgorod site “passed guarantee test runs to confirm the capacity of 2,500 tonnes/day”, the pair said in a news release.

Commissioned in 2016 with total investment of $500m, the unit’s capacity has been increased by 21% from its original design.

The revamp included a Heat Exchange Reformer (HTER), changes to the carbon dioxide (Co2) removal section, and other modifications.

“Despite the obstacles and travel restrictions seen in 2020, the team of Acron engineers and Topsoe specialists working hundreds of miles apart, enabled the revamp of Ammonia-4, and after a successful overhaul in November 2020, the plant reached the capacity of over 2,500 tonnes/day,” the statement noted.

Acron Group chairman, Aleksandr Popov, added: “Increasing the plant’s capacity will allow to sufficiently increase production of nitrogenous and compound fertilizers on our Novgorod site.”

According to Haldor Topsoe, the new reactor has become the first HTER put into operation within the FSU region.

In late March, US engineering group KBR announced the award of contracts to revamp two ammonia plants operated by Acron Group.

KBR will supply the process technology licence, basic engineering design package, and proprietary equipment for the plants at Veliky Novgorod, to increase production capacity by over 30% to 2,300 tonnes/day.

The original plants were commissioned in the 1970s, with the completion of the first revamp project, including commissioning and start-up, is expected in 2023.

Acron Group’s Ammonia-4 plant at Veliky Novgorod is one of the largest of its kind in Europe. Photo courtesy of Acron Group.