Shahjalal fertiliser awaits ‘faulty start’

The Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) is likely to begin production at the Shahjalal Fertiliser Factory at Fenchuganj in Sylhet despite several glaring technical errors.
According to a study of the Shahjalal Fertiliser Project (SFP) available with The Independent, there is no technical personnel competent enough to solve any instrumental or mechanical problem at the factory.
An insider said that despite being well aware of the faults, the BCIC will start production at a high risk.
According to the study, the natural gas (NG) supply pressure is 850 PSIG, while the required pressure is 700 PSIG. This will result in the loss of energy and extra cost in the installation of NG metering.
It said there is no bypass line to supply NG to the NG booster compressor and the metering station of SFP. In the case of any problem in the booster compressor and metering station, the entire plant has to be shut down.
Also, there is no provision for supplying steam or producing air coil on this line. So, the coil will become overheated (temperature will rise to 600 degrees Celsius).
The study found that vessel and pipeline insulation is not properly done, and workmanship is very poor. The dry-gas-sealing system is problematic. Replacement is tough, time-consuming, and costly.
The boil-of-gas (BOG) recovery has not been done properly.  The report also found that no isolation value has been installed at the outlet of cooling water of the ammonia condenser.
The water treatment automation does not function properly and the fire safety system is also very poor. There are no support vehicles to help fight a fire.
The NG condensate collection system is not hooked properly either. Hence, condensate drains out into the open drainage line.
Project director Mohammad Qumruzzaman ruled out the allegation of technical faults. According to him, the work has been done according to the agreement with contractor China National Complete Plant Import and Export Corporation. However, he agreed with the allegation that more spare parts are needed and emphasized the need for a storage system to stock urea.
Earlier, assistant engineer Mustafizur Rahman had told the media, “Some problems were found in the auto-compressor section, which is meant for cooling down some machines.”
The trial production was disrupted in mid-August after a fault was detected in the methane attar cooler section of the factory, officials said.
In all, Tk. 5,409 crore was spent to build the plant. The technology came from the US, Japan, and the Netherlands, officials said.
The government of China and the Exim Bank of China jointly provided 70 per cent of the cost—Tk. 3,986 crore—as a concession loan at a 2 per cent interest rate. The amount has to be repaid in 20 years. The rest came from the Bangladeshi government.The factory was supposed to begin operations in August, but the construction was delayed due to political unrest in the country, the SFF project director said.
The factory has a daily production capacity of 1,760 tonnes of urea fertiliser and 1,000 tonnes of ammonia-based fertiliser per day, the officials said.

 

 

Shahjalal fertiliser awaits faulty start

The Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) is likely to begin production at the Shahjalal Fertiliser Factory at Fenchuganj in Sylhet despite several glaring technical errors. According to a study of the Shahjalal Fertiliser Project (SFP) available with The Independent, there is no technical personnel competent enough to solve any instrumental or mechanical problem at the factory. An insider said that despite being well aware of the faults, the BCIC will start production at a high risk. According to the study, the natural gas (NG) supply pressure is 850 PSIG, while the required pressure is 700 PSIG. This will result in the loss of energy and extra cost in the installation of NG metering. It said there is no bypass line to supply NG to the NG booster compressor and the metering station of SFP. In the case of any problem in the booster compressor and metering station, the entire plant has to be shut down. Also, there is no provision for supplying steam or producing air coil on this line. So, the coil will become overheated (temperature will rise to 600 degrees Celsius). The study found that vessel and pipeline insulation is not properly done, and workmanship is very poor. The dry-gas-sealing system is problematic. Replacement is tough, time-consuming, and costly. The boil-of-gas (BOG) recovery has not been done properly. The report also found that no isolation value has been installed at the outlet of cooling water of the ammonia condenser. The water treatment automation does not function properly and the fire safety system is also very poor. There are no support vehicles to help fight a fire. The NG condensate collection system is not hooked properly either. Hence, condensate drains out into the open drainage line. Project director Mohammad Qumruzzaman ruled out the allegation of technical faults. According to him, the work has been done according to the agreement with contractor China National Complete Plant Import and Export Corporation. However, he agreed with the allegation that more spare parts are needed and emphasized the need for a storage system to stock urea. Earlier, assistant engineer Mustafizur Rahman had told the media, Some problems were found in the auto-compressor section, which is meant for cooling down some machines. The trial production was disrupted in mid-August after a fault was detected in the methane attar cooler section of the factory, officials said. In all, Tk. 5,409 crore was spent to build the plant. The technology came from the US, Japan, and the Netherlands, officials said. The government of China and the Exim Bank of China jointly provided 70 per cent of the costTk. 3,986 croreas a concession loan at a 2 per cent interest rate. The amount has to be repaid in 20 years. The rest came from the Bangladeshi government.The factory was supposed to begin operations in August, but the construction was delayed due to political unrest in the country, the SFF project director said. The factory has a daily production capacity of 1,760 tonnes of urea fertiliser and 1,000 tonnes of ammonia-based fertiliser per day, the officials said.