Nuberg EPC, India, on Jan. 19 announced that it had been selected by Spolana s.r.o., Czech Republic, to deliver a 200,750 mt/y sulfuric acid project at the Spolana chemical manufacturing facility in Neratovice, Czech Republic. Spolana confirmed the selection on Jan. 26, adding that Nuberg would act in a full EPC capacity for the endeavor.
Spolana described the development as a modernization of the company’s sulfuric acid production capabilities, with the effort aimed at increasing field reliability and security while reducing the consumption of electricity and natural gas.
Nuberg will complete the project in three stages conducted over a three-year period. “The modernization will be performed on a step-by-step basis because it can take place only during planned production shutdowns,” said Spolana Authorized Director Piotr Kearney. “That is why we have split the project over three years.
“The crucial project parts include migrating steam production needed for the entire manufacturing process to the sulfuric acid unit, and installing more modern and thus more energy-efficient production equipment,” Kearney added.
Work is scheduled to begin in September, during a planned maintenance turnaround. Due to the project, upcoming maintenance shutdowns will run longer than usual, Spolana confirmed.
The plant will utilize Double Conversion Double Absorption (DCDA) technology, Nuberg said, in which SO2 and SO3 pass through absorption towers twice in order to produce a higher grade of sulfuric acid. The product will be used in both petrochemical and fertilizer-based applications, as well as in mining and industrial capacities.
Spolana is the Czech Republic’s only producer of PVC and caprolactam, according to the company’s website. The company also produces ammonium sulfate.
In recent years, Nuberg has been awarded EPC contracts for sulfuric acid projects in Egypt, Ethiopia, and India, chemical plant construction projects in Turkey, Uzbekistan, and India, and an NPK fertilizer plant in India, the company said.