LiquiSonic® optimizes central process steps in fertilizer production
In industrial fertilizer production, the correct interaction of all process steps determines the desired success. Whether synthesis, neutralization, concentration or blending - wherever liquid media are processed, knowledge of the exact concentration is the key to stable, efficient and economical processes. It is precisely at these points that the LiquiSonic inline measuring system comes into its own® his strengths.
Synthesis and neutralization processes
In ammonia synthesis, nitric acid synthesis and in the neutralization of nitric acid with ammonia to produce ammonium nitrate, the reaction conditions must be strictly adhered to. Deviations in concentration lead directly to unstable reaction processes, increased by-product formation and safety risks. LiquiSonic® measures the concentration directly in the process, without delay and regardless of the color, turbidity or conductivity of the liquid. The high-precision recording of the absolute speed of sound in combination with the measurement of the process temperature enables continuous monitoring and immediate control of the reaction.
Concentration and evaporation
In urea production and in upstream process stages of AHL production, evaporators and concentration stages are among the most energy-intensive parts of the system. Without exact measured values, safety margins are often used, at the expense of energy efficiency and operating costs. LiquiSonic® provides concentration values in real time and thus allows precise operation at the optimal operating point. This reduces steam consumption, minimizes rejects and thereby reproducibly increases the efficiency of the entire system.
Mixing and blending processes
When producing AHL/UAN solutions, precisely defined mixing ratios are important. Even small deviations can cause crystallization, deposits or quality problems. LiquiSonic® continuously monitors the concentrations in the pipe or container and makes mixing processes transparent and controllable. Thanks to maintenance- and drift-free sensors and the ability to place multiple sensors at different measuring points, even complex blending processes can be controlled stably.
Acid and wet processes in phosphate fertilizer production
In phosphoric acid production as well as in superphosphate, MAP and DAP production, aggressive media, high temperatures and gas bubble formation are no exceptions. The robust sensor construction from LiquiSonic® does not require additional seals. It is also available in various special materials or coatings and is therefore also suitable for corrosive media. Even with high gas content or cloudy media, the system delivers stable, reliable measured values.
Measure precisely, optimize in a targeted manner
LiquiSonic® is a modular inline measuring system consisting of one or more sensors and a controller. It can be seamlessly integrated into existing systems. The measurement data is continuously available via analog outputs, relays or common fieldbus systems and can be used directly to monitor your processes. Additional functions such as wet/dry detection, data logging and alarm management help system operators not only measure processes, but also actively optimize them.
Developed and tested for demanding industrial processes, our solution to a measurement problem becomes a real tool for increasing efficiency, quality and system availability.
Technical and economic details
Measuring principle
The basis of the LiquiSonic®measuring system is the physically clearly described and industrially proven principle of measuring the speed of sound in liquids. This depends directly on the concentration of the components contained and the temperature and is therefore ideal for precise, continuous inline analysis in demanding process environments.
A defined ultrasonic pulse is sent through the process liquid in the sensor. The time it takes for this impulse to reach the receiver is recorded with the utmost precision. Since the distance between transmitter and receiver is constant due to the design, the absolute speed of sound can be calculated directly from the transit time. At the same time, an integrated temperature sensor measures the process temperature so that temperature influences are taken into account directly. The connection between the speed of sound, temperature and concentration is clearly known and mathematically described for many chemical liquids. These specific relationships are available as product data records in LiquiSonic®controller stored. On this basis, the system continuously and automatically calculates the actual concentration of the process liquid, without manual sampling or time delay. The speed of sound is a clear, traceable physical quantity. This means that the measuring principle works independently of the conductivity or optical properties of the medium, such as color or turbidity. LiquiSonic delivers even under difficult conditions such as gas bubbles, variable composition or high temperatures® stable, drift-free measurement results.
Using an integrated adjustment function, users can adapt the calculated concentration values to in-house references at any time. In addition, the inclusion of additional measured variables allows the measurement of multi-component systems, for example in neutralization processes, gas scrubbers or complex mixing and recycling streams. This means that not only one component is monitored, but the entire process is transparent and controllable.
The result is a robust, maintenance-free inline measurement that makes concentrations available in real time.
Economic benefit
Economic benefit
Precise inline concentration measurement not only has a safety impact, but is also particularly economical. LiquiSonic® makes processes more transparent, stable and sustainably more profitable. These are the economic advantages of our measuring system at a glance:
Application examples
Application examples
Ammonia synthesis
Ammonia (NH₃) is the basis of almost all nitrogen-containing fertilizers. After the catalytic conversion of nitrogen and hydrogen in the Haber-Bosch process, the reaction mixture is cooled so that ammonia passes into the aqueous phase. Typical NH₃ concentrations are around 10–25 wt%.
LiquiSonic® can be integrated directly into this process line and measures the ammonia concentration inline and in real time. This ensures stable process control, fluctuations are immediately recognized and the quality of the downstream processes, for example nitric acid or urea synthesis, is sustainably improved.
Nitric acid synthesis
A large proportion of the nitric acid produced worldwide is used to produce ammonium nitrate. In the Ostwald process, the acid is created after the catalytic oxidation of ammonia and the subsequent absorption of NO₂ in water. Concentrations of 55-65 wt% HNO₃ are typically achieved in the absorption stage.
LiquiSonic® monitors this concentration range continuously and precisely. Inline measurement enables reliable control of the absorption process, reduces concentration fluctuations and increases both process reliability and the efficiency of nitric acid production.
UAN production
Ammonium urea solutions (UAN) are created by mixing ammonium nitrate, urea and water. Typical recipes contain around 40 wt% AN, 30 wt% urea and water, which corresponds to a total nitrogen content of around 28-32 wt%.
Hier eignet sich eine Kombination aus Schallgeschwindigkeits- und Leitfähigkeitsmessung besonders. Dadurch können sowohl die Ausgangskomponenten als auch die fertige Lösung zuverlässig überwacht werden. Das Ergebnis ist eine stabile Produktqualität, reduzierte Fehlchargen und eine durchgängige Prozesskontrolle ohne zeitaufwendige Probenahme.
Ammonium nitrate production
Ammonium nitrate is formed by the exothermic neutralization of ammonia with nitric acid. After the reaction, the product is initially present as an aqueous solution with around 70 wt% and is then concentrated by evaporation to up to 99.5 wt% in order to prepare it for prilling or granulation.
LiquiSonic® accompanies this entire process, from neutralization to evaporation to final product inspection. Continuous concentration measurement in real time ensures stable reaction conditions, minimizes safety risks and ensures constant product quality while reducing energy consumption.
Urea production
In urea production, ammonia and carbon dioxide first react to form ammonium carbamate, which is then dehydrated to form urea. The resulting solution initially has about 70-80 wt% urea and is concentrated to up to 98 wt% by evaporation.
With LiquiSonic® These concentrations can be measured inline over the entire production process. The highly stable and drift-free measurement enables precise control of the evaporator stages, reduces steam consumption and ensures that the urea solution achieves exactly the quality required for further processing.
Phosphoric acid production
Phosphoric acid is mainly produced using a wet process by reacting phosphate-containing rock with concentrated sulfuric acid. The resulting crude phosphoric acid contains around 30 wt% H₃PO₄ and is then concentrated to up to 54 wt%. Turbidity, solids and variable composition place high demands on the measurement technology.
With LiquiSonic® measure the concentration of sulfuric and phosphoric acid regardless of color, turbidity or solids content. The inline measurement delivers stable real-time values and enables safe, energy-efficient process control from raw acid to highly concentrated phosphoric acid.
Superphosphate production
When producing single and triple superphosphate, rock phosphates react with either sulfuric acid (SSP) or phosphoric acid (TSP). The exact adjustment of the acid concentrations is crucial for the course of the reaction, product quality and use of resources.
Unser Messsystem überwacht diese Säurekonzentrationen inline und in Echtzeit. Selbst bei trüben, partikelhaltigen Medien liefert LiquiSonic® reliable measurements. This optimally controls the reaction, reduces chemical consumption and ensures consistently high product quality.
These application examples show how LiquiSonic® can be used throughout the entire fertilizer production process. For further information, detailed case studies or customer references, please contact our sales team. Please contact us for individual advice!