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AIR POLLUTION CONTROL NOxOUT ULTRA® (brochure)
Fuel Tech's NOxOUT ULTRA® process is a patented approach that converts safe urea reagent to ammonia for use on new Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems and in retrofit applications for existing systems. NOxOUT ULTRA technology offers a cost-effective solution for simplifying on-site ammonia generation for SCR applications of all types.
Urea products are non-hazardous sources of ammonia, so their transport, storage and use are greatly simplified. Fuel Tech has extensive, proven experience with urea-based systems, and the NOxOUT ULTRA system is built on that solid foundation.
Other urea-to-ammonia conversion systems on the market work by hydrolyzing urea on-site. These processes, which can be complex and expensive, include a high-pressure vessel containing ammonia, and may require the use of specialized urea. Almost all commercially available urea is coated with additives during the manufacturing process to facilitate storage and handling once the product becomes a solid. Hydrolytic systems can be sensitive to the presence of these additives (some of which are formaldehyde based), due to chemical reactions within the hydrolizer, resulting in pluggage and increased maintenance. Urea without additives is a specialized product with limited availability and higher cost. Specialized urea solution is an intermediate product from the urea production process, and requires special handling for site delivery to maintain the product in a narrow temperature range. Dry urea manufactured without additives can create significant handling problems since it is more susceptible to humidity, moisture and breakage than when additives are used.
Fuel Tech’s approach represents a more economical and less complicated way of generating ammonia. The NOxOUT ULTRA process does not involve hydrolosis of urea under high temperature and pressure and, therefore, the system itself is not affected by urea additives, nor is the ammonia mixture supplied to the SCR. Other advantages include:
- Simplified process, highly efficient urea conversion
- System designed for minimal maintenance
- Specialized urea is not required
- Urea sourcing flexibility helps minimize operating costs
- Minimal potential for corrosion compared with hydrolytic processes
- Low pressure operation
- Process controls designed to follow load with minimal time lag and facilitate rapid system shutdown
- Dry urea storage and handling system option to minimize operating costs
Design Simplicity
The NOxOUT ULTRA process relies on controlled urea decomposition reactions that occur in a chamber designed to provide an application-specific temperature and residence time.
The NOxOUT ULTRA system is simple, consisting of a blower, decomposition chamber, chemical pumping system, urea storage, and process controls.
The NOxOUT ULTRA system has all the benefits of ammonia supply for SCR without the cost, safety and environmental concerns associated with ammonia handling. More cost-effective than urea-hydrolyzing processes, the NOxOUT ULTRA approach from Fuel Tech is a smart choice for simplifying SCR operation with a urea-to-ammonia conversion process.