Prilled Urea Production from Natural Gas
Urea Production Costs Report | Issue E | Q3 2024
Report Details |
1,300 kta United States-based plant | Q3 2024 | 107 pages |
This report presents a cost analysis of a 1,300 kta (kilo metric ton per annum) United States-based plant. You can add a customized cost analysis, assuming another location (country), when ordering a premium edition of this report.
Report Abstract
This report examines the economics of Prilled Urea manufacturing from natural gas in an industrial complex located in the United States. Initially, natural gas is converted to syngas by steam and autothermal reforming. The syngas is mixed with nitrogen to produce ammonia. The ammonia formed is reacted with carbon dioxide, to form urea via ammonium carbamate.
The report provides a comprehensive study of Urea production and related Urea production cost, covering three key aspects: a complete description of the Urea production process examined; an in-depth analysis of the related Urea plant capital cost (Capex); and an evaluation of the respective Urea plant operating costs (Opex).
The Urea production process description includes a block flow diagram (BFD), an overview of the industrial site installations, detailing both the process unit and the necessary infrastructure, process consumption figures and comprehensive process flow diagrams (PFD). The Urea plant capital cost analysis breaks down the Capex by plant cost (i.e., ISBL, OSBL and Contingency); owner's cost; working capital; and costs incurred during industrial plant commissioning and start-up. The Urea plant operating costs analysis covers operating expenses, including variable costs like raw materials and utilities, and fixed costs such as maintenance, labor, and depreciation.
Process Schematic

The process under analysis comprises four major sections: (1) Steam Reforming; (2) Ammonia Synthesis; (3) Urea Reaction; and (4) Urea Concentration.
Steam Reforming. After being compressed and desulfurized, the natural gas is mixed with steam for primary steam reforming reactions. In a tubular fired heater filled with a Ni-based catalyst, the methane is reacted with steam, generating a crude syngas. The partially reformed natural gas is fed to the Autothermal Reformer (ATR), where the remaining methane is converted to CO and hydrogen.
Ammonia Synthesis. The outlet from the ATR is fed to a two-stage high and low temperature reactors, where the bulk of the carbon monoxide is converted into carbon dioxide (CO2) and H2. The shifted gas is then cooled, generating steam, in such a way that water present in the gas condenses and is removed in a knockout drum. Next, CO2 is removed from the gas stream by means of a methyldiethanolamine wash. The gas stream free from CO2 is heated and fed to the Methanator, where residual carbon oxides are converted to methane in the presence of catalysts. After being cooled and dried in molecular sieves, impurities are removed from syngas and used as fuel. The purified syngas is compressed, heated and fed to an intercooled horizontal ammonia converter. The cooled down reactor outlet is then condensed.
Urea Reaction. Initially, CO2 and a liquid mixture of ammonia and carbamate are fed to the urea reactor, yielding ammonia carbamate and urea. The reactor effluent, containing carbamate, is fed to a falling-film stripper where excess NH3 strips out the carbamate from the effluent. The urea solution is directed to two successive decomposers for the removal of residual carbamate and carbon dioxide. After decomposition of carbamate and evaporation of ammonia, a purified urea solution is obtained.
Urea Concentration. At this point the urea-water mixture is concentrated in a two-stage evaporator, forming a urea melt. The vapor obtained is condensed and directed to a condensate treatment. The urea melt is sprayed at the top of a prilling tower, forming urea prills, which are packed in bags and stored.
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Production Process Information
Process Consumptions
Labor Requirements
Plant Capital Cost Summary
Operating Cost Summary
Production Costs Datasheet
Plant Capital Cost Details
Operating Cost Details
Plant Cost Breakdowns
Plant Capacity Assessment
Process Flow Diagrams
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Content Highlights
Plant Capital Cost Summary
Summary outlining the capital cost required for building the Urea production plant examined
Plant Capital Cost Details
Detailing of fixed capital (ISBL, OSBL & Owner’s Cost), working capital and additional capital requirements
Plant Cost Breakdowns
Breakdown of Urea process unit (ISBL) costs and infrastructure (OSBL) costs; plant cost breakdown per discipline
Operating Costs Summary
Summary presenting the operating variable costs and the total operating cost of the Urea production plant studied
Operating Cost Details
Detailing of utilities costs, operating fixed costs and depreciation
Plant Capacity Assessment
Comparative analysis of capital investment and operating costs for different Urea plant capacities
Production Process Information
Block Flow Diagram, descriptions of process unit (ISBL) and site infrastructure (OSBL)
Process Consumptions
Raw materials and utilities consumption figures, by-products credits, labor requirements
Process Diagrams
Process flow diagrams (PFD), equipment list and industrial site configuration
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The cost analyses presented in this report target a 1,300 kta (kilo metric ton per annum per annum) United States-based plant. For those interested in cost analyses considering other plant capacities and/or locations, Intratec offers a customized analysis as an optional feature.
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