Glitch stops urea production
Urea production at Jamuna Fertilizer Company Ltd at Tarakandi in Sarishabari upazila of the district has remained stopped due to technical glitches since Wednesday night.
The factory was shut down on emergency basis as a tube of the auxiliary steam boiler of the ammonia plant developed a leak around 11:00pm, said Mahbuba Sultana, general manager (technical) of the factory, adding that it will take one week to repair the tube.
Although the factory had production capacity of 1,700 tonnes of urea per day earlier, the capacity has declined to a maximum of 1,500 tonnes with gas pressure of 22 kg/sq.cm, she said.
“Now the factory is not operating at full capacity due to low gas pressure of 17kg/sq.cm to 18kg/sq.cm, which can produce only 1,200 tonnes to 1,300 tonnes of fertilizer per day,” Mahbuba said.
“If the factory runs at the prevailing production level (1,200 tonnes to 1,300 tonnes) with the existing gas pressure (17kg/sq.cm to 18kg/sq.cm), we will not be able to achieve the production target of 3.80 lakh tonnes of urea in the current fiscal year,” she said, adding, “We have been able to produce 2.70 lakh tonnes till March 22 this year.”
“Achievement of the rest of the targeted production will depend on the smooth running of the factory and desired level of gas pressure (22kg/sq.cm),” she continued.
Earlier, fertilizer production at the factory had remained suspended for technical faults on November 8, 2016 and January 14, 2017, which took over two weeks to repair, Mahbuba added.
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