Uralkali (Berezniki, Perm Territory) has completed the installation and tuning of a new dryer manufactured by Austria-based Binder. The new equipment in the drying shop of the plant of Mine 3 will enable heighten the plant’s to operational efficiency by reducing repair time. The company invested 140 million rubles in this 2-year project.

Binder is the world’s recognized leader in drying technology that ensures compliance with temperature requirements is as accurate as possible. Binder-made fluidized bed dryers are used in the process of producing muriate of potash. They dry the product after it is separated from pregnant solutions. The Binder dryer specifications are substantially higher than those of existing drying equipment used by Uralkali’s plants. The design capacity of the new dryer is 150 tonnes of MOP an hour, or one and a half times as much as the capacity of its current equivalents. Additionally, the fully automated control system of the Binder dryer minimizes the possibility of human error in the course of dryer operation. The dryer runs on natural gas, which is more environmentally friendly than fuel oil used by other dryers. The dryer design incorporates the use of high-technology materials: heat-resistant stainless steel and robust plastic. This creates high equipment reliability and results in less frequent shutdowns and repairs.

The Binder dryer project for Uralkali was designed by Perm’s research and development institute Gallurgy. The equipment was installed by Perm-based Uralkhimmontazh and Montazhavtomatika of Sputnik and adjusted by another Perm-based company, Gaznadzor.

In 2009, Uralkali intends to begin the design of another Binder dryer for its Mine 3 plant. There are also plans to install Binder-made dryers in the drying shops of the company’s Mine 2 and Mine 4 in the future.