"Jim Burns" wrote in message news
Hi Jim,

Urea is 46% N.

Not necessarily. It is cut with water at the manufacturing plant. The stuff that goes to feedlots is usually 70%...
sometimes 50%. The higher concentrations "salt out" faster and solidify. IIRCC 70% salts out at + or - 134 deg. F.
it is hauled in insulated trailers, usually with a steam coil inside like asphalt trailer have. The trailers are
usually stainless.

We buy and use it by the truck load on the farm.

How in the heck can you afford it? :' )

Some time
when you don't have anything better to do, stop by your local fertilizer
co-op. Take a look at their trucks or ask them to see the equipment that
they spread or haul urea with. If it isn't wood, plastic, stainless steel,
or brand new it will have corrosion, pitting, and rust. If aluminum wasn't
affected by urea, we'd use aluminum tanks, hoppers, mixers, conveyors and
augers rather than stainless, everything would be a LOT lighter. Granted,
urea isn't AS corrosive as phosphates and potassiums, but urea by itself
will corrode aluminum. It will corrode copper. It will corrode steel.
I've got plenty of equipment around here that is specifically used to handle
urea and other nitrogen fertilizers that can testify to that. An airplane
makes a well balanced diet for urea.

The piping, exchanger tubes, and vessels are usually 316 or 304 stainless in the manufacturing facilities just for
the reasons you cite.

Joe Schneider
Cherokee 8437R
ex-Urea plant operator & poor farmer / rancher who can't afford to top dress his wheat this spring.



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