1. The Brazilian fertilizer chain: pumping points
The fertilizer industry operates in three stages with very different pumping requirements. The first is raw-material handling: sulfuric and phosphoric acids and ammonia. The second is intermediate production: ammonium sulfate, ammonium phosphates (MAP and DAP), urea, granulated NPK and liquid NPK. The third is dispatch and final formulation, including solutions for foliar application and fertigation.
Fit within the FB range depends on full fluid compatibility with the proposed construction. For acids, ammonia and molten urea, provide the licensor’s or process engineer’s specification. If documented options are unsuitable, confirm the feasibility of another construction; do not assume that every alloy or coating is available.
Scroll the table to see every column. The first column stays on the left.
| Product | Stage | Deciding data | FB line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concentrated sulfuric acid | Raw material | Concentration, temperature and velocity in the corrosion table | Confirm compatibility and construction for the actual concentration |
| Anhydrous ammonia | Raw material | Liquefied gas under pressure; toxicity | Outside the FB line |
| Phosphoric acid | Raw material and process | Concentration, impurities (fluorides, chlorides), solids, temperature | FBCN only with confirmed compatibility; do not assume other alloys |
| Ammonium sulfate (solution) | Intermediate | pH, concentration, tendency to crystallize | FBCN; S3 sealing if crystallization occurs |
| Molten urea | Intermediate | Melts at about 133 °C; heating of pump and lines | On request (special execution) |
| Liquid NPK (solution) | Final product | pH, chlorides (when potassium comes from chloride), solids | FBCN; material per SDS and analysis |
| Glycerin and viscous by-products | By-product | Viscosity at pumping temperature, pH | FBE |
2. Liquid NPK and suspensions: material and sealing criteria on the FBCN
Fluid fertilizers may be solutions or suspensions. In NPK solutions, nitrogen, phosphate and potassium composition depends on the formulation; potassium chloride adds chlorides. Identify concentration, pH, temperature, viscosity and solids in the SDS and product analysis. Suspensions also require particle content, size and abrasiveness.
On the FBCN, the casing can be cast iron, WCB carbon steel or CF8M stainless (MTEC-03/00). The choice follows product compatibility at operating temperature; chlorides favor molybdenum-bearing alloys such as CF8M, the cast version of 316 (IMOA), without waiving verification.
For sealing, the FBCN provides flushing with clean external liquid (arrangement S3) for fluids that tend to crystallize, arrangement S2 for solid particles in suspension and a mechanical seal defined for the application; solutions that crystallize when drying need attention to sealing during stops. Suspensions with fine mineral fillers carry suspended solids and are assessed by FB case by case (item 2.3).
3. Molten urea: a special service, assessed on request
For pure urea, NIST records melting around 133 °C. An industrial stream may have a different composition: the process must supply its solidification limit, permissible temperature and residence time. Define pump, line and valve heating and the shutdown/drainage procedure for that stream rather than automatically transferring the pure-substance value.
The reviewed catalogues do not establish a construction for molten urea. An FBE heating chamber or FBEI jacket does not approve that duty: materials, viscosity, crystallization, clearances and sealing still require assessment for the actual process. Submit these data to confirm feasibility and scope before choosing a model or assuming a special supply.
Warning
Do not close a molten urea pump specification without three data: minimum temperature to keep the product molten along the whole line, heating source and control (steam, thermal fluid or electric) and a stop procedure with drainage. Without them, crystallization can seize the pump during stops.
4. Sulfuric and phosphoric acids: where the catalog ends
The corrosivity of sulfuric and phosphoric acids changes greatly with concentration, temperature, velocity and impurities — the same alloy can serve in one range and fail in another. Material selection comes from a corrosion table from the acid supplier or from a corrosion specialist, for the real condition, not from a general rule.
FBCN documents cast-iron, WCB and CF8M casings. Compatibility must cover casing, impeller, shaft, gaskets and sealing as well as hydraulic conditions. If analysis requires another alloy or coating, request feasibility and availability confirmation before including it in the order; identifying a need does not make it an offered catalogue option.
5. Standards, regulation and safety that affect the pump
Send the product safety data sheet; the ABNT catalogue identifies NBR 14725:2023, Corrected Version 2:2025, as the current reference for GHS, classification, SDS and labelling. For flammable gases and vapours, area assessment uses the applicable IEC 60079 reference; Brazilian electrical-equipment certification follows Inmetro Ordinance 115/2022. The SDS and motor certificate do not replace assembly selection and safety assessment.
Registration of the fertilizer or agrochemical is an obligation of the product manufacturer before the competent authority, not of the pump. FB does not declare pump compliance with regulatory standards or product registration; the documents of each supply (data sheet, model curve, material certificates when contracted and Ex motor certificate when specified) are defined in the proposal.
6. Center-pivot fertigation and foliar application
In fertigation, the fertilizer is injected into the irrigation water itself. There are two pump roles: the main pump, which moves the water (flow and pressure defined by the pivot or irrigation system design), and the injector, which doses the concentrated solution into the line. The figures for each come from the irrigation design and the agronomic recommendation, not from a typical range.
Select the main pump for the water and products that actually pass through it. Injection is a separate duty: provide dosing flow, line pressure, accuracy, viscosity and concentrate composition. FBE flow depends on speed, pressure and viscosity; it can be assessed only if fluid and operating range are compatible. A flowmeter does not automatically make a pump suitable for the product or confer metering-pump accuracy.
7. Agrochemicals: formulations and what changes in the pump
Identify the formulation and its full composition. SL means soluble concentrate and does not guarantee an exclusively aqueous base; SC is an aqueous suspension concentrate with particles; EC is an emulsifiable concentrate that may contain flammable solvents. FAO/WHO classification helps distinguish forms, but selection needs the SDS and actual solvent, viscosity, density and solids data.
Assess FBCN for liquids compatible with its hydraulics and materials, and FBE for viscous liquids compatible with its model/speed matrix. Suspensions require specific solids review. Magnetic coupling on the FBE (MTEC-01/01) is a construction option to confirm, without a universal tightness guarantee. Solvents, surfactants, air ingress and temperature also enter sealing, suction and hazardous-area assessment.
8. Logistics: port unloading, terminal and tank truck
At terminals, solid fertilizers move as bulk, without pumping; liquids (nitrogen solutions, acids, concentrated solutions) are transferred between ship, tanks and trucks. Flow, pressure and material come from the product and the operation: unloading time, line length and level difference. At FB, the FBCN serves aqueous products compatible with its materials, with a drive-controlled motor when the operation requires variable flow.
Tank-truck unloading: the tank usually sits above the pump, but the level drops until empty, and at the end of unloading NPSH available decreases and the pump may draw air. The FBCN is not self-priming: it needs flooded suction or a priming system. The FBEI is presented as self-priming in the FBEI 2026 catalog (p.3), which helps where the pump sits above the liquid level; check materials and sealing for the product.
9. Most common errors in fertilizer and agro-industry projects
These specification errors recur in agro-industry chemical services; each has a piece of data that prevents the problem:
- Choosing material by product name rather than by SDS and analysis: solutions with chlorides and acidic solutions need compatibility checked at the real temperature
- Not heating pump and lines for products that crystallize or solidify (molten urea, saturated solutions, fats): the product seizes the pump on stopping
- Applying stainless steel to acid without a corrosion table: resistance changes with concentration and temperature, and the right material comes from the real condition
- Forgetting the documentation the end customer will require (data sheet and material certificates): define it all in the proposal
- Installing a motor without Ex certification in an area classified because of solvents: the zone comes from the area classification study, and the motor needs Inmetro certification
- Accepting a suction with air ingress or marginal NPSH in surfactant formulations: foam, cavitation and unstable flow
- Using a centrifugal pump without priming where the pump sits above the liquid level: the FBCN needs flooded suction or a priming system
- Not providing an installed standby on a critical continuous service: the 1+1 decision comes from the consequence of a stoppage, assessed by the plant
Key point
Before ordering, send FB application engineering: product SDS, concentration, pH, viscosity and density at operating temperature, solids, flow and pressure, area classification and operating regime. With these data, FB indicates series, material, sealing and motor and records the scope in the proposal.