Product Description
Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that United Catalysts Inc. (the U.S. subsidiary of Süd-Chemie AG, successor to the Girdler catalyst business at Louisville KY) supplied iron-based ammonia-synthesis catalysts loaded into high-pressure NH3 converter vessels that used asbestos-refractory lining on the internal catalyst basket / cartridge, asbestos-block hot-side lagging on the converter shell, and asbestos-packed high-pressure flange gaskets on the hot synthesis-loop piping. According to those publicly filed asbestos litigation records, the asbestos-refractory basket lining allegedly protected the pressure shell from the exothermic reaction bed and the asbestos-block lagging allegedly held skin temperatures down.
Plaintiffs alleged that United Catalysts / Süd-Chemie ammonia-synthesis converters required periodic catalyst re-charging on a rolling schedule, during which the internal basket was allegedly torn out, the asbestos-refractory lining was allegedly stripped and replaced, and the asbestos-packed flange gaskets were allegedly disturbed.
Workers Exposed
Plaintiffs allegedly exposed to United Catalysts / Süd-Chemie NH3 converter asbestos-containing components include:
- Ammonia synthesis operators on synthesis-loop rounds and converter sampling
- Refractory masons and bricklayers relining the internal catalyst basket / cartridge
- Chemical plant boilermakers on high-pressure converter shell hot-work
- Chemical plant pipefitters cutting into synthesis-loop and quench piping at flanges
- Chemical plant turnaround crews on catalyst re-charge shutdowns
- Chemical plant insulators stripping and re-lagging asbestos-block on the converter shell
- Chemical plant maintenance on high-pressure gasket and packing renewal