Gerald Bohme and Joe Brindle of Sulphur Experts Inc. combine new learnings, historical data, and recent onsite experience from operating companies to show what factors really impact ammonia plugging risk and what can be done to control them in order to allow for a wider operating range for SWS processing in the refinery SRU.
A complete listing of all articles and news items that appeared in Sulphur magazine during 2022.
Meena Chauhan, Head of Sulphur and Sulphuric Acid Research, Argus Media, assesses price trends and the market outlook for sulphur.
Processed phosphates pricing will be a major influence in the coming months. A gap remains between historical levels of sulphur and DAP pricing that points to the potential for sulphur prices to recover to higher levels during 2023.
In the current energy transition era, the oil and gas industry is focusing on lowering its carbon footprint while generating green energy resources such as blue hydrogen. In this article, Thomas K. Chow, Marcus Weber and Denny Li of Fluor Solutions/Goar, Allison & Associates, L.L.C. demonstrate how SRU/TGTU plants within sour gas facilities can facilitate the capture of CO 2 and generate H 2 by implementing advanced sulphur recovery technologies.
When candle filter mist eliminators installed in the absorption towers in sulphuric acid plants are not sufficiently wet, problems can occur such as free SO3 at the stack, NOx issues and emission non-compliance. Craig Cassells of Begg Cousland Envirotec discusses how these problems can be overcome by the installation of an annular wetting ring solution.
Safety in sulphuric acid plants is a well-known and widely discussed topic. Industry turnover is a reality, and keeping new employees informed of hydrogen safety procedures is key to keeping plants fully operational and incident free. Walter Weiss of Elessent Clean Technologies discusses the steps facilities need to take to prevent hydrogen incidents.
Last year saw global trade in all commodities have to take into account the potential loss of supply from Russia, a key exporter of many commodities. Sulphur was no exception, with prices swinging wildly across the year.
Last year attention was drawn to the potential for large scale decarbonisation to leave the world short of the key resources of sulphur, and hence sulphuric acid. But is there a global sulphur shortage on the distant horizon?
The world has seen a number of hydrogen explosions in double absorption plants mostly in the intermediate absorption tower (IAT). To review this increase and to determine the causes, an International Hydrogen Safety Workgroup was formed including major acid plant contractors, major acid producers, and consultants in the sulphuric acid arena. Workgroup member Rick Davis of Davis & Associates Consulting explores some of the findings.