Wet sulphuric acid technology when used as tail gas treatment for a Claus unit, or in place of a Claus unit with amine-based tail gas unit, brings many benefits if there is a market for the sulphuric acid and steam. A new alternative is to have a WSA unit in combination with a Claus unit and to recycle the acid to the Claus unit for higher sulphur recovery efficiency.
NOx emissions from chemical processes such as steam methane reforming contribute to air pollution. The chemical industry is required to take steps to lower such emissions. Technology, developed for related industries, can be designed and optimised to reduce NOx emissions from steam methane reformers. Emission control experts can use a combination of modelling and experience to guide plant operators in recommending and designing optimum, sometimes tailor-made solutions. In this article different options are discussed including low NOx burners, selective catalytic reduction, selective non-catalytic reduction and high emissivity ceramic coatings.
The coronavirus outbreak necessitated a ‘virtual’ CRU Sulphur + Sulphuric Acid conference last year, held in November 2020.
Norilsk Nickel has finally closed down its nickel smelting operation at Nikel in Russia’s Murmansk region; the company’s oldest still operating production facility. The shutdown is part of the company’s environmental programme, which aims to significantly reduce its environmental impact at all production sites. The Nikel closure will eliminate SO2 emissions in the cross-border area with Norway, which had become a major bone of contention with the Norwegian government. Norilsk aims to reduce SO2 emissions at Kola by 50% by the end of 2020 and 85% by the end of 2021, and is modernising its production in Monchegorsk, including the construction of new state-of-the-art facilities.
Process and simulation models can be valuable tools when troubleshooting to solve operational issues in sulphur recovery units. Two examples are provided. In the first case study it is shown how a tuned model was useful in troubleshooting an SRU that was experiencing lower than expected recovery efficiency and apparent channelling in the first catalytic converter. In the second case study an SRU simulation tool is used to investigate sulphidic corrosion in a waste heat boiler.
The turning of a new calendar year is a predictable waypoint in our lives. That is why it has always traditionally been a time for reflection on the past and looking to the future. Therefore, given how 2020 had turned out, perhaps there was an inevitable hope that the turning of the New Year and the start of 2021 might see an improvement in things in general, and of course the trajectory of the pandemic in particular, especially now that several vaccines have been approved for use in record time, and a massive programme of vaccination has begun across the world.
A. Bhargav and A. Krishnan of Helium Consulting Pvt. Ltd discuss how it is possible to reduce SOx emissions within the existing system setup of an oil refinery or gas plant through detailed analysis, expedited corrective actions and the use of automated algorithms in real-time, by using a digital IIoT solution to monitor, control and optimise.
New approaches and novel processing schemes employing oxygen enrichment in sulphur recovery units have been developed and commercialised. In this feature Siirtec Nigi, Linde, Blasch, Fluor and RATE report on their latest developments.
Demand for oil in developed countries was already falling before the coronavirus outbreak, and consumption growth is slowing in the developing world. Peak oil demand may arrive in the next decade. Coupled with more reinjection of sour gas rather than sulphur extraction, could we be seeing falling elemental sulphur production in a decade or so?
A look back at some of the major events of 2020 for the sulphur and sulphuric acid industries, as well as a look forward as to how 2021 might look.