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nvironmental programs and regulatory agencies

E are spreading clean air and clean fuels programs

across the globe. While most industries are
impacted by these regulations, refineries in particular are
working against the clock to install modifications and
enhancements to their plants to meet the deadlines
imposed. For example, since the Clean Air Act
Amendments of 1990 were enforced in the USA, US
refineries have spent significant resources to do their part
in reducing sulfur dioxide emissions by 2010 to 10 million
metric t less than were emitted in 1980. For most refiner-
ies, the necessary modifications required to comply with
Beating
the
these regulations hit the refinerys bottomline.
An innovative approach that is helping refineries meet
these regulatory deadlines involves taking components
from proven, implemented designs and developing them
into modularised units. These off-the-shelf, adaptable
designs can be fabricated offsite and quickly installed at
the plant. The advantages of using off-the-shelf, adapt-
able designs include:

The design already has a proven track record for
reliability and performance.
clock

The unit can be built using modular, pre-fabricated
components.

The unit can be installed in the plant in less time and
for less money than its traditional customised
counterpart.

Engineering off-the-shelf sulfur

recovery units (SRUs)
Companies that specialise in sulfur removal and sulfur
recovery solutions worldwide have been working to
develop off-the-shelf designs to help refineries comply
with sulfur emissions regulations in a timely and afford-
able manner. Before a decision can be made about
whether to use an off-the-shelf design, an analysis must
be made regarding the amount of sulfur that must be
removed from the acid gas streams. If the volume of sul-
fur removed is too large, it might be impractical to build a
modularised unit. For example, modular units can be
easily built to handle 200 - 225 t of sulfur. Units that han-
dle over 250 t are typically limited by transportation con-
straints for modular shipment to the refinery.
Once the volume of sulfur is known, options can be
provided for refinery officials regarding the best unit that
will meet the needs of their facility and that can be com-
pleted in the time frame required, with full regard to safety
and environmental considerations. If an off-the-shelf
Mukesh Mehta and Craig Ward, CB&I TPA,
design can be used, the refinery acid gas feed streams USA, and Barbara Weber, CB&I, USA,
are then analysed to determine the most applicable
design to adapt. Through extensive experience with explore how refineries can meet clean air
these systems, designs have been developed and and fuels regulatory deadlines through
refined over the years, innovations have been added as
technological advancements were made, and engineers taking components from proven designs
have learned to quickly adapt existing designs to new sit-
uations encountered.
and developing them into modularised units.
While off-the-shelf designs are generally used to meet
the immediate needs of the refinery, they can also pro-
vide the necessary flexibility to accommodate future
operations. A variety of technologies, both proprietary
and licensed, can be included in the design of these sys-
tems to develop the best sulfur recovery solution for the
refinery. Sulfur recovery systems generally use the mod-
ified Claus sulfur process that handles two separate
streams from upstream refinery processes: the amine
acid gas (AAG) stream and the sour water stripper gas
(SWSG) stream (Figure 1).

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57-60 5/4/04 9:57 Page 58
Figure 1. Schematic of a SRU.
The AAG stream is the result of a continuous absorp-
tion/regeneration process that uses a basic alkanol amine
solution. The lean alkanol amine solution comes into inti-
mate contact with the sour fuel gas/liquid feed stream in
the absorber column, where it absorbs hydrogen sulfide
and carbon dioxide. The hydrogen sulfide and carbon
dioxide-rich amine solution enters the stripper column
where it is stripped off by rising hot vapour generated in
the reboiler. It is this hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide
rich acid gas that is sent to the SRU.
Typical refinery operations produce wastewater that
contains hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and other contami-
nants, which are sent to the sour water stripper unit. In
this unit the ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and other pollu-
tants are stripped by the rising hot vapour generated in
the reboiler, and the acid gas from the sour water stripper
becomes the SWSG stream that is sent to the SRU.
In designing the sulfur recovery system for one partic-
ular refinery, it was necessary to modify it for a higher
SWSG volume than AAG volume (the reverse of typical
refinery operations). In adapting an off-the-shelf design to
accommodate these streams, a sulfur recovery process
was engineered that could handle eight unique AAG rate
and compositional variations that might be fed into the
system, plus four unique SWSG rate and compositional
variations, along with the stream that would be fed into
the system when throughput was reduced. In all, a total of
32 operating scenarios plus the reduced throughput case
were considered, so that regardless of how the refinery
was being operated, sulfur recovery would meet all emis-
sions regulations. The scenarios covered everything from
maximum throughput to an extremely low flow gas
stream.
In addition to the various feeds, the design of the sul-
fur recovery process can be adapted to accommodate
unique compositional variations in the acid gas stream
and the sour gas stream. For example, if the composition
of the acid gas stream at the refinery is very lean in H2S
concentration, the destruction of NH3 in the sour gas
stream can be very challenging. The results of NH3 leav-
ing the thermal reactor unoxidised can be severe. When
the gas is cooled in the sulfur condenser, NH3 and H2S
react to produce ammonia salts, which can plug up the
tubes of the heat exchangers, rundown lines and process
lines. The three Ts: time, turbulence and temperature are
Reprinted from HYDROCARBON ENGINEERING APRIL 2004
used to destroy the ammonia, ensuring that this does not
occur. Similarly, if the stream is very lean, the system may
lack the necessary temperature for the unit to work effi-
ciently. In these cases, oxygen can be added to increase
the temperature, besides pre-heating and splitting the
amine acid gas flow. Alternately, hydrogen or natural gas
can also provide the necessary temperature.
Once the acid gas and the sour gas streams reach the
sulfur recovery system, the streams are fed to the Claus
CombustorTM and thermal reactor where they come into
contact with combustion air. In the thermal reactor, all the
ammonia is oxidised and approximately one-third of the
hydrogen sulfide is oxidised to sulfur dioxide. Any hydro-
carbons in the stream are also oxidised. The newly
formed sulfur dioxide reacts with the hydrogen sulfide in
a thermal stage to form elemental sulfur.
2H2S + SO2 1.5S2 + 2H2O
The sulfur bearing process gases then flow to the
waste heat boiler, which generates medium to high pres-
sure (typically 150 - 600 psig) steam while cooling the
process stream. The process gas is further cooled in the
first condenser while generating low pressure (typically
50 - 60 psig) steam. At the same time, sulfur is con-
densed and drained through a seal leg to the sulfur pit.
The cooled process gases then flow to the first reheater,
where they are heated before feeding the first bed of the
catalytic reactor. In the catalytic reactor, the Claus reac-
tion takes place over a fixed bed of catalyst in which sul-
fur is formed over an activated alumina catalyst bed. The
reacted process gases then flow to the second condenser
and are once again cooled while condensed sulfur drains
to the sulfur pit. This process is repeated two more times,
which gives a typical sulfur recovery of 95 - 97% from the
acid gas stream.
CB&I TPA, a company that specialises in sulfur
removal and sulfur recovery, has developed a number of
proprietary design features and equipment that the com-
pany incorporates into its off-the-shelf modules to
improve performance and efficiency. The use of these
features helps to ensure optimal sulfur recovery and, at
the same time, helps to reduce the amount of time it takes
to build and install the unit. These technologies include:

A Claus CombustorTM burner designed specifically for
the refinerys streams. The burner is a ring-style acid
gas burner that provides thorough mixing of air and
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Figure 2. Schematic of tail gas treating unit.
acid gas for high combustion efficiency, complete
ammonia destruction, and is suitable for oxygen
enhanced modes of operation.

Tube sheet refractory design for the waste heat boiler
to protect the tube sheet against high temperature
during the oxygen mode of the operation.

A SulfSepTM, which is the entrainment separator
designed to minimise sulfur carryover from the sulfur
condenser plenums. It has a removal efficiency of
99.99% for sulfur particles 10 and larger.

A special refractory design in the thermal reactor for
the severe environment found in the SRU and also
suitable for a future oxygen enhanced mode of
operation.

An advance control system which includes independent
air/amine acid gas and combustion air/sour water
stripper gas ratio controls to more accurately and
rapidly respond to feed fluctuations and increase
stability at high turndown rates.

A degassing system for the liquid sulfur product,
which reduces the H2S in the liquid sulfur to less than
10 ppm.

The Oxygen InjectorTM is used to diffuse oxygen
directly into the combustion chamber of the SRU and
the OxyPACTM advanced modular control system
regulates the transition in and out of an oxygen
enhanced mode of operation, regulates the acid
gas/oxygen-air balance in the oxygen enhanced mode
of operation, and helps to minimise the consumption
of oxygen. With the added oxygen, the capacity of the
SRU can be increased significantly.
Once the Claus process has eliminated approximately
95 - 97% of the sulfur from the stream, the tail gas that
contains the remaining sulfur is sent to a tail gas treating
unit to achieve the 99.9+% sulfur recovery standards
required by most environmental agencies.
Designing the tail gas treating
module
Tail gas treating units are designed to remove almost all
the remaining sulfur from the stream. Here again, CB&I
TPA technologies can be adapted to improve the perfor-
mance of the unit. Using the ResulfTM tail gas treating
process, all of the sulfur compounds present in the tail
Reprinted from HYDROCARBON ENGINEERING APRIL 2004
gas are converted to hydrogen sulfide through hydrolysis
and hydrogenation reactions, which occur over a fixed
bed of catalysts (Figure 2). The H2S and a portion of the
CO2 is absorbed in the absorber and then stripped off in
the regenerator. The H2S and CO2 are recycled back to
the SRU. The remaining gas leaving the absorber, which
is then incinerated, cannot exceed ppm maximums estab-
lished by the regulatory agencies.
To help ensure the refinery stays in compliance, the
design can also include a SunDeckTM. A SunDeckTM is a
custom designed and well proven automatic diverter
valve and control system, which provides zero leakage. It
also provides maintenance shut off of tail gas flow to the
incinerator and tail gas unit in an emergency situation.
The Sun DeckTM system features valves that are specially
modified to accommodate sulfur service. By providing
total shut off when the tail gas unit is online, the chance
of violating limits due to bypass valve leakage is elimi-
nated.
Fabricating and installing the
system
SRUs designed with a modular layout can be fabricated
in the shop and installed on location at the refinery. This
allows the refinery and the contractor to move forward on
parallel paths when timing is critical and the project must
be completed quickly. In one situation where the project
had to be built in an extremely short timeframe, the mod-
ular approach was the only way to complete the project in
the time available. While the refinery obtained all the nec-
essary permits, the contractor worked on the process
design and began the pre-fabrication work. Once the per-
mits were obtained and all the equipment was fabricated,
the equipment was moved by truck to the refinery location
and assembled on site.
Since the fabricated components are quite large, their
shipment requires careful planning and considerable
logistical support. The planning begins early, because
shipping constraints will determine whether or not a mod-
ular unit is a practical option. The location of the fabrica-
tion shop and the location of the refinery must be consid-
ered along with the shipping options that connect the two.
For example, if both are located with easy access to a
port, fabricated components can be shipped via barge to
the location. If the components must be shipped by truck,
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the size of the roads and bridges must be considered.
Permits may need to be obtained to move the items over
certain bridges, and escorts may be required to accom-
pany equipment convoys. Cooperation from local com-
munities and officials may be needed to expedite the
arrangements if time is critical.
Once the modular components arrive on site, the sul-
fur recovery system is ready for assembly. One of the
most important advantages of this approach is the elimi-
nation of elevated work that requires scaffolding and
poses high safety risk. Furthermore, because the fabrica-
tion is already completed at this point, the project is less
susceptible to inclement weather delays. The assembly of
the components causes less disruption to the existing
plant operations than an onsite build would produce and,
because fabricated units can be installed in less time than
customised systems, labour costs are notably less. The
amount of time saved can also be important to the refin-
ery when the plant is under critical pressure to meet a
regulatory deadline. These savings can be greatly
enhanced when the construction crew is already familiar
with the components and can use this knowledge to
expedite the assembly process. For this reason, refiner-
ies frequently award EPC contracts for these projects so
that the contractor designing the system can handle all of
the construction management as the unit is assembled.
To ensure that sufficient sulfur is removed to meet all
environmental regulations and to ensure that refinery
operations do not have to shut down because of system
failures, refineries sometimes decide to build redundant
systems. When one unit is down for maintenance, the
other can handle all the sulfur recovery needs of the
Reprinted from HYDROCARBON ENGINEERING APRIL 2004
refinery. When both units are running, they each process
approximately 50% of the total sulfur load. The use of
modular units works especially well with this approach.
Two complete units can be built at the same time, with
two identical sulfur recovery systems and two corre-
sponding tail gas treating units with incinerator/stacks.
Since they are identical units, all of the same design and
engineering can be used, greatly reducing the cost to pro-
duce the units.
Conclusion
By the time the project is commissioned and startup oper-
ations are initiated, an off-the-shelf modular sulfur recov-
ery system can achieve considerable savings for the
refinery in comparison with its customised counterpart.
These savings can be realised in every phase of the pro-
ject: from design and engineering to fabrication and
installation. The SRUs are designed for ease of mainte-
nance and operations, so the advantages to the refinery
continue long after the system is installed. The end result
is a reliable, field tested system that employs the latest
technologies and is adapted uniquely to the specific
needs of the refinery.
As regulatory clocks continue to tick for meeting
tighter standards, off-the-shelf sulfur recovery systems
provide timely solutions to refineries around the globe.
With the help of these efficient and cost effective systems
that are modularised for speedy installation, refineries are
able to beat the clock and, in doing so, make a valuable
contribution to the worldwide effort to meet clean air and
clean fuels standards.