PROCESS DESCRIPTION:

Overall process description:

Raw sulphur from the gulf is transported and stored at the wharf in sulphur storage silos. It is
transported from there to 25000 MT high capacity sulphur godowns. The sulphur is then fed via pay
loaders into the melting compartment. Steam is used in the melting compartment as a heating media
where the sulphur melts only at 1190c temp, but for its free flowing and even decomposition of ash
results we usually retain 1350c only at that unique temp 1350c. The molten sulphur of 8 cp viscosity and
1350c temperature obtained is fed into the pressure leaf philtres for filtration from the sulphur pit
precoating. Decolite powder is applied to the precoating compartment, making it simple to filtrate by
foaming a cake layer on the philtre leaves. In the clean sulphur pit, the filtered molten sulphur is stored
and a collection of molten sulphur is given to the sulphur for combustion.

All the sulphur piping is steam jacketed and the low pressure saturated steam tapings are supplied
during their flow at regular intervals to hold the sulphur in molten form. Sulphur pumps pump the
purified molten sulphur along with imported molten sulphur of 99.9 percent purity with an acidity of
<0.02 percent and an ash content of < 100 ppm into the furnace.

In the presence of dry air, combustion of molten sulphur is carried out in the sulphur furnace to create
sulphur dioxide gas containing 10.5-11.5 percent of SO2. The blower supplies the air needed for the
combustion. The primary air flower powered by the steam turbine provides the means for moving all
process gas through the factory. The blower brings the air out of the atmosphere and cleans the air into
it. About the air philtre. Until it passes to the sulphur furnace, the drying tower extracts water vapour
from the air stream. Drying eliminates the risk of wet gas corrosion in subsequent gas ducts, decreases
potential damage conditions that may condense in the converter and reduces subsequent development
of acid mist, much of which would not be absorbed. Owing to the moisture absorbed from air, the acid is
diluted and flows into the circulation tank of the drying tower. Two number of mist eliminators are
mounted on the top of the drying tower to avoid the mist carryover.

Sulphur furnace is a combustion chamber in which sulphur is atomized to form SO2 at a temperature of
1100oc with air. Due to the high temperature of gas leaving the furnace results, the furnace effects

In the further step, proper conversion is fed to the waste heat recovery boiler for the production of
steam. The gases leaving the boiler are passed through the hot gas philtre provided between the waste
heat boiler and the convertor pass 1 to clean the convertor gases. The SO2 gases are fed to the
converter at a temperature of 4200c. In the presence of a V2O5 (or) cesium catalyst and potassium
oxide as a promoter, the conversion of SO2 to SO3 takes place in the convertor. A quench air line to the
4th pass is given in a five pass DCDA Convertor so that the 4th and 5th passes provide air for
combustion. The reaction is exothermic, so the temperature does not increase the presence of O2.

The heat produced in the first pass is brought down to the desired level in the super heater due to the
conversion of SO2 to SO3. A cooling media is used in the super heater saturated steam, so the gas
passes through the tubes and the saturated steam passes through the shell side of the steam into the
super saturated steam where the process gases from the super heater are sent to the converter's
second pass. In the hot heat exchanger, the heat produced in the second pass is extracted in the cold
heat exchanger and the gases from the cold heat exchanger are transferred to the economizer IB to
recover heat into the steam circuit by heating the boiler feed Water and the gases cooled in the
economizer flow to the IAT, i.e. the intermediate absorption tower so3 are absorbed by the heat
generated in the third pass

In water absorption, it is common practise to consume SO3 gases generating acid must, which is difficult
to distinguish from gas steam and damages downstream equipment. Gases from the IAT are reheated to
the reaction temperature required by the 4th pass inlet, followed by HHE on the shell side of the CHE.
The gases pass without cooling from the 4th to the 5th pass. In the fourth pass through the circulating
98.5 percent sulphuric acid in the tower, gases from the 5th pass flow through the economizer to
recover the heat before going to fat to absorb the so3 generator.

To decrease stack emissions, the unreacted SO2 to SO3 gases leaving the IAT & FAT absorption towers
pass through the alkali scrubber. In the alkali scrubber, the unreacted gases are scrubbed as a scrubbing
agent using an alkaline solution called NAOH. And the exit gases from the alkali scrubber are vented
through the plant stack to the atmosphere. Hot acids are returned to their respective pump tanks to
form the absorption tower. In order to cool the acid, acid circulation pumps this hot acid from the acid
pump tanks through the circulating acid coolers.

The coolers are an anodically covered heat exchanger shell & tube that uses cooling water to cool the
acid. For absorption of so3 from the convertor gases, cooled acid is then circulated through ITI & FAT
and also through DT for the removal of moisture from ambient air.

Any of the cooled acid is simultaneously passed through the acid cooler of the product for further acid
cooling. This cooler is a cooler for the plate heat exchanger that utilises salt water as a cooling medium
to cool the acid. The acid of this substance is 98% conc. The product transfer pumps are pumped from
Temp 400c into the product storage tank.