SULFUR RECOVERY

Highlights 1/2

Amine (Absorber and Regenerator)

OBJECTIVE

To recover and convert H2S

Elemental sulphur to elemental sulphur, in order to limit Claus reactors
pollutant emissions to atmosphere

IN SUMMARY …
• The sulphur is essentially recovered by the hydrotreatment units, in the form of H 2S. It is also to be
found in the fuel gas, and the LPG’s from topping and conversion units, and also in the off gas from
the sour water stripper.

• It is recovered by successive units: amine washing (for sour gases or liquid LPG’s) to separate the H 2S,
Claus process converting the H2S into liquid sulphur, tail gas treatment and final incineration.

• This process chain is essential for the operation of the refinery, in order to meet the sulphur emissions
quota, and to manufacture petroleum products within their quality specifications.

• Most of the time there are two of them in a European refinery, one associated with the topping unit,
the other one with the conversion units.

• The efficiency for sulphur recovery is typically close to 99.5% overall, dropping to 95% without tail
gas treatment.

• The Claus unit is a net producer of MP steam, at around 10 bar, in the main Claus thermal stage
The economical margin is difficult to estimate, as the shutdown of one process unit in the chain will
affect all the upstream process units.

© 2014 - IFP Training

 SULFUR RECOVERY
Highlights 2/2

Amine (Absorber and Regenerator)

Flue
Gas

Amine

Acid Gas Treated

Treating
Gas Unit
Gas

H2S

Sulphur Tailgas
Recovery Treating Incinérator
Unit Unit

Sulphur
Elemental sulphur Claus reactors

OPERATING CONDITIONS
• Amine treating: low temperature (around 40°C) and high pressure are favourable to absorption;
amine regeneration is favoured at low pressure (less than 1 barg) and high temperature
(around 150 °C, limited by solvent stability).

• Sulphur recovery (Claus):

Exothermic Claus reaction: 2 H2S + SO2 ↔ 3 S + 2 H2O ; target is to maintain a ratio H2S/SO2
of 2 in all stages
Thermal stage: burner flame temperature of 1200-1400 °C (higher temperature required if feed gas
contains NH3); around 60 % sulphur recovery
Catalytic stages: warmer first stage (350°C), then others at 200-250°C; simple and cheap catalyst based
on activated alumina; around 25 % sulphur recovery after first reactor, then less than 10%
in the following one.

• Tailgas treating:
Different processes can be used, based on one of the following principles:
- continuation of the Claus reaction at lower temperature (and liquid sulphur formation of the catalyst),
- direct oxidation of H2S to elemental sulphur,
- or complete conversion of residual sulphur compounds in tailgas to H2S or SO2, followed by absorption
then recycling back to the Claus unit.

© 2014 - IFP Training