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Positive results achieved by Zhengyuan Hydrogen Energy in reducing energy consumption. Author/Source: Zhengyuan Hydrogen Energy. Date: 2021-12-30. Clicks: 27. Recently, Zhengyuan Hydrogen Energy’s purification workshop took innovative actions by modifying the steam used for heating and the condensate pipelines in the sulfur recovery system. Previously, 0.5 MPa steam was used for tracing in the liquid sulfur tank; its condensate, after passing through a steam trap, went into the plant-wide condensate pipeline network. Several years of practical production experience has shown that if all of the tracing steam condenses, the temperature of the liquid sulfur in the liquid sulfur tank fails to reach the melting point (≥120°C) ； However, if the heat tracing temperature reaches the melting point of sulfur, it will prevent all of the heat tracing steam from cooling; as a result, the condensate and the uncondensed heat tracing steam mix together and enter the condensation pipeline network, causing frequent vibrations in this pipeline network. Discharging this portion of the condensate on-site does not conform to clean production practices, and it also increases the company’s energy consumption, leading to higher costs. To address this issue, the technical management staff in the purification workshop finalized a plan after thorough discussions and evaluations. The 2.5 MPa steam is depressurized to around 0.8 MPa via a pressure and temperature reduction device, with the temperature maintained at approximately 165°C; this replaces the original 0.5 MPa tracing system in the liquid sulfur tank. After condensation, it enters the tops of the first, second, and third stage condensing coolers in a mixture of condensate and steam for recovery. With the on-site supervision and guidance of workshop technicians in the initial stage, the renovation was successfully completed and put into use. After 168 hours of operational testing, the expected goals were achieved. Currently, it is operating smoothly. The modification has not only resolved the issues related to the temperature of the raw material sulfur tank and the on-site discharge of condensate, but also enabled the utilization of the heat from this steam and condensate after they enter the first-, second-, and third-stage condensers. As a result, 0.5 MPa steam can be produced and fed back into the pipeline network. This reduces the loss of 0.5 MPa steam by 1 ton per hour, resulting in annual cost savings of approximately 1 million yuan.