Selection of liquid sulfur storage tanks and liquid sulfur ponds
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Horizontal liquid sulfur storage tanks are equipped with jacket heating, while vertical liquid sulfur storage tanks and their sulfur pools use coil heating. How should one make a choice between these options? Should it be based on volume? I’ve seen horizontal liquid sulfur storage tanks with small volumes, while those of other types are much larger in size. How should one decide in the design process? Which option is better for operation?
The horizontal storage tanks mentioned by the poster may be small tanks for which jacket heating is used; large tanks cannot employ jacket heating. Horizontal storage tanks and flow cells are usually located in the production area, and are mostly underground. This allows the liquid sulfur produced by each condenser to flow by gravity into underground storage tanks or liquid flow ponds. Vertical tanks are generally used for storing or loading liquid sulfur.
Is there a form with underground liquid sulfur storage tanks? Are there any issues with its use, such as in construction or maintenance?
It is recommended to use a liquid sulfur tank with a semi-underground structure and a large capacity; this makes it convenient for storage or loading liquid sulfur, and it also avoids the risk of spontaneous combustion due to ferrous sulfide that occurs with the use of iron tanks.
Even for underground storage tanks, a horizontal tank is placed in an underground pool. This is mainly done to avoid leakage problems that can occur with the use of flow cells.
It should be said that whether to use a liquid sulfur tank or a liquid sulfur pool requires comprehensive consideration of factors such as the production capacity of your facility, initial investment costs, construction, and operation and maintenance. For sulfur processing units with a capacity of less than 10,000–20,000 tons per year, it is recommended to use liquid sulfur tanks; for units with a higher processing capacity, sulfur pits are advised. Furthermore, the use of liquid sulfur tanks is not as dangerous as mentioned above; as long as they are of good quality and used properly, there is no problem using them for 10 years!
For sulfur processing units with a capacity of less than 10,000–20,000 tons per year, it is recommended to use liquid sulfur tanks; what would be an appropriate volume for such tanks? I want to calculate whether the volume of the tank is cost-effective compared to the sulfur pit.
Our existing old facility had two liquid sulfur tanks, with specifications of φ3000/3200x30/16x7024/9384, connected to each other by valves in between.
What was said on the 6th floor makes quite a lot of sense. Additionally, the waterproofing of the liquid sulfur tank and the outermost anti-corrosion and insulation layers are also areas prone to problems, whereas underground tanks do not have such issues.
Use underground storage tanks for large volumes and above-ground containers for small volumes.
It depends on the capacity; if the volume is large, a jacket usually isn’t sufficient – a coiled tube is needed instead.