Precautions for shutting down sulfur units
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Please share the precautions to be taken when shutting down a sulfur recovery unit ?
There’s nothing special about it – it’s there to prevent overheating and overpressure, to avoid leaks, and to ensure safety
For a normal shutdown of the Klaus unit, it is necessary to remove all sulfur and iron sulfide from the catalyst bed, as well as bring the equipment back to room temperature. The following operations must be carried out in this unit: ① Thermal soaking of the catalyst； ② Acid gas off-gas treatment unit ； ③ The section is purged with inert gas, and the reactor catalyst is deactivated ； ④ The furnace and reactor are cooled down.
1. Thermal immersion and carbonization treatment of converter catalysts. 2. Passivation treatment of hydrogenation catalysts. 3. Treatment of liquid sulfur in pipelines, sulfur tanks, and liquid sulfur storage vessels. 4. Purging of acidic gas pipelines. 5. Temperature control in sulfur production furnaces and exhaust gas furnaces. Sulfur processing plants pose significant risks; strict adherence to operating procedures is necessary during shutdowns. At the same time, fire-fighting facilities must also be in place to prevent accidents; during the shutdown period, temperature control is of utmost importance
1. Pay attention to the protection of critical equipment. Nozzles, etc. 2. Prevent spontaneous combustion by monitoring temperature changes, especially in the converter.
In my opinion, the reactor of the exhaust gas hydrogenation unit should be protected with nitrogen; there’s no need to carry out passivation treatment. Installing blind flanges at both sections and supplying nitrogen is sufficient. This makes it easier to start up the unit again in the future. Passivation could cause damage to the catalyst, which isn’t worth it
If the hydrogenation reactor is not maintained, I agree with the view from the 6th floor; after shutting down, the most important thing is to prevent iron sulfide from forming naturally
What is used to purge the CLAUS reactor?
Blow sulfur with gas, and then displace it with nitrogen
1 Heat soak of the catalyst to remove the liquid flow on it. 2 Catalyst sulfate reduction, enabling the sulfate reduction of the catalyst. 3. Use gas for sulfur removal, and pay attention to the drainage from each collector. 4. Purge the system and cool it down.