Online analysis of the sulfur recovery unit

This post was last edited by qugd on 2010-6-6 at 18:56. In the sulfur recovery process (the Claus process), it is very important to control the ratio of hydrogen sulfide to sulfur dioxide; this is a key parameter that affects both the efficiency of sulfur recovery and the amount of sulfur remaining in the exhaust gases. There are several different methods available for ratio analyzers, such as chromatography, ultraviolet spectroscopy, and laser analysis. These methods utilize certain physical or chemical properties of hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide to analyze the ratio between these two substances during the conversion of acidic gases. This is done in order to ensure that the reaction for producing sulfur proceeds smoothly during sulfur recovery, while also minimizing the amount of sulfides in the exhaust gases. These measurement results are fed back to the control system, which adjusts the oxygen ratio in the exhaust combustion in order to partially oxidize hydrogen sulfide into sulfur dioxide, ensuring that the ratio of hydrogen sulfide to sulfur dioxide remains as close as possible to 2:1. The principle and operation of this analyzer are not difficult; the key is that the sample processing system of the analysis system must be able to meet the requirements of the analyzer. In fact, the core part of the entire analysis system is the sample processing system. The design and cost of this system vary greatly among many manufacturers in China. For those without experience or a track record of successful projects, the sample processing systems they create are essentially useless. Such sample preprocessing systems must be developed by experienced and qualified manufacturers or instrument suppliers; otherwise, users will have to deal with serious difficulties. The experienced suppliers or system integrators that I am aware of include Ametek, FluData from American Thermoelectric, ABB, Siemens, and Yokogawa – basically all of them are foreign suppliers. It is not clear whether Hangzhou Jucang will be able to handle this task in the coming years; however, its capabilities seem to be quite reliable in the domestic market.

Reply to 2# qugd: Thank you, your explanation is very detailed; I’ve learned a lot from it

For sulfur recovery, ultraviolet sulfur ratio meters are generally used. Among foreign manufacturers that produce high-quality instruments for sulfur ratio analysis, there is Ametek, as mentioned earlier, as well as GAS Company of Canada’s model 942. As for Siemens, ABB, and Yokogawa, they do not have specialized sulfur ratio meters. All the above sulfur ratio meters use in-situ analysis and are equipped with built-in steam heating and back-blowing systems. The sulfur ratio meter MOA-3000 produced by Hangzhou Juguang is widely used in China. Objectively speaking, its stability is not as good as that of foreign-made instruments; however, it offers a significant price advantage. Imported sulfur ratio meters generally cost over 1.2 million, while those that use concentration techniques only cost a few hundred thousand. ~