Problems with sulfur recovery processes
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What are the reasons for the rupture of the sulfur seal tank during the sulfur recovery process?
A sulfur seal is similar to a water-sealed tank, and its main function is that of a safety valve! Well, then this question is quite simple. If the safety valve activates, what are the possible reasons for that?
There is only one reason: the system pressure is too high, higher than the height of the liquid sulfur column inside the sulfur seal
It’s caused by excessive system pressure.
I would like to ask what symptoms occur when the sulfur-sealing tank is broken Is there anything abnormal at the scene? Will the on-site fixed toxic gas alarm give an alarm?
Once the sulfur seal is broken, liquid sulfur is ejected along with the process gas; the liquid sulfur surrounding the seal cools down and solidifies into sulfur. The process gas contains hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide, and if their concentration at the site reaches 10 ppm, an alarm will definitely be triggered.
As several people above have said, excessive system pressure is likely the main cause of the sulfur seal breaking. However, if this situation occurs frequently with little variation in system pressure, it may be due to an issue with the height of the sulfur seal.
If the breakthrough of the sulfur seal is caused by system fluctuations, it is certainly due to excessive pressure; however, if the pressure fluctuations are minimal yet the sulfur seal breaks frequently, it may be because the height of the sulfur seal is insufficient.
Where does the liquid sulfur go once it is ejected along with the process gas?
At present, the pressure corresponding to the sulfur seal height is around 75 KPa or more. So how high must the pressure at the front be in order to break through the sulfur seal?