【Weekly Topic】The issue of air intake into the liquid sulfur tank
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This post was last edited by haichuan*aomay on 2015-9-6 10:05. Will negative pressure in the liquid sulfur tank cause issues by drawing in air? What are the effects? What are the procedures for operating various units after a liquid sulfur tank catches fire?
There was a fire inside; we first noticed abnormally high levels of smoke and sulfur dioxide. Further analysis revealed that the fire originated in the liquid sulfur tank. The situation was resolved by increasing the supply of nitrogen (with the exhaust fan running to maintain a slight negative pressure).
It is inevitable for the liquid sulfur tank to draw in a certain amount of air under negative pressure. Under normal circumstances, the entry of air into the liquid sulfur tank has no significant impact; processes like Shell’s degassing method actually require introducing air into the liquid sulfur. But if a fire breaks out in the liquid sulfur tank, this air will definitely have a negative effect. It is recommended to install a thermometer on the liquid sulfur tank; in the event of a fire, temperature changes can be detected in a timely manner to allow for prompt action.
Under normal circumstances, the entry of air into the liquid sulfur tank has no impact; many units use unpurified air for liquid sulfur degassing. However, if the material used for steam heating in the sulfur tank is ordinary carbon steel, it won’t work. A liquid sulfur tank is generally equipped with two thermocouples, one in the liquid phase and one in the gas phase; the temperature of the gas phase can be used to determine whether a fire has broken out in the sulfur tank. If the sulfur pool catches fire, steam can be introduced through its opening.
Firstly, all components inside the sulfur tank must be made of stainless steel; the amount of FeS in the sulfur tank should be kept as low as possible (although liquid sulfur may carry FeS, this cannot be prevented), and the introduction of air has no impact. Once a fire breaks out, we stop the steam supply and turn on the fire-suppression steam.