Performance Assessment of a Sulphur Recovery Unit

A refinery plant in the middle east started its official production in 2020. All the refinery plant acidic gas is fed to the Sulphur recovery unit plant to produce sulphur and prevent any acidic emissions against environmental regulations. The Sulphur recovery unit was simulated via special package named SULSIM. The results were validated, then the simulation was used in case studies to understand some important parameters of Sulphur recovery plants. The effect of decreasing the combustion air inlet temperature, the effect of decreasing the Claus reactor 1 inlet temperature and the effect of decreasing the thermal reactor feed were studied. Decreasing combustion air outlet temperature on the thermal reactor decreases the thermal reactor burning temperature, increases the concentration of COS and CS2 by-products. Decreasing Catalytic reactor 1 inlet temperature decreases the hydrolysis reactions of COS and CS2 but increases the Sulphur conversion efficiency. Decreasing AAG feed to the thermal reactor decreases the waste heat boiler duty.