Potential Problems in the Operation of Tail Gas Units

摘要

The treating of Claus tail gas to minimize sulfur emissions is required in most places in the world. The reductive tail gas processes where cobalt ? molybdenum catalysts are used to reduce SO2, hydrolyze COS and CS2, and shift of CO are considered ?Best Available Control Technology? (?BACT?). These catalysts are used in many licensed processes available today. These processes and catalysts permit overall sulfur recoveries of greater than 99.8 percent. Most of these processes utilize in-line burners to reheat the gas stream and to generate the reducing gas needed for the reactions. Careful operation has resulted in numerous users obtaining useful catalyst lives up to eleven years long. However, to achieve these long lifetimes, a great deal of attention must be devoted to the (a) loading, (b) start up, ? operation, and (d) shut down of these tail gas treating units. This presentation will attempt to identify the pitfalls related to the operation of the tail gas catalyst.