At a Shell sour gas processing facility in Alberta, Canada, hydrogen sulfide contained within the natural gas is converted into elemental sulfur by means of a Sulfur Recovery Unit (SRU). Tube leaks present in a water-cooled SRU condenser can lead to a variety of process issues including corrosion and the oxidative formation of acidic species. Leak indicators such as loss of sulfur flow in the rundown and a frothy sulfur appearance were observed. This work devised a novel method to verify such leaks within a SRU condenser. Using basic pump equipment and an inexpensive commodity chemical tracer, lithium hydroxide, a leak was able to be diagnosed without the shutdown of the unit and with a minimal of expenditures and hazard to operators. The unit was inspected and the tube leak plugged which enabled the resumption of normal operations.
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