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US 2023/0416089 A1Published application
System and method for producing sulfur dioxide and associated sulfuric acid plant
AssigneeChemetics Inc.
InventorsRene Dijkstra, Dominika Kidon
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Abstract
Improved systems and methods are disclosed for producing sulfur dioxide using oxygen and submerged combustion. By incorporating a vapour phase combusting step in addition to the submerged combusting step, the downstream sulfur condenser may be made substantially smaller with reduced complexity and cost. Further, energy recovery is simplified and improved.
Claims19
A system for the production of sulfur dioxide gas comprising:
- a submerged combustion reactor for the combustion of molten sulfur to sulfur dioxide comprising an inlet for a supply of molten sulfur, an inlet for a supply of oxygen at ≥90% purity by volume, an inlet for condenser sulfur, and an outlet;
- a vapour phase combustion chamber for the combustion of sulfur vapour to sulfur dioxide comprising an inlet connected to the outlet of the submerged combustion reactor, an inlet for a supply of oxygen at ≥90% purity by volume, and an outlet;
- apparatus for cooling a gas and for condensing sulfur vapor into liquid sulfur comprising an inlet connected to the outlet of the vapour phase combustion chamber, an outlet for liquid sulfur connected to the condensed sulfur inlet of the submerged combustion reactor, and an outlet for a gas mixture comprising sulfur dioxide and residual sulfur vapour.
A method for producing sulfur dioxide comprising:
- combusting molten sulfur with oxygen at >90% purity by volume using submerged combustion to produce a first gas mixture comprising sulfur dioxide and sulfur vapour comprising molecules of sulfur Sn wherein n≥2;
- vapour phase combusting the sulfur vapour in the first gas mixture with oxygen or oxygen enriched air to produce a second gas mixture comprising sulfur dioxide and sulfur vapour wherein the concentrations of sulfur dioxide and sulfur vapour in the second gas mixture are greater and less respectively than the concentrations in the first gas mixture;
- cooling the second gas mixture to produce a cooler third gas mixture comprising sulfur dioxide and sulfur vapour;
- and
- condensing sulfur vapour into liquid sulfur from the third gas mixture to produce a fourth gas mixture comprising sulfur dioxide and residual sulfur vapour;
- characterized in that the average number naverage of the sulfur atoms in the sulfur molecules in the second gas mixture is at least 20% lower than the naverage of the sulfur atoms in the sulfur molecules in the first gas mixture.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.