Process for removing elemental sulfur from a gas stream

A process for removing elemental sulfur from a claus tail gas stream, said method comprising the steps of:

• introducing the gas stream containing said elemental sulfur, said elemental sulfur being in the form of at least one of sulfur vapor and entrained sulfur particles, into the lower end of an inclined heat exchanger, said heat exchanger being inclined from the horizontal plane by an angle greater than 45.degree. and having an inner wall, said inner wall of the heat exchanger being maintained, throughout the entire length of the heat exchanger, at a temperature below the solidification temperature of sulfur and above the dew point of water in the gas stream by flow of a coolant;
• cooling the upwardly flowing gas stream in the heat exchanger, so as to establish a deposited layer of solid sulfur on the gas stream side of the inner heat exchanger wall;
• continuing to cool said upwardly flowing gas stream by said flow of said coolant so that, after said solid elemental sulfur layer is established, elemental sulfur condenses as a liquid onto said solid sulfur layer;
• and
• collecting said condensed liquid elemental sulfur from the heat exchanger by gravity flow, said introducing, continuing to cool and collecting steps being carried out in a continuous mode.