Configurations and methods for advanced oxygen enrichment for sulfur recovery
AssigneeFluor Corporation
InventorsRyan Chow, Thomas Chow
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Advanced oxygen enrichment technologies for Claus plants are presented that provide an oxygen rich gas stream to the Claus burner of the thermal stage and one or more oxygen rich bypass gas streams to at least one of the catalytic stages to so increase the capacity of the plant while reducing the amount of recycle gases needed for flame temperature moderation.
Claims20
A gas processing plant, comprising:
- a Claus reactor system having a thermal stage comprising a burner and a reaction furnace, a catalytic stage comprising a first catalytic reactor, a first sulfur condenser fluidly coupled between the thermal stage and the catalytic stage, and an oxygen source configured to provide an oxygen rich gas stream;
- wherein the thermal stage is configured to receive an acid gas stream, an air stream, a recycle stream, and a first portion of the oxygen rich gas stream;
- wherein the first catalytic reactor is configured to receive a first gaseous effluent from the first sulfur condenser and a second portion of the oxygen stream, and to produce a first catalytic reactor effluent;
- wherein the recycle stream is a portion of the first gaseous effluent from the first sulfur condenser;
- and
- a second sulfur condenser fluidly coupled to the first catalytic reactor and configured to receive the first catalytic reactor effluent and to produce a second gaseous effluent.
A method of operating a Claus plant, comprising:
- providing a Claus reactor system having a thermal stage with a burner and a reaction furnace, a catalytic stage with a first catalytic reactor, a first sulfur condenser fluidly coupled between the thermal stage and the catalytic stage, and an oxygen source that provides an oxygen rich gas stream;
- feeding to the thermal stage an acid gas stream, an air stream, a recycle stream, and a first portion of the oxygen rich gas stream;
- feeding to the first catalytic reactor a first gaseous effluent from the first sulfur condenser and a second portion of the oxygen stream to so produce a first catalytic reactor effluent;
- using a portion of the first gaseous effluent from the first sulfur condenser as the recycle stream;
- and
- coupling a second sulfur condenser to the first catalytic reactor to receive the first catalytic reactor effluent and to produce a second gaseous effluent.
A method of improving sulfur production capacity of a Claus gas processing plant having a Claus reactor system that includes a thermal stage with a burner and a reaction furnace, a catalytic stage with a first catalytic reactor, a first sulfur condenser fluidly coupled between the thermal stage and the catalytic stage, and an oxygen source that provides an oxygen rich gas stream, the method comprising:
- feeding to the thermal stage an acid gas stream, an air stream, a recycle stream, and a first portion of the oxygen rich gas stream to produce a thermal stage effluent;
- condensing elemental sulfur from the thermal stage effluent to form a first gaseous effluent;
- using a portion of the first gaseous effluent as the recycle stream to thereby control a temperature in the thermal stage;
- and
- feeding another portion of the first gaseous effluent into the first catalytic reactor and feeding a second portion of the oxygen rich gas stream into the first catalytic reactor to thereby reduce flow of the recycle stream and increase flow of the acid gas stream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.