Claus Tail Gas Treating Units: Switching to Low Temperature

Tail Gas Operation

Eric Roisin

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Agenda

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• Tail Gas Treatment by Hydrogenation

• Industrial Operation Feedback - BP Germany

• Catalyst Drop-in in Existing unit

• New Unit

• Conclusion

• Feed the right amount of air

• Load the most appropriate Claus catalysts

• Implement a Tail Gas Treatment solution

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> 99.8%

Three Drivers for Maximum Sulfur Recovery

Hydrogenation Based TGTU

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TG 103/133

air

fuel gas

Claus Tail Gas steam

water

to SWS

to incinerator Recycle to

Claus furnace

Reactor Section Amine Section

Qu

en

ch c

olu

mn

Ab

sorb

er

Reg

ener

ato

r

270-300°C

LT Catalyst Porfolio

Market leading catalysts

TG 107 High density High activity TG 136 Low density Low pressure drop

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A Revolution for Existing / New Units

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TG 107/136

air

fuel gas

steam

water

to SWS

to incinerator

Recycle to Claus

furnace

Reactor Section Amine Section

Qu

en

ch c

olu

mn

Ab

sorb

er

Reg

ener

ato

r

Claus Tail Gas

210-240°C

A Revolution for Existing / New Units

7

TG 107/136

air

fuel gas

steam

water

Reactor Section

Steam reheater

Claus Tail Gas

Operation at low temperature

• 40 % savings on energy

• Lower CO2 emissions

• Higher Temp. safety margin

From direct to indirect reheater

• Less risk of misoperations

(soot or excess air)

• Longer catalyst lifetime

• Equipment downsized 10%

• Capex reduction 10-15%

• OpEx reduction 20%

Ref.: Marco van Son, Sept. 15th 2005 Brimstone,

Vail (CO)

210-240°C

Agenda

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• Tail Gas Treatment by Hydrogenation

• Industrial Operation Feedback - BP Germany

• Catalyst Drop-in in Existing unit

• New Unit

• Conclusion

Industrial Operation Feedback

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Catalyst Drop-in at BP Germany

• Operating history from BP Gelsenkirchen

• Study undertaken by Jacobs-Comprimo to

revamp SRU & TGTU in 2003

• New SRU/TGTU train required

• Pilot studies demonstrated high performances

of TG 107

• BP decided to install a load of TG 107 in train # 4 TGTU Start up June 2004

• Existing refinery unit with a direct fired reheater

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SRU 4 – TGTU Performances with Previous Catalyst

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SRU 4 - Reactor Temperature Profile with Previous Catalyst

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Temp. in

Temp. bottom

SRU 4 - Reactor Temperature Profile with TG 107

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-60°C

Temp. in

Temp. bottom

SRU 4 – TGTU performances with TG 107

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Outcomes of the First Trial

• One year of testing, various temperature,

conditions, H2S/SO2 ratios, burning

stoichiometry...

• 240°C kept as maximum temperature, allowing

the construction of a unit equipped with steam

reheater

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Catalyst load still in operation after 9 years

New Unit in BP Germany

2006-2007 Erection of SRU 5 plant

New unit with indirect 40 barg steam reheater

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SRU 5 - Reactor Temperature Profile with TG 107

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Temp. in

Temp. bottom

SRU 5 – TGTU Performances with TG 107

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New Unit in BP Germany

• SRU 5 unit is still delivering

• Inlet temperature still @220°C today

“More than 20 years of operating experience with low temperature catalysts” M. Schmidt, Sulphur, Berlin, 28-31/10/2012

130,000 GJ saved on fuel gas

1,000 tpy CO2 reduction

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TG 107 benefits confirmed by 6 years of operation

TG 107’s performances are widely recognized

TG 107 &TG 136 Always Benefit (1/2)

For existing units:

• Operating cost savings

• Lower CO2 emissions

Case study for a 320 t/day plant in Canada (2009)

• Fuel gas savings: 440 ton/year

• CO2 emission reduction: 1210 ton/year

• Cost savings (excluding CO2 credits):

• Improved operation reliability

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410 000 $ per year

TG 107 &TG 136 Always Benefit (2/2)

Additional benefit for new units:

• Simplified design

10-15% savings on installation cost

• Minimized risk of misoperation

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Axens catalyst development

allowed this revolution in the

design of Claus TGTUs

Switching to LT Operation with Axens

TG 136:

• Industrial feedback from Imperial

Sarnia published in LRGCC 2012

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New LT design widely accepted by

every TGTU stakeholder

TG 107:

• 9 years of continuous operation

for the first reference

Proven Performances at 210-240°C

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Axens pioneered every catalyst evolution

• Alumina: CR-3S

• TiO2: CRS 31 and now CRS 31 TL

• BTX management: CSM 31

• LT hydrogenation: TG 107 and TG 136

Driving Sulfur Recovery Towards Excellence

Sulfur recovery catalyst world leader

Claus Tail Gas Treating Units Switching to Low Temperature

Tail Gas Operation

Eric Roisin

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