Sulphur condensation influence in Claus catalyst performance.
The Claus process is an efficient way of removing H(2)S from acid gas streams and this is widely practised in industries such as natural gas processing, oil refining and metal smelting. Increasingly strict pollution control regulations require maximum sulphur recovery from the Claus unit in order to minimise sulphur-containing effluent. The most widely used Claus catalyst in sulphur recovery units is non-promoted spherical activated alumina. Properties associated with optimum non-promoted Claus catalyst performance include high surface area, appropriate pore size distribution and enhanced physical properties. The objective of this paper is to outline a procedure in order to estimate Claus catalyst effectiveness after pore plugging due to sulphur condensation. Catalyst deactivation due to pore plugging by sulphur is modelled employing a Bethe lattice and its corresponding performance is described by means of a modified effectiveness factor. Model results show an improvement in the modified effectiveness factor due to modifications in catalyst porous structure.
Mora
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RL
Chemical Engineering Department, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain. rafael.larraz@tenerife.cepsa.es
D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D002384:Catalysis; D002617:Chemical Industry; D006862:Hydrogen Sulfide / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008669:Metallurgy; D013455:Sulfur / Q000737:chemistry
D000393:Air Pollutants; D013455:Sulfur; D006862:Hydrogen Sulfide