AM-95-60 TOPSOE’S WET GAS SULFURIC ACID (WSA) PROCESS An Alternative Technology for Recovering Refinery Sulfur

Description:

The Topsoe Wet gas Sulfuric Acid (WSA) process is a catalytic process which produces concentrated sulfuric acid from refinery streams containing sulfur compounds such as H2S (Claus plant feed), Claus plant tail gas , SO2 (FCC off-gas, power plants), and spent sulfuric acid (alkylation acid). The WSA process recovers up to 99.97% of the sulfur value in the stream as concentrated sulfuric acid (93-98.5 wt%). No solid waste products or waste water is produced and no chemicals are consumed in the process. The simple process layout provides low capital cost and attractive operating economy. Twenty four commercial WSA plants have been licensed. The WSA process is explained in detail and comparisons with alternative sulfur management technology are presented. Environmental regulations applying to SO, abatement and sulfuric acid production plants are explained in the context of WSA plant operation.