Sulphur recovery technology and site support for removing and destroying H2S and other sulphur and nitrogen contaminants.
As gas plants face increasingly stringent environmental and fuel-product standards, Wood’s expertise in refining technology can help operators navigate these challenges:
- Ensure gas products are on-spec with our highly efficient and user-friendly technology, backed by decades of design and field experience
- Select the optimal solution for your plant, considering both technical and economic requirements
- Guarantee a smooth transition and long-term reliability, with expert support from design to fine-tuning, startup, optimisation and troubleshooting
Ensure environmental compliance and cleaner air
Highly efficient and versatile processes for handling various gas stream concentrations
Reduce design costs and payback period
Modular solutions with smaller footprint and lower capital cost
Save maintenance efforts and operating costs
Unique open barrel design with minimal parts for simplified ops and maintenance
Sulphur recovery technology
We design and manufacture sulphur recovery technology, continually improved to meet industry demands for better safety, performance, reliability and recovery efficiency.
Our portfolio includes our proprietary acid gas burner, which utilises a compact plant layout to minimise footprint, tried and tested through its installation within more than 100 units.
We also use a unique burner design to achieve intense mixing with low pressure drop and a direct view of the thermal reactor interior and waste-heat boiler tube sheet.
Superior acid gas burner
Our proprietary acid gas burner is fully integrated with the thermal reactor, ensuring thorough ammonia destruction and low-level oxygen enrichment:
- Symmetric flow in the center air barrel
- High momentum at acid gas holes for uniform penetration
- Flame attachment and symmetrical expansion into thermal reactor
The burner also provides an unobstructed view through the front of the boiler, allowing operators to monitor the thermal reactor's operation and refractory conditions.
Revamps and retrofits
- Optimise unit capacity, operability and performance
- NOx, SO2 and CO emissions reduction
- Minimise fuel consumption with optimised tail gas incinerator
- Heat recovery to improve energy efficiency
- Reduce utility consumption
- Improve the operation of treating units when transitioning to renewable diesel
- Replace degraded sulphur pits with above-ground collection and storage to reduce environmental impact
Troubleshooting
We can mobilise quickly to inspect issues, identify the root cause and restore optimal performance, including for:
Catalyst deactivation: Rapid deactivation of the Claus catalyst can occur due to contaminants such as toluene breakthrough from the reaction furnace.
Analyser errors: Errors in H₂S, total sulfur or tail gas analysers can lead to inaccurate readings and operational inefficiencies.
Heat exchanger issues: Fouling in heat exchangers can lead to reduced efficiency and operational disruptions. Heat exchanger tube failures can cause costly downtime and repairs.
Advantages of Wood's SRU technology
Cutting-edge, dependable designs
to simplify operation and strengthen SRU robustness, including proprietary acid gas burner designs
Deep expertise and industry knowledge
to ensure you get the best solution, optimised for your application
Engineering and optimisation support
We’re here to support your plant to perform the best it possibly can
Reduced maintenance frequency
due to durable catalyst construction and materials
Superior valve designs
that prevent common issues like solids formation, sticking and leakage
Optimised blower placement
in tail gas cleanup units to reduce emissions
Custom catalysts and process schemes
tailored to specific recovery needs
Holistic support
from new unit design to studies and optimisations
Sulphur recovery experience
Wood (and legacy Foster Wheeler) has licenced and supported over 500 sulphur projects worldwide.
Our experience covers a wide range of feed compositions and contaminants, including amine recovery (ARU), sour water stripping (SWS), ammonia destruction, tail gas treating and sulfur recovery (SRU). Unit sizes range from 4 to over 650 mT/day, meeting efficiency requirements above 99.98%.
SRU, SWS and ARU design, installation and performance optimisation
CHS Laurel, MT
Wood provided full support from conceptual design to installation and performance optimisation for an SRU incinerator at the CHS Laurel refinery.
Wood also assisted in designing a new two-stage SWS unit and reviewed the operation of the existing ARU, which has had a history of underperforming.
As a result, the operator could increase sulphur recovery and improve overall SRU complex performance and emissions.
SRU optimisation
Repsol La Pampilla
Following a shift in crude diet, the refinery needed to reduce the minimum throughput to the SRU while maintaining unit performance.
Wood performed a detailed study to identify the required modifications to achieve a lower feed rate in stable operation.
Our support allowed Repsol to run the unit under the new feed conditions while meeting emissions limits.
Acid gas burner replacement
BP Castellon
Wood designed and oversaw the fabrication of its proprietary acid gas burners.
Two SRU trains in the refinery needed a burner replacement. Wood expedited the design and installation to accommodate the BP’s tight turnaround timeline.
With the new burners, the operator could continue to meet their emission requirements and ensure reliable and efficient SRU operation.
Ask a question or get a quote
Get in touch with us, and one of our consultants will get back to you shortly.
Common questions
Technology and specifications
We can accommodate a vast range of specs and standards with fully customisable solutions for your entire gas processing block from sour water stripping and amine regeneration to sulphur recovery.
Our sulphur recovery technology operates at an optimal recovery of over 99%, ensuring maximum conversion of H2S to elemental sulphur.
Our technology is robust against feed composition and flow rate variations, maintaining consistent performance through advanced control systems.
Our units can remove all common contaminants, including amine recovery (ARU), sour water stripping (SWS), ammonia destruction, tail gas treating and sulfur recovery (SRU).
We design and oversee the fabrication of our proprietary acid gas burner for use in the SRU.
Yes, we have extensive experience working on projects in various jurisdictions globally.
We comply with American ASME standards, European PED standards and other local requirements.
Our sulphur recovery technology is designed with the future in mind. It is easily adaptable to regulatory changes and capable of incorporating advancements in sulphur recovery processes.
Our technology is designed by engineers for engineers, and we can provide complete technical support from planning to optimisation and troubleshooting.
Due to our in-house designs, engineering expertise and refining knowledge, we don't rely on third parties to support your process.
Our strong partnerships with amine and catalyst vendors allow us to offer faster turnaround times than other sulphur technology licensors.
Integration and support
Our SRU equipment is designed for seamless integration with minimal downtime, thanks to our in-house customisable designs specific to your facility.
Our team of experienced engineers and gas processing specialists offer extensive technical support, as well as engineering and operator training programs to ensure that your team is fully prepared to operate and maintain the unit.
Sulphur recovery units are often assigned to younger operators. We can help your engineers get up to speed and become more familiar with operational best practices and optimisation techniques.
Our experienced team is available to assist in the entire sulphur processing complex including SRU, ARU, SWS, amine formulation, sulphur handling and storage, NH3 and SO2 destruction.
As a full-scale refining technology and service provider with decades of experience, we can support all areas of your operation.