Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
5-31-1986
Degree Name
Master of Science in Chemical Engineering - (M.S.)
Department
Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Environmental Science
First Advisor
Edward Charles Roche, Jr.
Second Advisor
Irwin Hundert
Third Advisor
John E. McCormick
Abstract
The computer aided mathematical modeling of the once through Claus process for hydrogen sulfide conversion to sulfur is presented herein. This vapor phase oxidation reaction is carried out using one thermal reactor and up to three bauxite catalytic reactors with sulfur condensers in between. The method of catalytic reactor feed reheat and its ramifications upon reactor performance and total model convergence is of major importance.
The reactor feed preheat can be carried out in either of the following ways: (1) indirect heat exchange using some external heat source; (2) indirect heat exchange using other hot process streams as heat source; (3) direct hot process gas mixing (hot gas bypass); and (4) direct mixing of inline burner product stream.
This work has found: (1) the direct methods of catalytic reactor feed reheat to be far superior to indirect methods in a one catalytic reactor system; (2) the indirect methods achieve greater sulfur recoveries than direct methods in two and three catalytic reactor systems; (3) in a three catalytic reactor system where reactors one, two, and three are reheated using inline burner, hot gas bypass, hot process gas indirect heat exchange, respectively, overall sulfur recovery is slightly less than when the indirect method is applied to all three reactors; and (4) increased pressure in the first catalytic reactor feed reheater requires more sulfur to be converted in the thermal reactor when using the mixed method of catalytic reactor feed reheat.
Recommended Citation
Kutny, Yuriy Osyp, "Computer aided mathematical modeling of a once through Claus type sulfur recovery process" (1986). Theses. 3419.
https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/theses/3419
