Sulphuric Acid on the WebTM Technical Manual DKL Engineering, Inc.

Knowledge for the

Sulphur Burning - Sulphur Burners
Sulphuric Acid Industry May 14, 2002

Introduction Associated Links

Sulphuric Acid on the Sulphur Guns
Web Rotary Cup Burners Sulphur Furnace
Introduction
General
Equipment Suppliers
Contractor
Introduction
Instrumentation
Industry News
Maintenance There are basically two types of sulphur
Acid Traders burners in use in sulphur burning acid plants;
Organizations
Fabricators Sulphur Guns using an atomizing spray
Conferences nozzle and Rotary Cup Burners.  Two fluid
Used Plants
Intellectual Propoerty atomizing nozzles are not commonly used.
Acid Plant Database
Market Information
Library Sulphur Guns

Technical Manual A sulphur gun consists of a steam jacketed

pipe with a atomizing spray nozzle mounted
Introduction on the end.  The steam jacketed pipe is long enough to place the spray nozzle at
General
Definitions the front on the furnace an serves to keep the gun cool and maintain the sulphur  
Instrumentation in the molten state.
Plant Safety
Metallurgial Processes
Metallurgical Early sulphur guns
 
Sulphur Burning
Acid Regeneration used a standard
Lead Chamber ‘Spraco’ type nozzle
Technology
Gas Cleaning screwed onto the
Contact end of the sulphur
Strong Acid
Acid Storage gun.   More
Loading/Unloading sophisticated design
Transportation
Sulphur Systems are now available
Liquid SO2 but the all work on
Boiler Feed Water
Steam Systems the same principal.
Cooling Water
Effluent Treatment
Utilities An atomizing spray nozzle is a device which breaks up a mass of liquid into a
Construction multitude of droplets, serving the general purpose of increasing the surface
Maintenance
Inspection area.  Spray nozzles create droplets by using the energy in a pressurized liquid
Analytical Procedures to break up the liquid stream into droplets as the liquid passes through an
Materials of Construction
Corrosion orifice.  In this case, the formation of droplets and the increase in surface area
Properties allows for the efficient and thorough combustion of sulphur in the sulphur
Vendor Data
furnace.  
DKL Engineering, Inc.
Spray nozzles require a high pressure drop to effectively atomize the molten
Handbook of Sulphuric Acid sulphur.  Pump delivery pressures for molten sulphur are typically 690 kPag (100
Manufacturing
Order Form
psig) or higher.
Preface
Contents
Feedback
Spray nozzles with fixed orifice sizes are limited in their turndown ability. 
Typically the flow of molten sulphur is controlled by an upstream control valve.  
Sulphuric Acid Decolourization As the valve is closed a greater portion of the pressure drop is taken across the
Order Form
Preface
valve reducing the pressure at the spray nozzle.   The effectiveness of the spray
Table of Contents nozzle is greatly reduced as the inlet pressure is reduced.  To overcome this
problem the orifice in the spray nozzle must be changed to a smaller size.  This
Process Engineering Data Sheets requires a stoppage in the plant in order to change the spray nozzle.
- PEDS
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Table of Contents
Introduction
This problem is partially overcome by having multiple sulphur guns installed in
the furnace.  As plant production is reduced, sulphur guns are taken out of
Bibliography of Sulphuric Acid service so pressure at the spray nozzle is not significantly reduced.  For small
Technology plants, multiple sulphur guns are not as practical or necessary as in larger
Order Form
Preface plants.
Contents

Some sulphur gun designs have been developed where the control of sulphur
Sulphuric Acid Plant
Specifications flow is done right at the spray nozzle.   This eliminates the turndown problem of
  fixed orifice spray nozzles.  A control rod runs down the length of the sulphur
gun and extends through the spray nozzle orifice creating an annular space for
Google Search sulphur flow.  To increase sulphur flow, the control rod is extracted increasing
the size of the annular space (i.e. orifice area).  The advantage is that high
pressures are maintained right at the inlet of the spray nozzle providing for good
atomization at all flow rates.  One disadvantage is that as the size of the orifice
is reduced, the nozzle is more prone to blockage.
 Rotary Cup Burners
 
A rotary
cup
burner
consists
of a
spinning
cup
spinning
at high
speed
which
atomizes
the
molten
sulphur.  The spinning cup is driven by an electric motor through a drive belt
system.  Sulphur is fed to the burner at a low pressure (< 1 bar g) compared to a
pressurized spray nozzle.  The high speed rotating cup ensures that the sulphur
is atomized to a high degree.  The result is a short intense flame that provides
for complete combustion of the sulphur to sulphur dioxide.  The burner permits
a high specific furnace load (2 Gcal/m³) compared to the pressurized spray
nozzle (0.75 Gcal/m³). 
 
Since the burner does not rely on a high pressure drop, burner turndown ratios of
1:5 are possible the need to change any spray nozzles.  The capacity of the
burner is controlled by a control valve on the molten sulphur line.  Typical burner
capacities range from 5 to 600 tpd of sulphur.
 
The burner can also be used to burn fuel oil during the preheating step and can
be quickly switched over to sulphur when required.
 

 
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