Meeting Sulphur Emissions Specifications: Tail Gas Treatment Fundamentals and How to Optimize a "vintage" Tail Gas Treatment Unit

Presented at Annual Conference, 13 - 15 September 2017 at Sofitel Chain Bridge Hotel, Budapest by
Gerald Vorberg & Thomas Ingram BASF SE and Pamela d'Anterroches, Stefan Below & Sebastian Kordes BP Gelsenkirchen.
Tighter S02 emission regulations or simply processing more sour crude will trigger a re-evaluation of the efficiency of the entire CLAUS plant. As a first measure operators will explore various ways to make incremental improvements at minimal investment costs. The total sulphur recovery rate of an SRU is one key parameter for the efficiency of the entire complex. However, improving the performance of the CLAUS Tail Gas Treatment Unit (TGTU) provides some feasible and very cost-effective options to lower the sulphur emissions. BP and BASE jointly evaluated this option for an existing TGT unit at the BP refinery site in Gelsenkirchen Germany and then proceeded to implementation. Based on some TGT design fundamentals this paper will show how to change the performance of a "vintage unit" by optimizing the operation with a new selective solvent development of BASF's OASE® yellow Technology portfolio. In conclusion, the paper will provide operating data from the TGTU both before and after the optimization and supply some "rules of thumb" for those who may wish to improve the performance of their own TGT units.