Sulfuric acid – sulfur burning
Audit and Diagnosis
When the process doesn’t respond as it should, the answer is in the data.
In an industrial environment defined by aging assets, operational inefficiency, and increasingly demanding environmental regulations, sulfur-burning sulfuric acid plants face the challenge of maintaining safe, reliable, and profitable operations.
A technical audit provides a comprehensive view of asset condition, processes, and operational and maintenance practices, identifying improvement opportunities to optimize performance, strengthen compliance, and maximize long-term asset value.
What we do
We integrate into the plant’s technical team as a specialist counterpart. We conduct end-to-end process and maintenance audits, from the sulfur handling and filtration system to the final absorption tower.
Our protocol includes
- Initial diagnosis: review of inspection history and document analysis
- Equipment-level diagnosis: review of individual reports, Remaining Useful Life estimation, FEM calculations – Structural analysis
- Technical inspection of critical equipment: combustion furnace, boiler, converter, towers, heat exchangers, main blower
- Non-destructive testing when equipment integrity is in question
- Area management plan with reports, structured risk register, and a preventive maintenance plan adjusted per equipment
- Executive view: executive report and presentation, KPI definition for post-diagnosis monitoring, roadmap to operational excellence
The result: Extended equipment service life, operational continuity, safe operations, and environmental compliance.
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Start technical inquiry TopAdvisory and Consulting
Knowing what to do is just as important as understanding what is happening.
Understanding processes and knowing how to interpret operational events and deviations is essential for identifying problems and defining improvements.
Decision-making on interventions in a sulfur-burning sulfuric acid plant requires deep, specific process knowledge and a rigorous evaluation of the operational implications of each alternative before implementation.
What we do
We act as a specialized technical counterpart throughout the decision-making process.
We translate available information into concrete recommendations, prioritized by operational impact and implementation feasibility.
Our scope includes
- Evaluation of sulfur quality: ash, acidity, and hydrocarbon content and their impact on filters and catalyst
- Review of historical data: catalyst temperatures and ΔP, pressure profiles, acid concentrations and temperatures
- Catalyst sampling and analysis: activity and hardness, converter performance
- Review and implementation of operational controls: water dewpoint measurement, stick test, pressure profile
- Equipment and full-plant inspections
- Technical interpretation of audit and non-destructive testing results
- Support in defining the scope of planned shutdowns
- Technical counterpart in revamp projects and new plants
The result: A clear, unambiguous technical roadmap that your team can execute with confidence.
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Start technical inquiry TopSystems and Process Engineering
Every intervention is an opportunity to improve the system.
Whether it is an expansion project, the replacement of obsolete equipment, or the construction of a new sulfur-burning acid plant, a specification error at the engineering stage can lead to unplanned shutdowns, cost overruns, or recurring failures.
Before a single piece of equipment is touched, the solution must be fully defined, with its technical and operational implications carefully evaluated.
What we do
We develop engineering solutions with the rigor that a continuous, high-criticality process demands. Every decision is backed by calculation and process expertise.
Our scope includes
- Process engineering
- Bottleneck studies
- Creation and review of thermal and mass balances
- Detail engineering for equipment replacement or modification
- Preparation and review of operating manuals
- Project cost estimation
- Technical coordination with equipment manufacturers and technology suppliers
The result: An executable engineering solution, fully documented and aligned with the plant’s operational and regulatory requirements.
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Start technical inquiry TopTechnologies and Equipment
Technology selection is not a purchasing decision. It is an engineering decision.
In a sulfur-burning plant, the sulfur handling system, combustion furnace, and waste heat boiler are just as critical as the converter. A poorly specified candle filter, an inadequate sulfur pump, or a heat exchanger with incorrect materials compromises the stability of the entire process.
What we do
We integrate world-class technology into the specific context of each plant, specifying every solution based on process and engineering requirements – not on a product catalog.
Available technologies and equipment
- Acid Piping Technology: ceramic packing, dampers, piping systems, and Mondi acid distributors
- Daltec: high-efficiency process blowers and fans
- Drake Specialties: spatter protection and leak control systems
- Dürr Megtec: wet electrostatic precipitators for emissions control
- Ecosystems Europe: gas scrubbers and emissions control systems
- Elessent MECS®: catalytic conversion and absorption technology, catalyst, Brink mist eliminators, acid coolers, DynaWave scrubbers
- Kalfrisa: heat recovery and industrial heating systems
- Ohio Lumex: dewpoint sensors and leak detection
- Sensia: fugitive emissions monitoring for SO₂, hydrocarbons, and VOCs
- Sulphurnet: plate filters, candle filters, and complete sulfur melting and purification plants
The result: Precisely specified equipment, backed by process engineering and post-installation technical support.
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Consumables and Spare Parts
Managing critical consumables and spare parts is a reliability function, not a procurement function.
A catalyst bed operating beyond its service life, fractured ceramic packing, or a mist eliminator with deteriorated elements degrades process performance before any alarm is triggered.
What we do
We advise on the identification, specification, and procurement of critical consumables. Since each plant operates with a different configuration, correct specification of the consumable is as important as the consumable itself.
Available consumables and spare parts
- Vanadium catalyst: bed-level specification, residual activity evaluation, and replacement criteria
- Structured ceramic packing: saddles, rings, and other shapes for absorption and drying towers
- Filter elements for mist eliminators
- Liquid sulfur filters: specification based on available sulfur quality
- Refractory and sealing materials for high-temperature equipment
- Spare parts for acid distribution systems
The result: Correctly specified consumables, procured on time, without compromising plant operational continuity.
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