Chemical industry company Haldor Topsoe and Comprimo (part of Worley) have announced a global strategic alliance to license the TopClaus sulfur removal and recovery solution jointly
TopClaus combines two well-established technologies, the highly energy-efficient WSA process and the industry-standard Claus process.
As a result, TopClaus allows operators to handle acid gases and achieve sulfur removal efficiency (SRE) above 99.9 per cent. Moreover, ownership costs are significantly lower than with traditional technologies such as Claus followed by a conventional amine-based tail gas treatment unit.
“We are delighted to enter into this alliance. Topsoe is an industry leader, and we share their commitment to provide customers around the world with smarter and more sustainable solutions to protect the environment,” said Frank Scheel, senior vice-president, Comprimo.
“Thanks to this alliance, customers will benefit from a simpler, more robust and efficient plant design at a lower cost of ownership. TopClaus sulfur removal and recovery will enable them to comply with strict environmental regulations while protecting their profit. We are proud to be working with Comprimo, the world’s largest technology licensor of gas treating and sulfur recovery solutions,” said Rasmus Atle Breivik, product line director, Topsoe.
The Claus part of the TopClaus solution recovers elemental sulfur from acid gases. Claus tail gases are then treated in the WSA unit, where the remaining sulfur compounds are converted into sulphuric acid.
For reprocessing into elemental sulfur, the sulfuric acid is returned directly to the Claus reaction furnace, with no sulfuric acid left as a by-product. Sulfuric acid can, however, be drawn off as desired for specific uses or sale.
The TopClaus solution significantly reduces the CO2 footprint of the refinery, as it eliminates the need for tail gas incineration. Moreover, in the form of valuable superheated high-pressure steam, the WSA unit recovers as much as 90 per cent of the process heat.
The steam can be used in other processes at the refinery or for electricity generation. This results in much lower operating costs compared to any conventional amine-based technology that uses steam for amine regeneration and requires tail gas incineration.
For greenfield projects, the TopClaus solution is equally suitable as for debottlenecking existing acid gas treatment plants, providing more uptime, increased capacity, and lower emissions.
