After years of searching for cost-effective solutions to reduce sulfuric acid plant emissions, many members of the sulfur and sulfuric acid industries have still not found the system that best meets their needs. Most companies seek to balance their choice of appropriate technology with maintaining equipment integrity and exercising strong operational discipline. The ideal solution would reduce operating costs, maximize energy recovery and improve emissions, which is exactly what the highly efficient MECS® MAX3™ single absorption sulfuric acid plant process sets out to do.
The proprietary MECS® MAX3™ sulfuric acid plant technology simplifies the conventional sulfuric acid plant flow scheme by combining a single absorption Heat Recovery System (HRS™) plant with MECS® SolvR® regenerative SO2 scrubbing technology, thereby eliminating equipment, cutting costs and increasing efficiency. SolvR® regenerative SO2 scrubbing technology utilizes the same principles as MECS®’ proven ClausMaster™ technology, but with an improved solvent that reduces cost and increases efficiency. In this way, sulfuric acid plants not only save on water consumption, time and money, but can also recover more energy while achieving best-in-class emission levels.
The different commonly available sulfuric acid plant designs all have their own relative merits and drawbacks. The revolutionary differences and benefits offered by a fully integrated single absorption MAX3™ flow scheme are clearly shown in the :
• High pressure steam ≥1.5 ton steam / ton acid at 45 barg, 400° C
• Intermediate pressure steam ≈0.3 ton steam / ton acid at 10 barg saturated
• Reduced SO2 emissions to < 20 ppmv
• Reduced or maintained cooling water use equivalent to a double absorption HRS™ design
• Reduced power use ~10% compared to a double absorption plant
• Reduced caustic/chemical use by ~50% compared to a double absorption plant with a tailgas scrubber (or by 95% compared to a single absorption plant with a tailgas scrubber)
• Reduced or maintained overall capital cost compared to a double absorption HRS™ design with a tail gas scrubber to meet low SO2 emissions
• Reduced field construction time due to modular supply of the SolvR® system
With decades of experience in designing sulfuric acid plants, MECS® has used its expertise to develop an integrated system for a single absorption plant with HRS™ and SolvR® that optimizes the three critical aspects of a sulfuric acid plant: energy recovery, emissions reduction, and cost: the State-of-the-Art MECS® MAX3™.
Further details can be found in the MAX3™ brochure.