Activity monitoring of Claus catalysts in sulfur recovery units

Methodical principles of catalyst activity monitoring in Claus reactors based on the determination of the rate constant of the reaction of hydrogen sulfide conversion at catalyst temperatures lower than 280°C are discussed. The procedure is justified by data from laboratory experiments (in the range of concentrations [H2S]0 = 1.5–7 vol %), pilot tests ([H2S]0 = 0.8–37.4 vol %) of an alumina-based catalyst AO-NKZ-2 produced by ZAO Novomichurinsk Catalyst Plant, and by the results of its test in the Claus reactor of the department for coke oven gas purification of by-product-coke plant at the OAO Magnitogorsk Integrated Iron-and-Steel Works. The procedure is recommended for reliable monitoring of the current activity and estimation of the residual life of catalysts in the Claus industrial reactors operating under conditions of substantial variations in the composition of the process gas, as well as for comparative estimates of catalyst activity in the Claus process.