IP Library Granted Patent US 10,376,834
Granted Patent B2
US 10,376,834 · App. 15/563,870 · Granted Aug 13, 2019

Continuous process and apparatus for purifying SO2-containing gases

Inventors: Torsten Weber (Leichlingen, DE); Bernd Erkes (Brüggen, DE); Lucia Fernandez Lopez (Köln, DE)
Assignee: CHEMETICS INC.
B01D53/75B01D53/1425B01D53/1481B01D53/18B01D53/8609C01B17/56C01B17/76C01B17/7655Y02P20/129
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,376,834
App. No.
15/563,870
Granted
Aug 13, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

The invention relates to a continuous process for purifying a gas containing 60-99 percent SO 2 (sulfur dioxide) by volume and 1 to 40 percent steam by volume, followed by synthesis of SO 3 (sulfur trioxide) without first drying the gas, and to an apparatus for carrying out said method.

Claims (35)

1. A method for the purification of SO 2 -containing exhaust gases, comprising the following steps:

(a) introducing the SO 2 -containing exhaust gas into a gas scrubber and absorbing SO 2 in the scrubbing liquid,

(b) supplying the scrubbing liquid loaded with SO 2 into the desorber, desorbing SO 2 under generation of SO 2 -containing rich gas and returning the SO 2 deplenished scrubbing liquid into the gas scrubber,

(c) supplying the SO 2 -containing rich gas into a gas pre-heater, wherein air is added to the SO 2 -containing rich gas before it enters the gas pre-heater,

(d) heating the SO 2 -containing rich gas with the added air in the gas preheater,

(e) oxidizing the SO 2 contained in the SO 2 -containing rich gas to SO 3 in a tube contacting device,

(f) absorption of the resulting SO 3 in a SO 3 -absorber,

(g) discharging gases that have not been absorbed in the SO 3 -absorber and supplying these gases into the SO 2 -containing exhaust gas before it enters the gas scrubber,

wherein the air that is added to the SO 2 -containing rich gas before it enters the gas pre-heater in step (c) has a temperature that is higher than the temperature of the SO 2 -containing rich gas.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the SO 2 -containing rich gas formed in step (b) has a SO 2 -content of 60 to 99 vol.-% and a water content of 40 to 1 vol.-%.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature of said air during the addition to the SO 2 -containing rich gas in step (c) is from 300 to 600° C.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a volume ratio of O 2 /SO 2 is set to 0.5 to 1.2 by the supply of air in step (c).

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the SO 2 -containing rich gas with the added air is heated in the gas pre-heater in step (d) to a temperature of 380 to 480° C.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the gas that has not been absorbed in the SO 3 -absorber in step (g) contains less than 10 vol.-% SO 2 .

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the rich gas is not dried before its entry into the tube contacting device.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the air that is added to the SO 2 -containing rich gas in step (c) before its entry therein is withdrawn from the intermediate circuit for the supply and/or removal of heat to or from the oxidation of the SO 2 to SO 3 in the space between the inner tube and the outer tube of the tube contacting device.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the SO 2 contained in the rich gas is converted to SO 3 with a conversion of 70% to 99.9%.

10. A device for performing the method according to claim 1 , wherein the device comprises the following components: a supply for the SO 2 -containing exhaust gas into the gas scrubber, a first absorber for absorbing the SO 2 in a scrubbing liquid, a desorber for desorbing the SO 2 from the scrubbing liquid, wherein the gas scrubber and the desorber are connected by a scrubbing agent circuit, a supply for the SO 2 -rich gases generated in the desorber into the tube contacting device, wherein this supply provides a feed of air, a tube contacting device, an SO 3 -absorber for the absorption of the SO 3 formed in the tube contacting device, a recirculation line for recirculating the gas stream from the SO 3 -absorber into the supply for the SO 2 -containing exhaust gas to the gas scrubber.

11. The device according to claim 10 , wherein the tube contacting device comprises an intermediate circuit for the supply and/or withdrawal of heat to or from the oxidation of SO 2 to SO 3 .

12. The device according to claim 11 , wherein the intermediate circuit comprises a cooling device, a fan or a pump and/or a heating device.

13. The device according to claim 10 , wherein the device does not comprise an apparatus for condensation of the sulfuric acid resulting from the formed SO 3 .

14. The device according to claim 10 , wherein the device does not comprise an apparatus for drying gases.

15. The device according to claim 10 , wherein the device comprises a supply line for pre-heated air, which is added to the SO 2 -rich gas before it enters the gas pre-heater, wherein this supply line is connected to the circuit line of the intermediate circuit.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the SO 2 -containing rich gas formed in step (b) has a SO 2 -content of 80 to 98.5 vol.-% and a water content of 20 to 1.5 vol.-%.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the SO 2 -containing rich gas formed in step (b) has a SO 2 -content of 90 to 98 vol.-% and a water content of 10 to 2 vol.-%.

18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature of said air during the addition to the SO 2 -containing rich gas in step (c) is from 380 to 560° C.

19. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature of said air during the addition to the SO 2 -containing rich gas in step (c) is from 400 to 520° C.

20. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a volume ratio of O 2 /SO 2 is set to 0.7 to 1.1 by the supply of air in step (c).

21. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a volume ratio of O 2 /SO 2 is set to 0.9 to 1.0 by the supply of air in step (c).

22. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the SO 2 -containing rich gas with the added air is heated in the gas pre-heater in step (d) to a temperature of 400 to 450° C.

23. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the gas that has not been absorbed in the SO 3 -absorber in step (g) contains less than 5 vol.-% SO 2 .

24. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the gas that has not been absorbed in the SO 3 -absorber in step (g) contains less than 2 vol.-% SO 2 .

25. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the SO 2 contained in the rich gas is converted to SO 3 with a conversion of 80% to 99.5%.

26. The method according to claim 1 , wherein characterized in that the SO 2 contained in the rich gas is converted to SO 3 with a conversion of 90% to 99%.

27. The method according to claim 1 , wherein characterized in that the SO 2 contained in the rich gas is converted to SO 3 with a conversion of 93 to 97%.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 10, 2019
From: BAYER AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
To: CHEMETICS INC.
Reel/Frame 049145/0597 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 10, 2019
From: WEBER, TORSTEN; ERKES, BERND; LOPEZ, LUCIA FERNANDEZ
To: BAYER TECHNOLOGY SERVICES GMBH
Reel/Frame 049150/0064 →
MERGER Recorded May 10, 2019
From: BAYER TECHNOLOGY SERVICES GMBH
To: BAYER AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
Reel/Frame 049152/0348 →
Priority Claims (1)
EP 15162409 · Apr 2, 2015 · regional
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20180117529A1 · May 3, 2018