This presentation describes the Topsoe WSA technology and why it was chosen by the Buenaventura group for their plant at Procesadora Industrial Rio Seco S.A. plant located near Huaral which is about 100 km from Lima in Peru. At this site, magnesium sulfates are produced and a waste stream containing among others H2S has to be cleaned before it is sent to the atmosphere. This gas stream is treated in the WSA plant, and at the same time solid sulfur is burned, whereas 98.0 wt% sulfuric acid is produced by both feed materials for consumption at the site at a capacity of 60 MTPD. The installation of the plant at site, the precommissioning and commissioning of the WSA plant as well as the first experience of operation also are described

1. 1
Presented by Osman Chaudhry, Haldor Topsøe A/S
Tailor-made catalyst
solutions to meet the
demands for lower SO2
emissions

2. 3
Haldor Topsoe
In brief
• Established in 1940 by Dr. Haldor Topsøe.
• Market leader in heterogeneous catalysis
and surface science for over 70 years.
• 2,800 employees, 11 countries, five
continents.
• Buenos Aires – main office in South
America
• VK catalyst production in USA and
Denmark.
• Private 100% family owned company.
• Spend more than 10% of revenue on R&D. PelletsFirst
with Daisy
VK-WSA
VK69
VK59
25 mm
VK-701 LEAP5
VK-WSX
First
with Rings
First
with Cs

3. 4
Low Emissions During Start-up
02

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Reaction rate: Standard catalyst
SO2(g) + ½ O2(g)  SO3(g) + Heat
Reactionrate
Depth in bed
10% SO2, 11% O2, inlet temperature 390°C

5. 6
Reaction rate: Too cool? – Too hot!
Equilibrium limitedCatalyst limited?
SO2(g) + ½ O2(g)  SO3(g) + Heat
Reactionrate
Depth in bed

6. 7
Temperature profile: Standard catalyst VK38
380
430
480
530
580
SO2(g) + ½ O2(g)  SO3(g) + Heat
Temperature
Depth in bed
390°C
10% SO2, 11% O2, inlet temperature 390°C

7. 8
Effect of Inlet Temperature – 390°C vs 420°C
380
430
480
530
580
Temperature
Depth in bed
10% SO2, 11% O2, inlet temperatures 390°C and 420°C
390°C
420°C
Faster Activation of the Catalyst Bed and Reduced Catalyst Needs

8. 10
Going from 390°C inlet  420°C inlet?
 Higher inlet temperature = Lower total bed
conversion
 Time consuming preheating
 Cost of heating oil, natural gas, etc.

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Handling 390°C inlet - Use of Cesium Ignition Layer
Cesium ignition layer - VK59
Standard catalyst - VK38
Bed 1

10. 13
Effect of Ignition Layer
380
430
480
530
580
Reactionrate
Depth in bed
10% SO2, 11% O2, inlet temperature 390°C
VK38VK59 and VK38
Maintain Maximum Conversion with Low Catalyst Volume
Dramatic Increase in Ignition Capability

11. 14
Handling 370°C inlet - Use of Cesium Catalyst in last bed (after IAT)
Cesium promoted last bed – VK69
Bed 4
 Accommodates faster & cleaner start-ups
 Less preheating time
 Savings in ”preheating fuel”

12. 15
Low emissions during Steady State Operation
03

13. 16
Low temperature catalyst options – VK59
10-15%
reduction in SO2 emission
Single adsorption
VK38
VK38
VK48
VK48VK59

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Low temperature catalyst options – VK69
50%
reduction in SO2 emission
Double adsorption
VK38
VK38
VK48
VK38VK69

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VK-701 LEAP5™
Boosting the conversion further
• Achieving remarkably low emission
Key application areas:
• Lower passes in single-absorption plants
• 3rd pass in 3+1 or 3+2 double-absorption plants

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SO3
SO3
(V O) O(SO ) O
V -4
2 4 4
2V OSO (s)
IV
4
(V O) O(SO ) SOV
2 4 4 3
-4
(V O) O(SO )
V
2 4 4
-4
(V O) O(SO ) OV
2 4 4 2
-4
2V O(SO )
IV
4 2
-2
2SO4
-2
SO2
O2
2
1
3
4
SO2 SO3
SO2
Source: O.B. Lapina et al (1999). Catalysis Today, 469-479.
V5+ is the active oxidation state
Mechanism of catalytic SO2 oxidation

17. 20
60
0
380 400 420 440
Temperature, °C
Content of vanadium
compounds (relative)
70
80
50
40
30
20
10
VK-701 LEAP5
VK48
Bed 3 Conditions
V5+
VK59
V5+
V5+
VK-701 LEAP5™ operates with a higher content of Vanadium +5

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1000
100
1
380 390 400 410 420 430 440 450 460
Temperature
°C
Relative activity
10
VK-701 LEAP5
VK59
VK48
Bed 3 Conditions
Superior activity of VK-701 LEAP5™

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Performance of VK 701 LEAP5™ - Case Study…

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Case study – VK-701 LEAP5™
• Layout : 3+1 double-absorption
plant
• SO2 source : S-burning
• Feed gas : 11% SO2, 10% O2
• Catalysts in beds ½ : VK38 / VK38
• Conversion outlet bed 2: 88.5%
Reduced emissions from a double-absorption plant
Double adsorption
VK38
VK38
VK48
VK38VK69
VK-701

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Case study – VK-701 LEAP5™
Reduced emissions from a double-absorption plant
Catalyst in bed 3 VK48 VK48 VK-701 LEAP5
Inlet temperature, °C 440 440 423
Conversion outlet bed 3, % 95.45 95.45 96.43
Catalyst in bed 4 VK38 VK69 VK69
Intlet temperature, °C 425 395 395
Overall conversion, % 99.85 99.92 99.96
SO2 in the stack, ppm 200 100 64
Relative SO2 emission 100 50 32
36% SO2 reduction compared to VK48/VK69
68% SO2 reduction compared to VK48/VK38

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Performance of VK-701 LEAP5™ - In operation…

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Case story – VK-701 LEAP5™
Example from North America:
Double adsorption• Emission had to be reduced in the 3x1 plant from 350
ppm to approx. 165 ppm.
• Solution; to revamp and install VK69 and VK-701 LEAP5™
Plant and feed gas specification:
• 3+1 double absorption
• 2000 MTPD
• 11.7% SO2
• 9.3% O2
VK38
VK38
VK-701
VK69

24. 27
Case story – VK-701 LEAP5™
• Start up June 2012
• After 2 years the activity of VK-701 LEAP5™ was still so high that Bed 3 ran into equilibrium.
* During this TOPGUN a leak was detected in one of the re-heat exchangers
Prior to
loading
Predicted
Start of
run
1 year* 2 years
Production 2085 MTPD 2085 MTPD 2085 MTPD 2065 MTPD 2060 MTPD
SO2 11.50% 11.7% 11.80% 11.78% 11.95%
Conversion 99.75% 99.89% 99.92% 99.89% 99.89%
Emission 350 ppm 160 ppm 118 ppm 159 ppm 160 ppm

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Conclusions
Lowering SO2 emissions
• Start-up
• Low ignition temperature cesium catalyst for
faster and cleaner start-ups.
• Steady operation
• High active cesium catalyst for significant
reduction in SO2 emission.
• VK-701 LEAP5™ for unmatched activity in SO3 rich
process gas.

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Osman Chaudhry, OSCH@topsoe.dk