CA1097013A - Process and apparatus for preparation of sulfur for storage and transportation - Google Patents

Abstract

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR PREPARATION OF SULFUR
FOR STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATION
Abstract of the Disclosure A process and apparatus for producing solid, irregular shaped sulfur nuggets from molten sulfur. The method includes the steps of: flowing the molten sulfur in a feed system where the temperature of the sulfur is controlled within a desired range;
flowing the sulfur to a processing unit where the sulfur is dis-charged in ribbon-like streams into a body of water which solidi-fies the sulfur into irregular solid nuggets, depositing the sulfur on a conveyor in the processing unit; and moving the solid-ified sulfur nuggets from the processing unit on the conveyor to storage or transport facilities. One form of feed system has a receiving tank system including several interconnected tanks pro-vided with steam coils in the sides and bottoms for maintaining the molten sulfur at a temperature above the level at which it solidifies. Another form of feed system is a serpentine-shaped conduit through which liquid sulfur flows from a heated storage container such as a tank car to the processing unit. The proces-sing unit which forms the liquid sulfur into the irregular sulfur nuggets for improved handling and storage includes a water res-ervoir, a discharge or distributor head for flowing the liquid sulfur into the water, and a conveyor for receiving and removing the sulfur nuggets from the water. A number of different forms of distributor heads are disclosed, each of which discharges one or more ribbon-like streams of liquid sulfur into the water reser-voir. In one form of system the discharge head introduces the ribbon-like streams of sulfur into the reservoir under the water surface. In another form of the system, the discharge head drops the liquid sulfur through an air space above the water into the water. In the method carried out with each form of the disclosed apparatus, the ribbon-like streams of sulfur fragment and solidify within the water reservoir forming sulfur nuggets of irregular shape and size which may be efficiently handled and stored.

Description

`' 1097V13 1 This invention relates to a process and apparatus for forming molten sulfur into solid sulfur nuggets for storage and handling purposes.
Elemental sulfur is commonly transported in the molten state to a distribution site where it frequently is poured on a :

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1097(~13 surface open to the atmosphere where the sulfur solidifies into slabs of substantial size. These slabs are thereafter mechan-ically broken up in some manner as by crushing to prepare them for distribution to consummers. This method of handling-the sulfur is objectionable for a number of reasons. Among the major problems currently being encountered is pollution of the atmos-phere in the vicinity of the processing plant due to the powder or dust formed during the process of crushing the large bodies of sulfur. The process is ~lso undesirable as it requires sub-stantial labor and frequently produces a wide variety of par-ticle sizes, some of which are quite large chunks which are difficuIt to handle.
A number of solutions have been proposed to the problem of open crushing of the sulfur slabs. Generally such solutions have not produced particles which can be readily handled and often the processes are expensive particularly with respect to j the e~uipment required. Such proposals for forming particles of sulfur from molten sulfur have included agglomeration of atomized sulfur on larger particles in fluid or moving beds, the forming of sulfur balls in a tank of swirling water, and the breakup of low velocity streams of liquid sulfur into uniform ~ droplets. In another proposed method of formin~ sulfur par-'~ ticles molten sulfur and water are mixed under highly turbulent conditions while discharging the mixture into an unconfined zone in the atmosphere. So far as is presently known none of these proposed methods have found widespread use. It is believed that among the reasons for not generally accepting some of the methods has been the expense of the equipment involved and the expense and labor required in operation of the equipment. A further and principal objection which has been found particularly with those methods which produced sulfur pellets is that the pellets ; are round and are essentially impossible to stack and handle with any degree of efficiency Due to the spherical shape of 1~97~113 the pellets they tend to readily spread over the storage surface and thus cannot be maintained in any semblance of confined piles.
It is, therefore, a principal object of the present inven-tion to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for forming molten sulfur into sulfur nuggets which are readily stored and handled.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for processing molten sulfur which requires a minimum of steps using relatively inexpensive e~uipment.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method of processing molten sulfur into solid sulfur nuggets which are irregular in shape permitting storage in piles which have a high angle of repose.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for producing solid sulfur nuggets from molten sulfur which nuggets resist shattering and powdering.
It is a particularly important object of the invention to provide a process and apparatus for forming solid sulfur nuggets from molten sulfur wherein the nuggets are formed by discharge of ribbon-shaped streams of molten sulfur into a body of water where the sulfur streams break up and solidify into irregular sulfur nuggets.
It is another object of the invention to provide a process of the character described ln which li~uid sulfur i5 discharged ~ through an air space in ribbon-like streams into water.
It is another object of the invention to provide a system ~ of the character described in which the sulfur is discharged in '~ ~ ribbon-like streams underwater.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided a method of forming solid sulfur nuggets of irregular shape and size from molten sulfur including the steps of: flowing molten sulfur into a receiving system where the sulfur is maintained at a temperature within a desired range; flowing the molten sulfur from the receiving system into a process unit which includes flowing -. - .

109~70~3 the sulfur through a distributor head having one or more elongated outlets which form the flowing sulfur into one or more ribbon-shaped streams directed into a body of water within a tank of the processing unit above a discharge conveyor having an input end portion immersed in the water below the discharge of the distribu-tor head; retaining the liquid sulfur in the water until the sulfur breaks up and solidifies into solid nuggets in the water; and with-drawing the nuggets of sulfur from the body of water in the process unit on the discharge conveyor which removes the nuggets to stor-age or transport facilities. In one embodiment of the invention, the streams of sulfur are passed through an aix layer into the water. In another form, the sulfur streams are directed into the water below the surface. One form of the apparatus employed includes a receiving tank system having tank means provided with side wall and bottom steam coils for maintaining the sulfur in the tank system in the desired molten state. Another form uses a serpentine-shaped conduit system to cool the liquid sulfur as it flows from a heated storage facility to the processing unit. The process unit has a distributor having one or more elongated dis-charge openings located above or within a water reservoir. The distributor is supported above the input end of a discharge conveyor which extends into the water reservoir. The distributor has a temperature control system for preventing solidifiaation of the sulfur within the distr`ibutor.
;~ 25 The foregoing objects and advantages of the invention to-gether with specific details thereof will be better understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
Figure l is a schematic top view in elevation of one form of apparatus for forming sulfur nuggets from molten sulfur in accordance with the invention;
Figure 2 is a fragmentary enlarged side view in elevation of the distributor employed in the system of Figure l for discharging flowing molten sulfur ribbon-like streams from the receiving tank into the processing unit of the system;
Figure 3 is a .fragmentary bottom view in elevation of the distributor as seen along the line 3-3 of Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a view in section along the line 4-4 of Figure

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lO9~Q13 Figure 5 is a view in elevation of a typical sulfur nugget formed by the process and apparatus of the invention;
Figure 6 is a reduced side view in section and elevation showing the apparatus of the invention illustrated in Figure l;
Figure 7 is a perspective view of the receiving tank sys- :
tem of the invention;
Figure 8 is a perspective view of the processing unit of the invention wherein the sulfur nuggets are formed;
Figure 9 is a bottom view of another form of distributor head which may be used in the system illustrated in Figure l;
Figure 10 is a left end view of the distributor head of Figure 9;
Figure 11 is a right end view of the distributor head of Figure 9;
Figure 12 is an enlarged view in section and elevation of ` the distributor of Figure 9 as seen along the line 12-12 of Figure g Figure 13 is a schematic top plan view of another sulfur :: processing system embodying the features of the invention;
~2~0 ~ Figure 14 is a side view in section and elevation illus-trating the processing unit of the system of Figure 13 including the distr.ibutor head and conveyor;
Figure 15 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective of a portion of the conveyor belt and one of the conveyor buckets ~2-5 used in the system of Figures 13 and 14;
Figure 16 is a view in section and elevation of the dis-tributor head used in~the system of ~igures 13 and 14:
Figure 17 lS a view in section and elevation of the dis-tributor head shown in Figure 16 taken along line 17-17 of Figure 16;
Figure 18 is a side view in section and elevation, par-. ~ tially broken away, of a reservoir tank and a conveyor which may , be used in sulfur processing systems employing the features of ': invention;
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' ~0970~3 Figure 19 is a perspective view of another form of a sul-fur processing system showing a reservoir tank and conveyor assem-bly together with a distributor head of the type illustrated in Figures 16 and 17;
Figure 20 isa schematic view in perspective of still another form of sulfur processing system incorporating the features of invention and using the distributor head of Figures 16 and 17;
Figure 21 is a top plan view of another type of distribu-tor head which may be used in various forms of the system of invention;
Figure 22 is a side view in section and elevation of the distributor head of Figure 21 taken along the line 22-22 of Figure 21;
Figure 23 is a schematic side view in section and elevation of a still further form of sulfur processing system incorporating the features of invention;
Figure 24 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective ~ showing the distributor head employed in the system of Figure 23;
:~ and ~ 20 Figure 25 is a view in section along the line 25-25 of the ;:~
~ distributor head of Figure 24.

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~097~13 Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, one preferred system for forming sulfur nuggets ~rom molten sulfur in accor-- dance with the invention includes a receiving tank system 10 and a processing unit 11 which are supplied with molten sulfur from a transport truck 12. The receiving tank system includes tanks 13, 14, and 15 in which the temperature of the molten sulfur is controlled to the desired level for discharge into the processing ~3 unit 11. The tanks ~ and 14 are interconnected at a low level within the tanks by a weir 20 which permits the molten sulfur to flow from the tank 13 into the tank 14 at a bottom level within both tanks. The tanks 14 and 15 are similarly connected at bot-tom levels within the tanks by a weir 21 which permits molten sulfur to flow from the tank 14 into the tank 15. ~wo molten sulfur receivin~ chutes 22 and 23 are secured along one side of ; 15 the receiving tank 13 for discharging molten sulfur from the tank 12a of the vehicle 12 into the receiving tank 13. The tank 12a is connected into one of the receiving chutes by means of a supply hose 24. The receiving chute 22 has a lower discharge end opening into the receiving tank 13 at a low level in the tank. The dis-~20 charge end of the receiving chute 23 opens into an upper portion of the receiving tank 13. Generally the chute 22 opening into the lower portion of the receiving tank 13 is used for flowing molten ` sulfur which is at a temperature in excess of 280F into the re-`:
;~ ceivin~ tank. That molten sulfur which is at a temperature below ~25 280F

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_rb_ 1097~3 is normally discharged from the tank vehicle into the receiving tank through the chute 23. A pair of identical pumps 25 are each connected with intake lines 30 which open into the receiving tank 15 for pumping the molten sulrur from the tanks to the processing unit 11. The discharge sides of the pumps 25 are connected with a line 31 which leads to a line 32 running to the processing unit.
The bottoms of each of the tanks 13, 14, and 15 are supplied with identical steam coils 33 while similarly the side walls of each of the tanks are provided with steam coils 34 to provide sufficient heat to the bottoms and side walls for maintaining the temperature of the molten sulfur within an acceptable range for supply to the processing unit 11~
The processing unit 11 which forms the molten sulfur into nuggets includes a water tank 40, a molten sulfur distributor 41, a hopper 42, and a discharge conveyor ~3. The distributor 41, as best seen in Figures 2 and 3 is a tubular member 44 closed at one end with a cap 45 and connected at the open opposite end with a valve 50 which is secured with the line 32 from the receiving tank system for controlling flow from the receiving tank system into the distributor. The lower wall portion of the distributor pipe 44 is provided with a plurality of spaced, elongated discharge ~ openings 51 which are shaped and sized to discharge molten sulfur - into the water tank in substantially flat ribbon-like streams~
The upper portion of the distributor pipe 44 is jacketed by a ; ~25 steam hood 52 providing a steam chamber 53 which extends around substantially the upper half of the distributor pipe and is sup-plied with steam through a line 54 to provide heat to the distrib-utor pipe. It is highly important that a means of supplying heat to the distributor be provided to insure that the molten sulfur ~; 30 does not solidify in the distributor pipe. The closed end of the distributor pipe 44 is provided with a thermometer 55 havin~ a sensing probe 60 extending through the end plate 45 into the inter-; ior of the distributor :

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pipe to provide a continuous visual indication of the tempera-ture of the molten sulfur within the distributor.
The hopper 42 is used to guide the sulfur nuggets onto the end portion of the discharge conveyor 43. The hopper has B 5 converging side walls 61 and 62 and end walls 63 and 64. The lower edges of the side and end walls define a bottom opening 65 which is positioned over the discharge conveyor 43. The hopper insures that the sulfur nuggets-do not drift around in the water tank but rather are directed to and collected on the discharge conveyor to insure removal of the nuggets from the processing unit water tank.
The discharge conveyor 43 includes a conveyor belt 70 mounted on end roller assemblies 71 and 72. The discharge con-veyor is mounted at an angle with the lower end portion of the conveyor at the roller assembly 71 being located within the water tank well below the normal level, not shown, of processing water in the tank. The width of the belt 70 and the end portion of - the belt at the lower roller assembly 71 are proportioned and - lorated relative to the opening 65 in the hopper to insure the discharge of all of the sulfur nuggets on the top surface of the belt to substantially insure removal of all of the nuggets from the water tank. The upper end portion of the discharge ` conveyor is positioned above and in overlapping relationship with a conveyor ~0 having a lower roller assembly 81 for move-ment of the sulfur nugget~ to storage or transport facilities, not shown.
It has been found that it is highly critical to produce the desired irregular sulfur nuggets in accorda~ce with the invention that the slot openings 51 and the distributor pipe 44 of the distributor be formed to discharge the molten sulfur in ribbon-shaped streams. By ribbon-shaped it is meant that the streams must have one dimension which is substantially - 1097~ 3 greater than the other dimension to insure the discharge of the flow which is in the shape of a ribbon~ Inasmuch as the pure sul-fur which is processed in accordance with the invention does not vary in viscosity, it has been found that the dimensional rela-tionships of the slotted openings 51 are rather critical. Satis-factory dimensions which have been found to be effective to produce the desired irregular shaped sulfur nuggets is a slot which is

3/16" wide by 4" long. While the 4" dimension is variable, experi-ments tend to indicate that the long dimension must be at least 3/4" and preferably is greater. The narrow dimension of approxi-mately 3/16", however, has been found to be substantially critical in producing the desired nugget structure. Experimental results with ribbon shapes having a narrow dimension of less than 3/16"
have been found to produce spherical-shaped pellets which are not acceptable as are the irregular nuggets formed in accordance with the invention. While a narrow dimension in excess of 3/16" is operable, it produces a ribbon of molten sulfur which has a greater heat capacity requiring an excessive amount of water to reduce the ; stream to the desired nugget shape and size. It has been found ~20 that the most desirable results are obtained by the use of gravity ~; feed through the distributor pipe. Thus, in order to achieve uni-form flow through all of the slots, the total area of the slots 51 is no greater than the cross-sectional area of the distributor pipe 44 and preferably is substantially equal to such cross-sectional ~25; area. Additionally, the position of the distributor discharge slots 51 should preferably be within the range of 4" to 6" above the surface of the water in the tank 40 to provide some air cool-ing and to admit the ribbon-shaped streams into the water while still in a condition which will produce the desired irregular ; 30 nugget sizes and shapes. If the slots are too high above the water surface, they tend to .

' ~097013 distort into a stringy form rather than the desired ribbon-shape which produces the irregular nug~ets~ Also, the hi~her the sulfur is discharged above the water, the nu5gets formed tend to be larger and more porous and light.
The molten sulfur which is to be processed in accordance with the invention is brought to the site of the processing appa-ratus in a suitable transport vehicle such as the tank truck 12 illustrated in Figure l. The flow line 24 is connected between the discharge of the tank truck and one of the chutes 22 or 23 connected into the first of the receiving tanks 13. If the incom-ing molten sulfur is at a temperature in excess of 280F, it is discharged into the tank 13 through the chute 22. If the molten sulfur is below the temperature of 280P, it is normally discharged - into the tank 13 through the chute 23. It will be evident from Figure 7 that the use of the chute 22 deposits the sulfur initially into the lower portion of the tank 13 while the chute 23 discharges the sulfur into the upper portion of the tank. By means of the heating coi] s 33 and 34 in the bottom and walls of the tank 13, the tank is controlled at a minimum temperature of about 270F. The sulfur discharged into the tank 13 is allowed to cool in the tank but is not permitted to drop ~elow the temperature of about 270F.
The sulfur flows from the receiving tank 13 through the weir 20 into the receiving tank 14 and from the tank 14 into the receiving tank 15 through the weix 21. The tank 14 is preferably maintained ~25~ at a temperature of no less than 260F while the tank 15 is held at a minimum of 250F. Since the three tanks communicate through the open weirs 20 and 21, the molten sulfur will flow into and fill the three tanks to equal levels dependent upon the volume of the tanks and the volume of the transport tank 12a. The receiving tank sys-~30 tem basically serves the function of cooling the sulfur to the de-sired temperature of no less than about 250F and further provides a reserve capacity which allows some flexibility in accommodating numbers and sizes of 1097~3 incoming transport vehicles while allowing a continuous supply of molten sulfur to the processing unit 11.
The control of the temperature of ~ ' molten sulfur prior to discharge through the slots 51 in the distributor 41 is quite critical in view of the fact that the molten sulfur solid-ifies almost instantly at a temperature below about 234F. to 240F. In other words, it does not go through a hardening stage at which it is still somewhat soft and pourable and during which it is readily reversible. Thus at the temperature at which the molten sulfur solidifies there is almost an instant conversion from the normal liquid form of the sulfur into a solid form.
Thus the equipment in the system must be operated in a manner to insure that the sulfur does not solidify. Solidification would present a major problem in the process and would normally require completely shutting down the system until the parts in which the solidification occurs were replaced or the sulfur was reheated and remelted. It is therefore preferable that the sulfur in the tank 15 be maintained within the range of 250 to 260F for supply to the distributor 41 in the proces-;;~ 20 sing unit 11.
The molten sulfur in the receiving tank 15 while being ~; maintained in the temperature range of 250 - 260F. is drawn from the tank by the pumps 25 through the intake line 30.
The molten sulfur is discharged by the pumps 25 into the line 31 connecting with the line 32 at a rate and pressure which will essentially permlt the molten sulfur to flow by ~,~ gravity through the line 32 into the distributor pipe 44 through the valve 50. As previously stated, the distributor pipe 44 is supported at a position within the hopper 42 at about 4" - 6"
30 above the surface of water in the processing tank 40. The water level in the tank and the position of the discharge con-veyor 43 are adjusted to position the belt 70 below the dis-.

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charge end 65 of the hopper so that the water surface is about 13"
above the belt. The water is maintained at ambient temperature which has been in the range of about 70F to about 135F at the site of the initial operations of the apparatus and method. The desired temperature drop between the temperature of the molten sulfur as it is discharged from the slots 51 in the distributor pipe and the solid sulfur nug~ets as they are withdrawn from the processing unit 11 on the belt 70 is about 20F. Obviously this 20 drop can be obtained by variations in the water temperature, the speed of the discharge conveyor belt and the amount of water through which the nuggets fall to the belt along with some minor variations in the position of the distributor above the water sur-face. Initial tests with the water in the 70 range have indicated that approximately 13" to 14" of water is desirable above the belt surface.
The molten sulfur is discharged through the openings 51 in the distributor pipe 44 by gravity feed in flat ribbon-shaped streams. The temperature of the sulfur in the distributor is moni-tored by the thermometer 55. Steam is introduced in the line 54 2;D to the jacket space 53 to ensure that the sulfur remains above the critical temperature at which it solidifies. A discharge tempera-ture of about 250 - 260F is preferred, though a temperature as hish as 285F has worked satisfactorily. The streams of molten sulfur remain in the flat ribbon-like form until each stream enters ~25 ~ water in the processing tank 40~ The streams of molten sulfur dis-" ~
integrate as they drop downwardly in the water and harden into nug-gets of irregular shape and size wh~h resemble popped popcorn such B~ ~ as the nugget ~ illustrated in Figure 5. These streams completely fragment or disintegrate and solidify into the described nuggets between entry into the water at the surface and deposit of the . ,, ~' nuggets on the conveyor belt below the discharge opening of the hopper. The hopper confines the downward movement of the nuggets ~097(~13 to a pattern through the discharge opening 65 which ensures the deposit of all of the nuggets on the surface of the discharge con-veyor belt~
The nuggets harden sufficiently on tne surface to present a sh:iny enamel-like surface crust which prevents the nuggets from sticking to each other and maintains their irregular configuration.
In a typical test run, nugget size ranged from large nuggets ap-proximately 1" long by 1/2" in width to small nuggets approximately 1/4" long by 1/8" to 3/8" width.
Figures 9 - 12 illustrate another distributor head 90 which may be used in the sulfur processing system illustrated in Figures 1 - 8 for introducing the sulfur into the processing water in the reservoir tank. The head 90 includes a tubular body 91 which is closed at one end, the right end as viewed in Figure 9, and at the other end is secured with a pipe section 92 provided with a coupl-ing 93 which is connectible with a source of liquid sulfur supply such as the line 32 for supplying liquid sulfur to the distributor head. A plurality of discharge nozzles 94 are secured in parallel relation spaced along the length of the body section 91. Each of ~20 the nozzles is connected by an elbow 9S with the body 91 to conduct liquid sulfur from the body into the nozzle. The outward free end of each nozzle is closed by a cap 100. Each nozzle has an elonga-ted slot 102 fox discharging the sulfur from the nozzle into the water. The body 91 of the head is jacketed by a housing 103 which is eccentrically posltioned in spaced relation around the body sec-.
tion 91 and closed at opposite ends to provide a chamber for steam used for preventiny solidification of the liquid sulfur within the distributor head body. The left end of the housing as seen in Fig-~B~ ure ~is closed by a plate 104 provided with an opening 105 for a steam connection. The right end of the housing is closed by a semi~
spherical cap 110 provided with downwardly extending elbow connec-tion 111 for steam flow. Thus, steam may be introduced into one end of the housing and flow .

~ns7~13 out the opposite end for providing steam heating around the head body 91. A thermometer well fitting 112 is connected into the top of the body 91 which projects from the housing 103 as seen in Figure 10 for receiving a thermometer to monitor the temperature of the liquid sulfur in the body of the head.
The distributor head 90 functions in exactly the same way as the head 41 for discharging liquid sulfur into the water in the reservoir tank. The ribbon-like streams of sulfur are, of course, parallel with the direction of movement of the belt rather than perpendicular to such movement as with the head 41. Functionally, the head 90 will provide the same end result; and due to the geom-etry of the discharge slots 102, a larger volume of sulfur may be handled with the head 90.
Figures 13 and 14 illustrate another sulfur processing system 120 incorporating the features of the invention. The sys-tem 12Q includes a cooling pipe maze 121, a reservoir tank 122, a conveyor system 123, a distributor head 124, and a delivery chute 125. The reservoir tank 122 holds a body of water 130 into which the head 124 discharges liquid sulfur for formation of sul-~20 fur nuggets which are removed from the water by the conveyor sys-tem 123 and dropped onto the delivery chute 125 down which the nuggats slide to form a storage pile 131 of the solid sulfur nuggets.
The distributor head 124 is a rectangular box-shaped unit , (~
having opposite ends 132 and 133, opposite sides 134 and 135, and a bottom 140. The head 124 has an internal floor 142 spaced above the bottom 140 which defines the bottom of an upper flow chamber :
-~ portion 143 through which the liquid sulfur flows for discharge into the water 130. The upper chamber portion 143 has a transverse dam 144 which extends the full width of the unit between the side walls 134 and 135 and is connected along the bottom edge to the f~esr ~. The portion of the upper chamber 143 to the left of the dam 144 as seen in Figure 1~ is supplied with liquid sulfur :

: " .. "' ' ~ ', ' ~ ' '' ' ' ~09'~0~3 through an inlet pipe 145 which is provided with a temperature sensing well 150. The floor 142 has elongated parallel-spaced slots 151 which run a portion of the length of the floor on the side of the dam 144 opposite the inlet 145 as seen in Figure 16.
A pair of parallel-spaced angle members 152 is secured on the floor 142 along each slot 151 from the end 133 the length of each of the slots toward the dam 144. The open ends of the mem-ber 152 end adjacent to the dam 144 between each pair of the angle members 152 is closed by a plate 153 as seen in Figure 16. A
tranSverse sloping baffle 154 is secured between the side walls 134 and 135 across the end portions of the angle member 152 adjacent to the dam 144. With such construction, the flow pattern of the li~uid sulfur flowing into the unit through the inlet pipe 145 is into the upper chamber portion to the left of the dam 144, and over the dam 144 into the space between the dam and the baffle. The sulfur then flows along the top surface of the floor 142 under the baffle into the channels 156 defined between adjacent pairs . of the flanges~ When the level of the sulfur spilling over dam ~ 144 and flowing under the baffle rises sufficiently above the ; 20 flange members 152, the sulfur spills over the flange members into . the space between the closely-spaced, adjacent flange members into '!' the elongated slots 151,flowing downwardly between flange members as can be understood from Figure 17. The baffle 154 functions as a secondary dam to trap a portion of the flowing sulfur between . 25 the dam 144 and the baffle 154 limiting the flow pattern of this ;~ sulfur to the space between the flange members below the baffle.
This produces a better.distribution and more even flow of the sul-fur along the length of the slots 151 rather than having a larger . portion of the sulfur flow into the slots at the end of the slots ;~ 30 near the dam 144.
The lower portion of the head 124 is compartmentized as : seen in Figure 17 with longitudinal internal dividers 153 sepa-rating the lower portion into closed internal compartments 157 and outside compartments : ': '' ' . ~ .
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-1097(~13 157a. The dividers 153 also define the sulfur discharge slots 151 through the lower compartmentized portion of the head. U-shaped flow ducts 154 interconnect corresponding ends of adjacent compart-ments while the outside compartments 157a are provided with steam connections 155 for flowing steam into and out of the series of interconnected compartments. Such compartmentized lower portion of the head provides substantial flow space for steam which keeps the upper reservoir space 143 of the head heated and keeps the slots 151 hot so that the liquid sulfur may be prevented from sol-idifying within the distributor head 124. To assist in clearly defining the discharged ribbons of liquid sulfur from the head 124, sets of spaced, parallel flanges 160 are secured in longitudinally spaced relation from the bottom 140 on opposite sides of the dis-charge slots 151.
The pipe maze 1~1 includes a supply line 161 provided with a main control valve 162 and a serpentine-shaped branch line 163 which include valves 164 and 165. With valves 164 and 165 closed and valve 162 open, liquid sulfur may flow directly through the ~; line 161 into the distributor head 124. With the valve 162 closed ~20 and valves 164 and 165 open, the sulfur is diverted through the section 163 which is used at times when the stored sulfur is at too high a temperature to go directly into the distributor head.
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Additional sections of the pipe maze may be provided with appro-; priate valves to allow or the selection of one or more such sec-tions depending upon how many are needed for the necessary coolin~
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of the sulfur.
The conveyor 123 as shown in Figure 14 includes a belt 170 which travels on spaced end rollers 171 and 172. Mounted in spaced relation along the outer face of the belt 170 are a plurality of buckets 173 for collecting and removing sulfur particles from the water 130. Each of the buckets has a bottom 174, triangular-shaped opposite side walls 175, and an end 180 provided with spaced drain slots 181. The conveyor operates in a trough 182 having a bottom .: ' ~ - : .- :
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., 183 and a curved lower end portion 184. The trough and conveyor belt-bucket assembly are assembled in closely spaced relation so that the buckets move closely along the inner surface of the trough to maximize the clearing out of the sulfur nuggets formed in the water from the liquid sulfur dropped by the head 124 into the water downwardly to the conveyor system. The delivery chute assembly 125 includes a chute 185 mounted on brackets 190 and 191 along the outside end face of the tank 122 at the upper discharge end of the conveyor 123.
The conveyor 123 moves in a counter-clockwise direction as seen in Figure 14 so that the buckets each move upwardly as viewed in Figure 15 collecting the sulfur nuggets as they sweep around within the lower end 184 of the trough gathering the nug-gets along the bottom and end of the trough as well as the nu~ets dropping through the water from the sulfur discharged by the head 124. The water entrained in the buckets as they move upwardly drains back into the reservoir tank through the slots 181. As the drained buckets of nuggets reach the upper end of the conveyor system, the buckets move over and downwardly to inverted position at which the nuggets are dumped downwardly to the chute surface 185 along which the sulfur nuggets slide to the ground surface to form the storage pile 131 as seen in Figure 14.
Another sulfur processing system 200 i9 schematically illus-I
; ~ trated in Figure 18. The system 200 includes a conveyor 201, a 25~ reservoir tank 202, and a delivery slide 203. The conveyor has a belt 204 running on end rollers 205 and 210 and is provided with spaced buckets 211 whLch are of a construction similar to the buck-ets illustxated in Figure lS. The reservoir tank 202 is closely , ~
f~itted along the bottom and Iower end of the conveyor so that the 30~ conveyor will continuslly remove the sulfur nuggets as they are formed in the reservoir tank lifting them and discharging them on the slide 203~ The system 200 is useful with any one of the dis-tributor heads disclosed herein.

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10970~3 Figure 19 illustrates a sulfur recovery system 220 which includes a reservoir tank 221, a conveyor 2~, a discharge slide 223, a recirculation trough 224, and a distributor head 124 of the type illustrated in Figures 16 and 17. The conveyor 222 is of conventional ccnstruction resembling the form of conveyor illus-trated in Figure 6. The discharge slide 223 is perforated so that water carried from the reservoir tank by the sulfur nuggets will drain through the perforations in the slide dropping to the return trough 224. The return trough includes a settling pan 225 through which the recirculating water flows and in which the water slows down sufficently thatany ine particles carried over from the reser-voir tank on the conveyor 222 along with the sulfur nuggets will settle out and periodically can be removed. The water flows from the pan 225 along the trough back into the reservoir 221 for con-tinued use thereby conserving on water usage. Otherwise, the sys-tem 220 functions in the same way as the other systems described.
Figure 20 schematically illustrates a still further form of sulfur processing system 240 which resembles the system 220 except for a variation in the drain water recirculation system.
The system 240 has a reservoir tank 221, a conveyor 222, a perfor-ated discharge slide 223, and the distributor head 124. A recir-`~ culating trough 241 is positioned under the perforated slide 223 leading to a settling tank 242 in which carried-over fine partiales settle out from the recirculating water~ The water is then returned through a conductor 243 by means of a pump 244 having an intake 245 in the settling tank. The water is discharged back into the reser-voir tank 221 or reuse in producing the desired suifur nug~ets.
With the exception of a design variation in the recirculating apparatus of the system 240, the system otherwise functions in a manner identical to the other systems disclosed herein. It will be apparent that from time to time fine settled products will have to be manually removed from the settling tank 242.
Figures 21 and 22 show a distributor head 260 which is usable in any one of the several sulfur processing systems described .

1097~3 herein. The head 260 has a discharge trough 261 provided with a bottom 262, an end closure 263, and opposite side walls 264. The trough has an open discharge end 265 through which liquid sulfur spills into the reservoir tank of the system in which it is instal-led. A transverse dam 270 is secured between the side walls 264 spaced from the end 263 to define a surge chamber 271 within the trough to attenuate flow variations into the trough to provide smoother discharge. A tubular fluid supply section 272 provided with a downwardly opening discharge slot 273 is secured trans-versely of the trough within the surge chamber 271 to supply liquid sulfur into the trough. The section 272 has a fitting 274 for coupling with a supply pipe. An eccentrically positioned jacket 275 is secured in spaced relation around the section 272 defining a heating chamber 280 around a major portion of the supply section for steam used to prevent solidification of the liquid sulfur.
Opposite end closure members 281 and 282 close the ends of the supply section 272 of the jacket 275. Flow connections 283 and 284 are connected into the jacket 275 to permit steam to flow through the heating chamber 280 of the jacket around the supply section 272 to maintain a sufficiently high temperature to prevent the sulfur from solidifying in the head. An adjustable baffle 290 is secured across the trough on a hinge pin 291 connected along the jacket .~
27S. The baffle 290 is adjustably suspended from a bracket 292 by a threaded support rod 293 which is pivotally pinned at 29~ with the free end of the baffle and threads through a nut 295 above the bracket 292. An adjusting handle 300 is connected on the nut 295.
The baffle 290 is supported over the dam 270, and the free end edge of the baffle serves to define with the top surface of the :`
trough bottom an adjustable discharge opening 301 through which liquid sulfur flows along the trough to the discharge end portion 265 of the trough.
The distributor head 260 spills a wide sheet or ribbon of liquid sulfur into the reservoir tank of the particular system in :

1~)97013 which the head is installed. The liquid sulfur flows through the fitting 274 of the head into the interior of the supply section 272. The sulfur is discharged downwardly through the slot 273 into the dammed chamber 271. When the level of the sulfur rises above the dam, it spills over the dam toward the outward end of the trough. The sulfur flows along the top surface of the trough bottom 262, under the baffle 290, through the opening 301 defined between the trough bottom and the baffle end edge, and spills off the end 265. The edge of the baffle not only provides an adjust-able opening for the sulfur flow but also tends to smooth out surges in the sulfur flow. Similarly, o course, the use of the dam 270 serves to eliminate surges to some extent. The sulfur drops into the water reservoir in a sheet form where it separates and solidifies into irregular nuggets having a glazed hard sur-face.
A still further form 400 of a sulfur processing system embodying the features of the invention is schematically illus-trated in Figure 23. The system 400 includes a belt conveyor 401 having a lower end immersed in the body of water 402 contained in a reservoir tank 403. A distributor head 404 is supported for discharging liquid sulfur into the water to form sulfur nuggets in accordance with the features of the invention. The system 400 is particularly distinguished ~rom the other systems disclosed in that J~sc/~ ~ ~e s :~ ~ B - the distributor head 404 d~ee~se~ ribbon-like streams of sulfur ~:25 into the water body 402 below the surface of the water.
The distributor head 404 has a tubular body 405 which is ; closed at a free end 410 and connected by a rotatable fluid coupl-ing 411 to a supply conduit 412 leading from sulfur storage facili-ties, not shown. The body 405 has an elongated bottom discharge slot 413 which opens into a throat section 414 formed by converging side panels 415 and opposite end panels 420. The small outward end of the throat section connects with a rectangular discharge nozzle ~ portion 421 provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced, ~ -1~-1097~13 1 rec-tangular discharge slots 422~ A steam flow pipe 423 is con-nected through the end panels 420 disposed in a central transverse position across the throat section 414 to provide a central sour-ce of heat from steam directed through the pipe for insuring that the liquid sulfur within the discharge head is kept at a suffic-iently elevated temperature to preclude solidification of sulfur.
In a typical installation of the system 400, the supply pipe 412 and the tubular distri~utor ~ody 405 are formed of 3"
pipe, The slot 413 opening into the throat section 414 i5 typi-cally formed to have about 7 square inches in cross-sectional area while the discharge nozzle slots 422 are typically 1/4" wide and 311 long providing a total cross-sectional discharge slot area - of 4 1/4 square inches. The distributor head 404 is supported aboYe the water surface with the discharge nozzle slots 422 approximately 2" below the water surface. The discharge slots are prefera~ly approximately 30" to 40" above the lower end por-tion of the conveyor belt 4~1. The sulfur nuggets are formed by the rib~on like streams of liquid sulfur discharged into the water~ The fall of approximately 30" to 40" in the water before striking the belt surface is required for sepaxation of the sul-fux streams and solidification of the nuggest~ The rotatable coupling 411 permits the distributor head to be revolved relative to the supply pipe 412 so that the direction of discharge and the ~ height o~ discharge may be varied. Thus, the head is readily lo--~ cated at a height which permits the discharge openings 422 to be selectiYely placed at a plurality of positions ranging from a location aboYe the water to below the water surface as shown in Figure 23, The syst~m is preferably operated at a water tempera-ture lower than 165F and normally within the range of 150 to 165F, The sulfur is desirably introduced into the water at a 1097(~3 1 temperature of about 270 to 280F~ The discharge of the ri~on-li]ce sulfur streams into the water below the surface of the water tends to produce larger, more dense sulfur nuggents with less entrained water and a somewhat harder, ;

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1097~13 glazed-like outer surface after the nuggets have been removed and dried. By utilizing a larger slot 413 in the body 4H~ than the tota] area of the discharge slots 422 to supply liquid sulfur to the discharge nozzle portion of the head 404, the throat and dis-charge nozzle portions are kept liquid full minimizing the proba-bility of entraining air with the sulfur; and, thus, insuring that the discharge nozzle slots 422 are liquid full at all times during operation.
In each of the sulfur processing systems described, the sulfur nuggets formed in the water reservoir are discharged in the atmosphere along a delivery slide to either storage facilities or transportation vehicles. In accordance with the invention, the irregular configuration and the size of the nuggets permits them to be stacked in piles either outside or within enclosures such as buildings or transportation vehicles. The glazed surface finish strongly resists fragmentation and powdering so that the pellets are handled without dust in the atmosphere which is a very severe limitation on currently available methods of handling solid sulfur.
Even though the outer surface of the nuggets is hard and glazed, the irregular shape of the nuggets permits piles of them to have a very high angle of repose so that they may be stacked high without freely spreading out over the supporting surface. The nugqet~ may, thus, be thereafter picked up by such devices as front end loaders without an undue amount of labor and with little loss of the sul-fur. Another principal feature and benefi~ achieved by the system and method of invention is nuggets which do not require further grinding or crushing for normal storage and handling so that they eliminate some of the steps which are presently necessary for pro-cessing the large chunks which result from solidifying large volumes of sulfur. Not only is atmospheric pollution minimized; but also, since it is not necessary to crush the large volumes of sulfur in either chunks or sheets, a fair degree of noise pollution is also eliminated. One particular feature of all of the various systems ~097~13 which have been described herein is the capability of flowing the liquid sulfur at a minimum of head pressure in a steady, control-led manner through discharge openings which produce ribbon-like streams. It has been found that discharge under any more than very minimum pressure will not produce the desired usable heavy product. Turbulance is not desirable within the discharge flow pattern of the distributor heads.

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Claims (35)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A method of producing solid sulfur nuggets of irregular shape and size from molten sulfur above a temperature of about 234°F. to 240°F. comprising the steps of: flowing said molten sulfur to a distributor having discharge opening means; discharging said molten sulfur from said distributor in continuous ribbon-shaped streams; passing said molten sulfur through a cooling liquid until said sulfur is divided and formed into solid nuggets of irregular shape and size; and removing said nuggets from said cooling liquid.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said molten sulfur streams are passed through an air layer between said distributor and said cooling liquid.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said cooling liquid comprises water.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said water is at ambient temperature.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said air layer, between said distributor said water, is no greater than about 6"
thick.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said ribbon-shaped streams of molten sulfur are no less than about 3/16" thick.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said ribbon-shaped streams of molten sulfur are no less than about 3/4" wide.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said water is at a depth of about 13" above a collecting surface for removal of said nuggets from said water.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said molten sulfur is maintained at a temperature above about 240°F prior to flowing said molten sulfur to said distributor; said molten sulfur is gravity flowed to said distributor; said molten sulfur is discharged in constant streams through perforations in said distributor, said streams being of ribbon-like shape about 3/16"
thick and at least 3/4" wide; passing said streams through an air layer having a thickness within the range of about 4 inches to 6 inches; passing said streams from said air layer into a cooling water body above a supporting surface about 13 inches below the surface of said cooling water body; dropping said sulfur through said water while forming irregular nuggets in said cooling water body by fragmentation of said streams of molten sulfur and solidification into said nuggets; and removing said nuggets on said surface from said water.

10. A method of producing solid sulfur nuggets in accor-dance with claim 1 wherein said molten sulfur is discharged through said opening means below the surface of said cooling liquid.

11. A method of producing solid sulfur nuggets in accordance with claim 10 wherein said cooling liquid is water.

12. A method of producing solid sulfur nuggets in accor-dance with claim 11 wherein said water is at a temperature within the range of about 150°F to about 165°F.

13. A method of producing solid sulfur nuggets in accordance with claim 12 wherein said sulfur is discharged into said water at a temperature in the range of about 270°F to about 280°F.

14. A method of producing solid sulfur nuggets in accordance with claim 11 wherein said opening means is in the range of about 30 inches to about 40 inches above the level at which

Claim 14 continued:
said nuggets are removed from said cooling liquid.

15. A method of producing solid sulfur nuggets of irregular shape and size from molten sulfur comprising the steps of: flowing molten sulfur from storage means into a receiving system; maintaining said molten sulfur at a temperature of not less than 234°F to 240°F. in said receiving system; flowing said molten sulfur from said receiving system to a processing unit having a perforated discharge head; discharging said molten sulfur from said discharge head in ribbon-like streams into a body of cooling water; passing said streams through said body of cooling water until said streams are fragmented and thereafter formed into solidified nuggets of various sizes and shapes; collecting said nuggets on a supporting surface; and removing said nuggets from said cooling water on said surface.

16. A method of producing solid sulfur nuggets in accordance with claim 15 wherein said sulfur streams are passed into said cooling water through an air layer.

17. A method of producing solid sulfur nuggets in accordance with claim 15 wherein said sulfur streams are discharged from said head below the surface of said cooling water.

18. A method of producing solid sulfur nuggets in accordance with claim 17 wherein the depth of said cooling water between the elevation of discharging said molten sulfur into said cooling water and said supporting surface is within the range of about 30 inches to about 40 inches.

19. A method of producing solid sulfur nuggets in accordance with claim 18 wherein said cooling water is maintained within a temperature range of about 150°F to about 165°F.

20. A method of producing solid sulfur nuggets in accordance with claim 19 wherein said sulfur is discharged into said water at a temperature within the range of about 270°F to about 280°F.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the temperature of said molten sulfur in said receiving system is maintained above about 240°F; the ribbon-like streams discharged from said discharge are about 3/16" thick and 3/4" wide; the air layer through which said streams are discharged to said cooling water is within the range of about 4 inches to 6 inches thick; and the depth of said cooling water above said nugget supporting surface is about 13 inches.

22. Apparatus for producing solid nuggets of irregular size and shape from molten sulfur comprising: tank means for holding a body of cooling water; means for heating the sulfur to above a temperature of about 234°F to 240°F, and a distributor supported above said tank means, said distributor having a discharge head provided with discharge means shaped to discharge molten sulfur into said tank means in a continuous ribbon-like shape.

23. Apparatus in accordance with claim 22 wherein said discharge means comprises slots about 3/16" wide and 3/4" long.

24. Apparatus in accordance with claim 22 wherein said discharge head is provided with a heated jacket.

25. Apparatus in accordance with claim 22 including a discharge conveyor belt supported with an end portion in said tank means below said distributor discharge head.

26. Apparatus in accordance with claim 25 including a receiving tank system for receiving molten sulfur from a transport vehicle and maintaining said sulfur in a molten state in conduit means between said receiving tank system and said discharge head of said distributor.

27. Apparatus in accordance with claim 22 wherein said discharge means is supported in spaced relation above the surface of the body of cooling water within said water holding means.

28. Apparatus in accordance with claim 22 wherein said discharge means is supported by the distributor at a position located below the surface of the body of cooling water in said water holding means.

29. Apparatus for producing solid sulfur nuggets of varying size and shape from molten sulfur comprising: a receiving tank system for receiving and storing molten sulfur including heating means for maintaining said molten sulfur at a temperature above about 240°F; discharge conduit means from said receiving tank system for flowing molten sulfur from said tank system; a molten sulfur distributor connected with said conduit means from said receiving tank system, said distributor including a discharge head having means for discharging molten sulfur from said head in a ribbon-like continuous stream; a heating means in said discharge head for heating said head to maintain said sulfur in a molten state; a cooling water tank below said discharge head for holding a body of cooling water below said discharge head;
and a discharge conveyor with a conveyor belt having an end portion within said cooling water tank below said head for receiving sulfur nuggets formed from said sulfur from said discharge head.

30. Apparatus in accordance with Claim 29 wherein said discharge head has spaced slots about 3/16" wide and 3/4" long, said discharge head is supported at a position at which said slots are within the range of about 4 inches to 6 inches above the normal cooling water level in said cooling water tank, and said portion of said discharge conveyor belt below said discharge head is positioned within said tank at a level about 13 inches below the normal water level in said tank.

31. Apparatus in accordance with Claim 25 wherein said dis-charge head has a tubular body portion provided with a plurality of longitudinally-spaced, aligned discharge slots for discharging said molten sulfur into said tank means in continuous ribbon-like streams.

32. Apparatus in accordance with Claim 25 wherein said dis-charge head has a tubular body portion and a plurality of a dis-charge nozzles are connected along the length of said body portion for fluid discharge from said tubular body portion, said nozzles being in substantially parallel relation with each other and being aligned in perpendicular relation to the longitudinal axis of said body portion, each of said nozzles having an elongated discharge slot for discharging a ribbon-like stream of molten sulfur.

33. Apparatus in accordance with Claim 25 wherein said dis-charge head comprises a rectangular, box-shaped container having a bottom portion provided with longitudinal, parallel, spaced-apart, discharge slots; fluid inlet means connected through a side of said discharge head; a dam member extending across said con-tainer between said discharge slots and said inlet means; flange means around each of said discharge slots on said container bottom portion limiting flow of molten sulphur in said discharge head to

Claim 33 cont.

a level above said flange means; a baffle across said container spaced from said dam member diverting flow of molten sulfur in said container to patterns under said baffle between said flange means along said discharge slots; and heating chamber means in the bottom portion of said container between said discharge slots for heating sulfur in said head.

34. Apparatus in accordance with Claim 25 wherein said dis-charge head comprises a trough having side closure flanges, one end flange across one end of said trough, and an open opposite discharge end, a tubular body supported across said trough near said end flange and provided with a bottom discharge slot for flowing molten sulfur into said trough near said end flange, a transverse dam in said trough between said side flanges defining a surge chamber portion in said trough, and an adjustable baffle . supported over said trough having a moveable edge between said dam and said open end of said trough.

35. Apparatus in accordance with Claim 25 wherein said dis-charge head comprises a tubular body having a longitudinal dis-charge slot therein, a hollow discharge throat section connected with said body over said discharge slot defining a convergent discharge passage communicating with said slot, and a discharge nozzle section connected with said throat section having longitud-inally-spaced rectangular discharge slots, the cross-sectional area of said discharge slot in said body portion being greater than the total cross-sectional area of said discharge slots in said nozzle section, and heating means extending through said throat portion.