CA1185540A - Process and apparatus for treating liquid sulphur - Google Patents
Process and apparatus for treating liquid sulphurInfo
- Publication number
- CA1185540A CA1185540A CA000405980A CA405980A CA1185540A CA 1185540 A CA1185540 A CA 1185540A CA 000405980 A CA000405980 A CA 000405980A CA 405980 A CA405980 A CA 405980A CA 1185540 A CA1185540 A CA 1185540A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- filter element
- vessel
- liquid sulphur
- cleaning fluid
- contaminants
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
- NINIDFKCEFEMDL-UHFFFAOYSA-N Sulfur Chemical compound [S] NINIDFKCEFEMDL-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 title claims abstract description 67
- 239000005864 Sulphur Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 67
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 59
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 17
- 239000000356 contaminant Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 29
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 claims description 22
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 claims description 21
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 229910001220 stainless steel Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000010935 stainless steel Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 abstract description 17
- 238000011065 in-situ storage Methods 0.000 abstract 1
- 238000001914 filtration Methods 0.000 description 5
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 3
- VNWKTOKETHGBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-N methane Chemical compound C VNWKTOKETHGBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- UCKMPCXJQFINFW-UHFFFAOYSA-N Sulphide Chemical compound [S-2] UCKMPCXJQFINFW-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000004809 Teflon Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920006362 Teflon® Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000011248 coating agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000576 coating method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000011109 contamination Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008021 deposition Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012423 maintenance Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005065 mining Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000003345 natural gas Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005488 sandblasting Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000007711 solidification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008023 solidification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000007921 spray Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000725 suspension Substances 0.000 description 1
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01D—SEPARATION
- B01D35/00—Filtering devices having features not specifically covered by groups B01D24/00 - B01D33/00, or for applications not specifically covered by groups B01D24/00 - B01D33/00; Auxiliary devices for filtration; Filter housing constructions
- B01D35/18—Heating or cooling the filters
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01D—SEPARATION
- B01D29/00—Filters with filtering elements stationary during filtration, e.g. pressure or suction filters, not covered by groups B01D24/00 - B01D27/00; Filtering elements therefor
- B01D29/11—Filters with filtering elements stationary during filtration, e.g. pressure or suction filters, not covered by groups B01D24/00 - B01D27/00; Filtering elements therefor with bag, cage, hose, tube, sleeve or like filtering elements
- B01D29/114—Filters with filtering elements stationary during filtration, e.g. pressure or suction filters, not covered by groups B01D24/00 - B01D27/00; Filtering elements therefor with bag, cage, hose, tube, sleeve or like filtering elements arranged for inward flow filtration
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01D—SEPARATION
- B01D29/00—Filters with filtering elements stationary during filtration, e.g. pressure or suction filters, not covered by groups B01D24/00 - B01D27/00; Filtering elements therefor
- B01D29/44—Edge filtering elements, i.e. using contiguous impervious surfaces
- B01D29/48—Edge filtering elements, i.e. using contiguous impervious surfaces of spirally or helically wound bodies
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01D—SEPARATION
- B01D29/00—Filters with filtering elements stationary during filtration, e.g. pressure or suction filters, not covered by groups B01D24/00 - B01D27/00; Filtering elements therefor
- B01D29/62—Regenerating the filter material in the filter
- B01D29/66—Regenerating the filter material in the filter by flushing, e.g. counter-current air-bumps
- B01D29/68—Regenerating the filter material in the filter by flushing, e.g. counter-current air-bumps with backwash arms, shoes or nozzles
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01D—SEPARATION
- B01D29/00—Filters with filtering elements stationary during filtration, e.g. pressure or suction filters, not covered by groups B01D24/00 - B01D27/00; Filtering elements therefor
- B01D29/76—Handling the filter cake in the filter for purposes other than for regenerating
- B01D29/80—Handling the filter cake in the filter for purposes other than for regenerating for drying
- B01D29/84—Handling the filter cake in the filter for purposes other than for regenerating for drying by gases or by heating
- B01D29/843—Handling the filter cake in the filter for purposes other than for regenerating for drying by gases or by heating by direct contact with a fluid
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01D—SEPARATION
- B01D29/00—Filters with filtering elements stationary during filtration, e.g. pressure or suction filters, not covered by groups B01D24/00 - B01D27/00; Filtering elements therefor
- B01D29/76—Handling the filter cake in the filter for purposes other than for regenerating
- B01D29/80—Handling the filter cake in the filter for purposes other than for regenerating for drying
- B01D29/84—Handling the filter cake in the filter for purposes other than for regenerating for drying by gases or by heating
- B01D29/846—Handling the filter cake in the filter for purposes other than for regenerating for drying by gases or by heating by indirect heat-exchange
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01D—SEPARATION
- B01D2201/00—Details relating to filtering apparatus
- B01D2201/28—Position of the filtering element
- B01D2201/287—Filtering elements with a vertical or inclined rotation or symmetry axis
Landscapes
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- Vaporization, Distillation, Condensation, Sublimation, And Cold Traps (AREA)
- Filtration Of Liquid (AREA)
Abstract
A B S T R A C T
PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING
LIQUID SULPHUR
Process and apparatus for treating liquid sulphur, to remove solid contaminants therefrom, wherein a filter element 8 is used which can be in situ cleaned by means of a steam lance 17, which is suitably formed from a plurality of wound wires.
PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING
LIQUID SULPHUR
Process and apparatus for treating liquid sulphur, to remove solid contaminants therefrom, wherein a filter element 8 is used which can be in situ cleaned by means of a steam lance 17, which is suitably formed from a plurality of wound wires.
Description
~ a~s~ K 9300 CAN
PROC~SS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING LIQUID SULPHUR
The invention relates to a process for treating liquid sulphur for removing solid contaminants, mainly in the form of solids, from the liquid sulphur. The invention also relates to an apparatus for use in such a process.
It is well known to produce sulphur in the solid state by causing liquid sulphur to flow through small orifices or nozzles to form drops of sulphur which are subsequently cooled, for example by allowing the drops to fall down a tower, to give solid spheres or prills of the sulphur. Solid sulphur in the particulate form is used in large quantities in a great variety of industries, such as the fertilizer-, the insecticide- and fungicide-, the rubber- and the metallurgical industry. Liquid sulphur is obtained in large quantities, either directly from mining operations, or from other sources such as sour natural gas, refinery gas and sulphide-containing ores, such as pyrites.
Depending on the source for obtaining liquid sulphur, minor or larger amounts of contaminants may be present in the liquid sulphur. Such solid contaminants should be removed from the liquid sulphur prior to converting the liquid sulphur into solid sulphur in the above-described manner, in order to avoid clogging of the orifices or nozzles used in the conversion process and prevent contamination of the formed solid sulphur.
In French patent specification 1,183,691 a process and an apparatus are described for removing solid contaminants from liquid sulphur. In this kno~m process liquid sulphur is passed through a layer of filter material held between two perforated walls. After a certain period the solid contaminants in the supplied liquid sulphur will have formed a layer on top of the perforated wall through which the liquid sulphur is supplied to the filter material. According to the above publication these contaminants are subsequently removed by passing a f,~
,,".... - ~
vapour stream along said perforated wall. A disadvantage of this cleaning method is that solid contaminants which have entered the layer of filter material cannot be removed.
Further it will be difficult to remove solid contaminants which have entered the openings in the perforated walls when using the cleaning method proposed in the above publication.
The object of the present invention is to provide a process and an apparatus for treating liquid sulphur to remove contaminants therefrom, allowing a more intensive cleaning of the apparatus, without the necessity of replacement and dismantling of the applied apparatus.
The process for treating liquid sulphur thereto comprises according to the invention introducing liquid sulphur into a vessel interiorly provided with a filter element, causing the liquid sulphur to flow in a first direction through the filter element to remove contaminants from the liquid sulphur, and separately withdrawing the filtered liquid sulphur and the contaminants from the vessel, wherein the filter element is intermittently cleaned by introducing a cleaning fluid into the vessel and causing the cleaning fluid to flow through the filter element in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and withdrawing the cleaning fluid with contaminants from the vessel.
The apparatus for use in the above process for treating liquid sulphur, comprises, according to the invention, an elongated vessel provided with a separating chamber, inlet means for introducing liquid sulphur to be treated into the separating chamber, outlet means for separately withdrawing treated liquid sulphur and contaminants from the separating chamber, the separating chamber being provided wlth a substantially cylindrically shaped filter element, the vessel being further provided with inlet means for introducing a cleaning fluid into the separating space and outlet means for withdrawing the cleaning fluid and contaminants from the separating space, the inlet means for the cleaning fluid being formed of an elongated tubular elenlent provided with openings, at least partly arranged within the filter element, the inlet means for liquid sulphur and the inlet ~eans for cleaning fluid being arranged at opposite sides of the filter element.
The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawing showing a vertical section of a liquid sulphur treating apparatus according to the invention.
The drawing shows an elongated, vertically extending cylindrically shaped vessel 1 closed at its upper end by a cover plate 2. The vessel 1 is provided with an inner wall 3 and an outer wall 4 arranged at some distance from one another to form an insulating space 5. For heating purposes a heating fluid such as steam may be circulated through the space 5. For circulating the heating fluid an inlet 6 and an outlet 7 are arranged in the outer wall 4. The interior of the vessel 1 is provided with an elongated, cylindrically shaped filter element 8 arranged in a separating space 9 of the vessel 1. A
suitable embodiment of the filter element 8 is a wire wound stainless steel cartridge. The lower end of the filter element is closed by a closure plate 10 supported in radial outward direction by a support ring 11. The upper end of the filter element 8 is provided with a flange 12 bolted to a flange 13 attached to the inner wall 3. The above-mentioned separating space 9 is bounded in upward direction by the flange construction 12-13, in downward direction by the closure plate 10 and in lateral outward direction by part of the inner wall 3.
The vessel 1 is further provided w~th an inlet 14 for introducing liquid sulphur 1nto the vessel and outlets 15 and 16 for separately withdrawing filtered liquid sulphur and contaminants, respectively, from the vessel. For cleaning the filter element 8, the vessel 1 is provided with an elongated coaxially arranged tubular element 17, hereinafter also called f,~
steam lance, passing through an opening in the cover plate 2 and having its lower part extending within the filter element 8. The part of the steam lance 17 arranged within the filter element 8 is formed from a plurality of wound wires defining openings 18. The steam lance 17 is provided with an open upper end and is mounted onto the vessel 1 by means of a flange l9 arranged on top of a flange 20, connected to the vessel l by means of tubular elements 21 and 22. The space between the tubular elements 21 and 22 is provided with an inlet 23 and an outlet 24 for circulating a heating fluid therethrough.
The operation of the apparatus described in the above is as follows. Liquid sulphur to be filtered is introduced into the vessel l via inlet 14. The liquid level in the vessel l rises, so that after a while liquid sulphur reaches the IS separating space 9 via the passage between the inner wall 3 and the periphery of the closure plate 10. Once arrived in the separating space 9 the liquid sulphur will pass through the openings of the filter element 3. The dimensions of the openings in the filter element 8 are so chosen that the major 20 part of the solid contaminants in the liquid sulphur cannot enter the filter element. The level of the filtered liquid sulphur collected in the filter element 8 rises upon further introduction of liquid sulphur into the vessel l until the filtered liquid sulphur reaches the outlet 15, where it is 25 withdrawn from the vessel.
To keep the sulphur in the vessel in the liquid state, the temperature in the vessel is maintained above the solidifi-cation point of sulphur by circulating steam introduced via inlet 6 through the insulating space 5 between the inner wall 3 and the outer wall 4. The steam or formed condensate is subsequently withdrawn from the insulating space 5 via the outlet 7. During the filtration of liquid sulphur the steam lance 17 is closed off by means of a not shown valve.
Part of the contaminants separated from the liquid 35 sulphur upon passing through the filter element 8 may remain in suspension in space 9 or may descend through the liquid sulphur and be collected in the bottom part of the vessel 1.
The rest of the separated contaminants will be deposited on the outer side of the filter element 8, thereby causing a gradual increase of the pressure drop over the filter element during the filtering operation~
When the pressure drop over the filter element has reached a certain value, or in other words when the effectiv -ness of the filter element has fallen to a certain value, the I0 filter element 8 should be cleaned. The introduction of liquid sulphur into the vessel 1 is subsequently stopped, for example by bringing a not shown valve, in the inlet 14 into its closed position. The outlet 16, remaining in a closed position during the filtration, is opened and the liquid sulphur still in the vessel ls withdrawn together with the contaminants accumulated in separating space 9 and deposited Oll the bottom part of the vessel. The outlet 15 for the filtered liquid sulphur is closed off. Subsequently the steam lance/ 17 is connected to not shown steam supply means and steam under pressure is passed through the steam lance. Rapid expansion of the steam to the actual pressure inside the vessel upon passing through the openings 18 generate high velocity steam jets against the inner surface of the filter element 8. Contaminants deposited during the filtration onto the outer surface of the filter element 8 are removed therefrom and entrained by the generated steam jets passing through the filter element. Steam and entrained contaminants are withdrawn from the vessel via the outlet 16 in the bottom part of the vessel. After cleaning the filter element 8, the outlet 16 is closed and the steam lance 17 is shut off, wherea~ter the filtration of liquid sulphur is restarted by opening inlet 14 and outlet 15.
For replacement or maintenance, the filter element 8 can be easily removed from the vessel 1 by removing the cover plate 2, retracting the steam lance 17 and disconnecting the 'L~
~ 6 --flange connection at the upper end of the filter element. The filter element may be cleaned by high pressure water jets or sandblasting to remove bituminous matter therefrom and re-assembled in the vessel or may be replaced by a clean filter element.
Liquid sulphur filtered in the vessel 1 may be passed into a further vessel provided with a filter element with smaller openings than filter element 8 to remove small solid contaminants passed through said filter element ~. After the liquid sulphur has been sufficiently freed from contaminants the liquid sulphur may be subjected to a solid sulphur forming process by introducing the liquid sulphur into a vessel provided with known prilling means such as orifices, spray-holes or nozzles to form solids of sulphur. To prevent blockage of the prilling means due to deposition of bituminous matter in the liquid sulphur, the prilling means may be suitably provided with a coating of for example teflon, known per se.
It should be noted that the invention is not restricted to the application of a steam lance formed from wound wires.
20 Alternatively, the steam lance may for example consist of a tube with discrete openings in its wall. In this case it is preferred to rotate the steam lance during cleaning~ to supply a uniform spray onto the whole surface area of the filter element 8.
PROC~SS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING LIQUID SULPHUR
The invention relates to a process for treating liquid sulphur for removing solid contaminants, mainly in the form of solids, from the liquid sulphur. The invention also relates to an apparatus for use in such a process.
It is well known to produce sulphur in the solid state by causing liquid sulphur to flow through small orifices or nozzles to form drops of sulphur which are subsequently cooled, for example by allowing the drops to fall down a tower, to give solid spheres or prills of the sulphur. Solid sulphur in the particulate form is used in large quantities in a great variety of industries, such as the fertilizer-, the insecticide- and fungicide-, the rubber- and the metallurgical industry. Liquid sulphur is obtained in large quantities, either directly from mining operations, or from other sources such as sour natural gas, refinery gas and sulphide-containing ores, such as pyrites.
Depending on the source for obtaining liquid sulphur, minor or larger amounts of contaminants may be present in the liquid sulphur. Such solid contaminants should be removed from the liquid sulphur prior to converting the liquid sulphur into solid sulphur in the above-described manner, in order to avoid clogging of the orifices or nozzles used in the conversion process and prevent contamination of the formed solid sulphur.
In French patent specification 1,183,691 a process and an apparatus are described for removing solid contaminants from liquid sulphur. In this kno~m process liquid sulphur is passed through a layer of filter material held between two perforated walls. After a certain period the solid contaminants in the supplied liquid sulphur will have formed a layer on top of the perforated wall through which the liquid sulphur is supplied to the filter material. According to the above publication these contaminants are subsequently removed by passing a f,~
,,".... - ~
vapour stream along said perforated wall. A disadvantage of this cleaning method is that solid contaminants which have entered the layer of filter material cannot be removed.
Further it will be difficult to remove solid contaminants which have entered the openings in the perforated walls when using the cleaning method proposed in the above publication.
The object of the present invention is to provide a process and an apparatus for treating liquid sulphur to remove contaminants therefrom, allowing a more intensive cleaning of the apparatus, without the necessity of replacement and dismantling of the applied apparatus.
The process for treating liquid sulphur thereto comprises according to the invention introducing liquid sulphur into a vessel interiorly provided with a filter element, causing the liquid sulphur to flow in a first direction through the filter element to remove contaminants from the liquid sulphur, and separately withdrawing the filtered liquid sulphur and the contaminants from the vessel, wherein the filter element is intermittently cleaned by introducing a cleaning fluid into the vessel and causing the cleaning fluid to flow through the filter element in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and withdrawing the cleaning fluid with contaminants from the vessel.
The apparatus for use in the above process for treating liquid sulphur, comprises, according to the invention, an elongated vessel provided with a separating chamber, inlet means for introducing liquid sulphur to be treated into the separating chamber, outlet means for separately withdrawing treated liquid sulphur and contaminants from the separating chamber, the separating chamber being provided wlth a substantially cylindrically shaped filter element, the vessel being further provided with inlet means for introducing a cleaning fluid into the separating space and outlet means for withdrawing the cleaning fluid and contaminants from the separating space, the inlet means for the cleaning fluid being formed of an elongated tubular elenlent provided with openings, at least partly arranged within the filter element, the inlet means for liquid sulphur and the inlet ~eans for cleaning fluid being arranged at opposite sides of the filter element.
The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawing showing a vertical section of a liquid sulphur treating apparatus according to the invention.
The drawing shows an elongated, vertically extending cylindrically shaped vessel 1 closed at its upper end by a cover plate 2. The vessel 1 is provided with an inner wall 3 and an outer wall 4 arranged at some distance from one another to form an insulating space 5. For heating purposes a heating fluid such as steam may be circulated through the space 5. For circulating the heating fluid an inlet 6 and an outlet 7 are arranged in the outer wall 4. The interior of the vessel 1 is provided with an elongated, cylindrically shaped filter element 8 arranged in a separating space 9 of the vessel 1. A
suitable embodiment of the filter element 8 is a wire wound stainless steel cartridge. The lower end of the filter element is closed by a closure plate 10 supported in radial outward direction by a support ring 11. The upper end of the filter element 8 is provided with a flange 12 bolted to a flange 13 attached to the inner wall 3. The above-mentioned separating space 9 is bounded in upward direction by the flange construction 12-13, in downward direction by the closure plate 10 and in lateral outward direction by part of the inner wall 3.
The vessel 1 is further provided w~th an inlet 14 for introducing liquid sulphur 1nto the vessel and outlets 15 and 16 for separately withdrawing filtered liquid sulphur and contaminants, respectively, from the vessel. For cleaning the filter element 8, the vessel 1 is provided with an elongated coaxially arranged tubular element 17, hereinafter also called f,~
steam lance, passing through an opening in the cover plate 2 and having its lower part extending within the filter element 8. The part of the steam lance 17 arranged within the filter element 8 is formed from a plurality of wound wires defining openings 18. The steam lance 17 is provided with an open upper end and is mounted onto the vessel 1 by means of a flange l9 arranged on top of a flange 20, connected to the vessel l by means of tubular elements 21 and 22. The space between the tubular elements 21 and 22 is provided with an inlet 23 and an outlet 24 for circulating a heating fluid therethrough.
The operation of the apparatus described in the above is as follows. Liquid sulphur to be filtered is introduced into the vessel l via inlet 14. The liquid level in the vessel l rises, so that after a while liquid sulphur reaches the IS separating space 9 via the passage between the inner wall 3 and the periphery of the closure plate 10. Once arrived in the separating space 9 the liquid sulphur will pass through the openings of the filter element 3. The dimensions of the openings in the filter element 8 are so chosen that the major 20 part of the solid contaminants in the liquid sulphur cannot enter the filter element. The level of the filtered liquid sulphur collected in the filter element 8 rises upon further introduction of liquid sulphur into the vessel l until the filtered liquid sulphur reaches the outlet 15, where it is 25 withdrawn from the vessel.
To keep the sulphur in the vessel in the liquid state, the temperature in the vessel is maintained above the solidifi-cation point of sulphur by circulating steam introduced via inlet 6 through the insulating space 5 between the inner wall 3 and the outer wall 4. The steam or formed condensate is subsequently withdrawn from the insulating space 5 via the outlet 7. During the filtration of liquid sulphur the steam lance 17 is closed off by means of a not shown valve.
Part of the contaminants separated from the liquid 35 sulphur upon passing through the filter element 8 may remain in suspension in space 9 or may descend through the liquid sulphur and be collected in the bottom part of the vessel 1.
The rest of the separated contaminants will be deposited on the outer side of the filter element 8, thereby causing a gradual increase of the pressure drop over the filter element during the filtering operation~
When the pressure drop over the filter element has reached a certain value, or in other words when the effectiv -ness of the filter element has fallen to a certain value, the I0 filter element 8 should be cleaned. The introduction of liquid sulphur into the vessel 1 is subsequently stopped, for example by bringing a not shown valve, in the inlet 14 into its closed position. The outlet 16, remaining in a closed position during the filtration, is opened and the liquid sulphur still in the vessel ls withdrawn together with the contaminants accumulated in separating space 9 and deposited Oll the bottom part of the vessel. The outlet 15 for the filtered liquid sulphur is closed off. Subsequently the steam lance/ 17 is connected to not shown steam supply means and steam under pressure is passed through the steam lance. Rapid expansion of the steam to the actual pressure inside the vessel upon passing through the openings 18 generate high velocity steam jets against the inner surface of the filter element 8. Contaminants deposited during the filtration onto the outer surface of the filter element 8 are removed therefrom and entrained by the generated steam jets passing through the filter element. Steam and entrained contaminants are withdrawn from the vessel via the outlet 16 in the bottom part of the vessel. After cleaning the filter element 8, the outlet 16 is closed and the steam lance 17 is shut off, wherea~ter the filtration of liquid sulphur is restarted by opening inlet 14 and outlet 15.
For replacement or maintenance, the filter element 8 can be easily removed from the vessel 1 by removing the cover plate 2, retracting the steam lance 17 and disconnecting the 'L~
~ 6 --flange connection at the upper end of the filter element. The filter element may be cleaned by high pressure water jets or sandblasting to remove bituminous matter therefrom and re-assembled in the vessel or may be replaced by a clean filter element.
Liquid sulphur filtered in the vessel 1 may be passed into a further vessel provided with a filter element with smaller openings than filter element 8 to remove small solid contaminants passed through said filter element ~. After the liquid sulphur has been sufficiently freed from contaminants the liquid sulphur may be subjected to a solid sulphur forming process by introducing the liquid sulphur into a vessel provided with known prilling means such as orifices, spray-holes or nozzles to form solids of sulphur. To prevent blockage of the prilling means due to deposition of bituminous matter in the liquid sulphur, the prilling means may be suitably provided with a coating of for example teflon, known per se.
It should be noted that the invention is not restricted to the application of a steam lance formed from wound wires.
20 Alternatively, the steam lance may for example consist of a tube with discrete openings in its wall. In this case it is preferred to rotate the steam lance during cleaning~ to supply a uniform spray onto the whole surface area of the filter element 8.
Claims (11)
1. A process for treating liquid sulphur, comprising introducing liquid sulphur into a vessel interiorly provided with a filter element, causing the liquid sulphur to flow in a first direction through the filter element to remove contami-nants from the liquid sulphur, and separately withdrawing the filtered liquid sulphur and the contaminants from the vessel, wherein the filter element is intermittently cleaned by introducing a cleaning fluid into the vessel and causing the cleaning fluid to flow through the filter element in a second direction opposite to the first direction and withdrawing the cleaning fluid with contaminants from the vessel.
2. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cleaning fluid introduced into the vessel is steam.
3. A process as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein a cylindri-cal filter element is applied and wherein the cleaning fluid is caused to flow through the filter element via openings of an elongated tubular element at least partly arranged within the cylindrical filter element.
4. An apparatus for treating liquid sulphur, comprising an elongated vessel provided with a separating chamber, inlet means for introducing liquid sulphur to be treated into the separating chamber, outlet means for separately withdrawing treated liquid sulphur and contaminants from the separating chamber, the separating chamber being provided with a substan-tially cylindrically shaped filter element, the vessel being further provided with inlet means for introducing a cleaning fluid into the separating space and outlet means for with-drawing the cleaning fluid and contaminants from the separa-ting space, the inlet means for the cleaning fluid being formed of an elongated tubular element provided with openings, at least partly arranged within the filter element, the inlet means for liquid sulphur and the inlet means for cleaning fluid being arranged at opposite sides of the filter element.
5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the openings are substantially equally distributed over the part of the elongated tubular element arranged within the filter element.
6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the part of the elongated tubular element arranged within the filter element is formed from a plurality of wound wires.
7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the tubular element is rotatably mounted in the vessel.
8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the tubular element is retractably mounted in the vessel passing through an opening therein.
9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the vessel is provided with an outer wall and an inner wall spaced apart from each other to form a space, and an inlet and an outlet being in fluid communication with the space for circulating a heating fluid therethrough.
10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the filter element and the tubular element have substantially coinciding longitudinal axes.
11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the filter element is formed from an wire-wound stainless steel cartridge.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000405980A CA1185540A (en) | 1982-06-25 | 1982-06-25 | Process and apparatus for treating liquid sulphur |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000405980A CA1185540A (en) | 1982-06-25 | 1982-06-25 | Process and apparatus for treating liquid sulphur |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1185540A true CA1185540A (en) | 1985-04-16 |
Family
ID=4123095
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000405980A Expired CA1185540A (en) | 1982-06-25 | 1982-06-25 | Process and apparatus for treating liquid sulphur |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1185540A (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP3097964A1 (en) * | 2015-05-28 | 2016-11-30 | Shaw Development LLC | Filter inline heater |
| CN113368578A (en) * | 2021-06-18 | 2021-09-10 | 无锡润滤机械设备有限公司 | Medicine preparation is with filtration washing drying all-in-one |
-
1982
- 1982-06-25 CA CA000405980A patent/CA1185540A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP3097964A1 (en) * | 2015-05-28 | 2016-11-30 | Shaw Development LLC | Filter inline heater |
| CN113368578A (en) * | 2021-06-18 | 2021-09-10 | 无锡润滤机械设备有限公司 | Medicine preparation is with filtration washing drying all-in-one |
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