A process for preparing sulfuric acid may involve oxidizing sulfur to sulfur dioxide by way of dried air in a first oxidation stage. The sulfur dioxide may then be oxidized to sulfur trioxide in a second oxidation stage. The sulfur trioxide may be absorbed by sulfuric acid in at least one absorption stage. Further, heated sulfuric acid may be drawn off from the absorption stage and used for generating steam. Process gas from an intermediate absorption stage may be recycled to the second oxidation stage and, in some cases, a final absorption stage after the process gas flows through the second oxidation stage.

In a production mode a process for preparing sulfuric acid may involve oxidizing sulfur to sulfur dioxide in a first oxidation stage, and catalytically oxidizing the sulfur dioxide to sulfur trioxide in a second oxidation stage. The sulfur trioxide may be absorbed in at least one absorption stage. In the production mode, process gases from a last of the at least one absorption stage with respect to a flow direction are discharged. In a standby mode of the process, at least one heating stage for heating the process gases is connected. The process gases exiting from the at least one absorption stage are conveyed to the heating stage, and the process gases are circulated via the heating stage, the second oxidation stage, and the absorption stage.

The invention is a method and a sulfuric acid plant design for reduction of start-up SO.sub.2, SO.sub.3 and H.sub.2SO.sub.4 emissions in sulfuric acid production, in which SO2 is converted to SO.sub.3 in n successive catalyst beds, where n is an integer >1. The final catalytic beds are used as absorbents for SO.sub.2 to SO3 during the start-up procedure, and one or more of the m beds downstream the first bed are purged, either separately or simultaneously, with hot gas, where m is an integer >1 and m<n, during the previous shut-down. Also, one separate purge with hot gas is used on the final bed.

A contact process, sulfuric acid system and method are disclosed for producing sulphuric acid with improved operating efficiency in humid environments. The system comprises a pre-drying absorber for pre-drying humid air with weak sulfuric acid. Weak sulfuric acid from the pre-drying absorber is provided to a subsystem comprising two sulfur trioxide absorbers and a heat exchanger for the recovery of heat via steam production. This arrangement allows for a marked increase in steam production (i.e. energy efficiency). In a separate improvement, the emission apparatus for the system can be simplified using a peroxide tail gas scrubber comprising upper and lower scrubber sections in which the upper scrubber section consists essentially of tray type scrubbers.

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

A contact process, sulfuric acid system and method are disclosed for producing sulphuric acid with improved operating efficiency in humid environments. The system comprises a pre-drying absorber for pre-drying humid air with weak sulfuric acid. Weak sulfuric acid from the pre-drying absorber is provided to a subsystem comprising two sulfur trioxide absorbers and a heat exchanger for the recovery of heat via steam production. This arrangement allows for a marked increase in steam production (i.e. energy efficiency). In a separate improvement, the emission apparatus for the system can be simplified using a peroxide tail gas scrubber comprising upper and lower scrubber sections in which the upper scrubber section consists essentially of tray type scrubbers.

The invention is a method and a sulfuric acid plant design for reduction of start-up SO.sub.2, SO.sub.3 and H.sub.2SO.sub.4 emissions in sulfuric acid production, in which SO2 is converted to SO.sub.3 in n successive catalyst beds, where n is an integer >1. The final catalytic beds are used as absorbents for SO.sub.2 to SO3 during the start-up procedure, and one or more of the m beds downstream the first bed are purged, either separately or simultaneously, with hot gas, where m is an integer >1 and m<n, during the previous shut-down. Also, one separate purge with hot gas is used on the final bed.

The invention describes a process for producing sulfuric acid by catalytic oxidation of SO.sub.2 to SO.sub.3 and subsequent absorption of the SO.sub.3 in sulfuric acid, wherein the SO.sub.3 is introduced into a first absorption stage (primary absorber) and at least partly absorbed there in concentrated sulfuric acid, wherein the SO.sub.3 not absorbed in the first absorption stage is supplied to a second absorption stage (secondary absorber) for the further absorption in concentrated sulfuric acid, and wherein the sulfuric acid is cooled after passing through the two absorption stages. The cooling of the sulfuric acid is effected in at least two heat exchangers connected in parallel, wherein one of the at least two heat exchangers is operated as partial evaporator and is cooled with boiler feed water/steam and the other one is cooled with cooling water and operated as pure acid cooler.

In a production mode a process for preparing sulfuric acid may involve oxidizing sulfur to sulfur dioxide in a first oxidation stage, and catalytically oxidizing the sulfur dioxide to sulfur trioxide in a second oxidation stage. The sulfur trioxide may be absorbed in at least one absorption stage. In the production mode, process gases from a last of the at least one absorption stage with respect to a flow direction are discharged. In a standby mode of the process, at least one heating stage for heating the process gases is connected. The process gases exiting from the at least one absorption stage are conveyed to the heating stage, and the process gases are circulated via the heating stage, the second oxidation stage, and the absorption stage.

A process plant for production of sulfuric acid from a process gas comprising SO2, including a process gas inlet, a first SO2 converter having an inlet and an outlet, a first condenser having a gas inlet, a gas outlet and a liquid outlet, a gas mixing device having a first inlet, a second inlet and an outlet, a process gas heater having an inlet and an outlet, a second SO2 converter having an inlet and an outlet, a second condenser having a gas inlet, a gas outlet and a liquid outlet, one or more means for cooling and storage of sulfuric acid and a purified process gas outlet.