From liquid sulfur to granular sulfur
Previously, sulfur products at Dung Quat Oil Refinery were produced in liquid form, maintained at high temperatures of 120 - 150°C to maintain a stable state. However, the storage and transportation of liquid sulfur requires specialized equipment, high costs and potential safety risks. In addition, the liquid sulfur consumption market is also limited by transportation distance and receiving infrastructure. To overcome these shortcomings, BSR has invested in a solid sulfur granulation and bagging system, operating right at the Sulfur Processing Unit (SRU).
The granulation system uses Pastillation technology - cold molding on a steel conveyor. According to the process, after being filtered, liquid sulfur will be pumped to the dropformer to form small droplets that fall evenly onto the moving conveyor. These droplets are rapidly cooled and solidified into hemispherical round particles (pastilles). Then, the product is collected, semi-automatically bagged and transferred by conveyor to the shipping area. The production line operates in a closed, safe, dust-free and environmentally friendly manner.
Increase commercial value
Granular sulfur has many advantages over liquid sulfur such as easy packaging, transportation in regular containers, long-term storage, reduced risk of fire and explosion, no rapid oxidation, and no emission of sulfur dust into the environment. These advantages help granular sulfur easily access a wider market, especially in industries requiring high technical standards.
The sulfur granules at BSR are solid granules, with a characteristic yellow color, uniform size, purity ≥ 99.5%, and humidity ≤ 0.5%. The product is packed in 1-ton jumbo bags (or according to customer requirements), convenient for transportation and storage. Currently, the operating capacity of the granulation system is about 13 tons/8 hours (with a running time of 8 hours/day). According to technical assessment, if the operating time is increased to 24/24 hours, the capacity can be expanded to 35 - 39 tons/day, flexibly meeting market demand.
Granular sulfur from Dung Quat Refinery can be applied in many industries such as DAP/NPK fertilizer production, sulfuric acid, pesticides, paper, rubber, metallurgy, etc. Domestically, BSR is connecting with chemical plants and companies with favorable geographical locations and suitable receiving infrastructure. Regarding future exports, major markets such as China, India and the ASEAN region are identified as key thanks to stable sulfur demand and long-term consumption capacity.
BSR has built a professional product consumption plan: signing long-term contracts with major domestic partners, increasing export proportion when output is stable, and operating a specialized logistics chain from the factory to the seaport to optimize delivery costs and ensure product quality. In the future, BSR will also research and develop sulfur derivative products, taking advantage of existing advantages to increase added value and diversify the product portfolio.
The birth of granular sulfur is the result of the process of research, innovation and effective application of technology by the staff of BSR. This is not only a technical achievement, but also a clear demonstration of the sustainable development strategy, increasing the exploitation of the value of by-products in the petrochemical refining process, in line with the direction of optimizing costs, increasing efficiency, and expanding the consumption market in the new period.
Nhung Linh
Source: https://bsr.com.vn/web/bsr/-/bsr-san-xuat-thanh-cong-san-pham-moi-luu-huynh-dang-hat
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