Estimate sulfur recovery from feed and tail gas. Track losses, conversion, and plant margin. Improve unit performance using clear efficiency diagnostics and alerts.
| Case | Feed S (t/d) | Recovered S (t/d) | Tail Loss (t/d) | Flaring (t/d) | Other Loss (t/d) | Efficiency (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | 120.0 | 117.6 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 98.000 |
| Optimized Burner | 120.0 | 118.7 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 98.917 |
| Acid Gas Swing | 135.0 | 131.2 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 97.185 |
| Shutdown Recovery | 80.0 | 75.0 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 93.750 |
Use these values to test output behavior, export functions, and trend interpretation before deploying plant-specific operating ranges.
Primary recovery efficiency: Efficiency (%) = (Recovered Sulfur / Feed Sulfur) × 100
Tail gas loss percent: (Tail Gas Sulfur Loss / Feed Sulfur) × 100
Mass balance closure: 100 − (|Feed − Total Known Outputs| / Feed) × 100
Gap to target: Target Efficiency − Actual Efficiency
Extra sulfur recovery needed: ((Target % × Feed) / 100) − Recovered Sulfur (minimum shown as zero)
These formulas support day-to-day sulfur unit monitoring, troubleshooting, compliance review, and economic loss estimation from under-recovery conditions.
Accurate sulfur recovery reporting starts with dependable feed sulfur inputs. Engineers should align acid gas flowmeters, H2S analyzers, and conversion factors before calculating efficiency. Small feed errors can misstate performance and hide loss mechanisms. Use common sampling windows for laboratory and online measurements, and document assumptions for density and sulfur fraction. Consistent input practices improve shift comparability, strengthen monthly reports and reduce avoidable investigation time during compliance or troubleshooting reviews.
Recovery efficiency shows how much incoming sulfur becomes recovered sulfur product. It is a valuable operating KPI, but it should be interpreted with process conditions. Throughput swings, startup transitions, catalyst age, and furnace stability can temporarily change performance. Teams should compare current values with recent baselines and note operating context in the shift report. Seven-day and thirty-day trends usually reveal deterioration earlier than isolated daily readings, supporting faster corrective action.
Mass balance closure confirms whether feed sulfur roughly equals recovered sulfur plus measured losses. This calculator separates tail gas losses, flaring losses, and other losses so engineers can identify patterns quickly. If closure degrades while efficiency appears normal, the problem may be instrumentation mismatch rather than chemistry. Common causes include delayed laboratory data, missing vent estimates, and inconsistent conversions. Tracking closure daily improves data quality discipline and strengthens confidence in operating decisions.
Adding sulfur price translates technical performance into financial impact. The calculator estimates recovered sulfur value and the revenue opportunity linked to underperformance against target efficiency. This helps engineers explain why tuning burners, stabilizing acid gas composition, or maintaining tail gas equipment deserves priority. The target gap and extra recovery metrics also support maintenance planning and project justification. Small gains in percentage recovery can produce meaningful value at high feed rates over long operating periods.
For routine use, establish a fixed reporting cutoff and verify all source readings before use. Save CSV and PDF exports with the daily log so results remain traceable during audits and incident reviews. During startups or upsets, recalculate with preliminary and corrected data to document changes transparently. Maintain a reference table of normal loss ranges by operating mode, and review exceptions in meetings. These practices make the calculator a engineering decision tool across shifts.
Include recovered sulfur product, tail gas sulfur losses, flaring losses, and any other known sulfur-bearing losses using the same reporting basis.
Use it daily for shift or morning reporting, and rerun it after startups, shutdowns, or upsets that affect sulfur recovery performance.
Closure validates data consistency. Weak closure often signals missing streams, timing mismatch, analyzer drift, or conversion errors, even when efficiency looks acceptable.
Yes, if every input uses the same time basis. Keep units consistent and interpret hourly values carefully because instrument noise can be higher.
It shows the additional sulfur product tonnage required to reach your target efficiency, helping prioritize tuning and maintenance actions.
No. Price is optional and only affects revenue estimates. Efficiency, losses, and mass balance outputs still work without economic inputs.
Important Note: All the Calculators listed in this site are for educational purpose only and we do not guarentee the accuracy of results. Please do consult with other sources as well.