gas processing

A better solution for difficult

to treat gas streams
The URS CrystaSulf Process
Mid-Range H2S Removal and Sulfur Recovery

URS Sulfur Recovery and

Management Experience
URS has more than 50 years of design
and construction expertise providing
sulfur recovery and handling facilities to

CrystaSulf

our clients for natural and synthetic gas

plant and refinery applications. We have
engineered over 11,000 t/d of sulfur

recovery and 24,000 t/d sulfur forming,

storage, and exporting facilities since
the 1970s. In addition to CrystaSulf,

Overview

URS provides amine, acid gas

enrichment (AGE), Claus, tail gas clean-

Recovering sulfur from gas streams that contain 0.2 to 25 LTPD

up (TGCU), cold bed adsorption (CBA),

of sulfur has historically been problematic. In this size range,

redox, and acid gas injection systems.

the operating cost of throw-away H2S scavenging chemicals is

high, and traditional amine/Claus units suffer from prohibitively
high capital costs. CrystaSulf, a breakthrough sulfur recovery

the crystaSulf process

technology, can remove sulfur economically without the

operating issues of aqueous-iron systems and with significantly

Treats H2S in high-CO2

applications

lower pumping costs for most applications.

Using SO2 as an oxidant, CrystaSulf converts inlet H2S to

Resilient to inlet heavy

hydrocarbons and BTEX

elemental sulfur through a modified liquid-phase Claus reaction.

Elemental sulfur is soluble in CrystaSulf solution, which

Works well at high pressure

eliminates circulating solids in high-pressure equipment. The

Small footprint

sulfur is crystallized and separated in equipment designed to

Low pumping cost

handle solids, while the rest of the process remains solids-free.

Single process for converting

H2S to elemental sulfur

Meeting pipeline H2S specifications of less than 0.25 grains

(4 ppmv) is achievable at pressures above 150 psig, and CO2
has been shown to have no effect on the CrystaSulf process.

Sweet
Gas
Lean Solution
Absorber
SO2

Flash Gas
Sour
Gas

SO2 delivery options:

Liquid SO2 purchase reagent and
meter into system

Flash
Vessel
Slurry
Tank

Heated
Surge
Tank

Burn sulfur or acid gas stream

SO2 introduced in separate
absorber
Catalytic convert portion of inlet
H2S to SO2

Scraped Surface
Crystallizer
Sulfur Filter System
Sulfur

Gas Processing and Sulfur

Removal experience

H 2S Concentration

5%

URS has nearly 50 years of sulfur removal and recovery

1%

experience and has maintained more than 85 years of

5000 ppm

continuous participation in the global oil, gas and chemical

1000 ppm

industries. Our clients have access to approximately 3,000 oil,

500 ppm

100 ppm

gas, and chemical professionals who represent all engineering

and design disciplines, project management, project controls,
1

10

50

100

500

1000

Gas Flowrate, MMscfd

procurement, construction, process safety management (PSM),

and quality assurance/quality control. We have experience in all
areas of natural gas, refinery gas, and synthesis gas production

CrystaSulf Advantages
Lower cost
Lower overall treatment cost, especially in high-CO2
applications
Lower maintenance and clean-out cost
Greater on-stream factor

Direct treatment of high-pressure streams

Solids-free solution is easy to pump
Low circulation rate

facilities, from the wellhead, gathering systems and pipelines, to

processing plants, sulfur recovery units, and compression/
re-injection units. These facilities have ranged from grass roots
and revamp field construction to the use of truckable-size
modules. We have also designed, fabricated, transported, and
erected super modules weighing over 2,000 tons.

Execution with CertaintySM

This program represents the framework for how we approach
and execute our work and incorporates the highest standards of
business management, ethics, project execution and safety.

Solvent with high solubility for elemental sulfur

Execution with CertaintySM encompasses the policies,

No sulfur settling additives or surfactants

procedures, and values that guide every employee and provides

No foaming or plugging problems (typical of aqueous

systems)

each client with industry-leading performance.

Common industrial equipment

Project Execution Procedures (PEP). These procedures guide our

No special design requirements for slurry handling

project teams to ensure the constant application of Best

No sulfur solids in circulating solution

Practices, as defined by the Construction Industry Institute (CII).

One process governed through Execution with Certainty is URS

Each project is carefully and consistently monitored and

Production of large sulfur particles

controlled to meet established parameters, scheduling

Easy handling, separation, and filtration of sulfur

requirements, and reporting/communications obligations for

Drier sulfur means less disposal cost associated with water

both the client and URS.

Easy control of H2S removal

Solution has buffering capacity (changes happen slowly)

Environmental, Safety & Health

Easily monitored compound correlates directly with removal

URS is one of the safest workforces in the world. Safety is a

Adjustable footprint
Modules can be designed for vertical placement (smaller
footprint)
Easy access to all equipment afforded by low-profile design
Ideal for retrofit in congested plants with space constraint

Expedited project schedule

Standardized and modular design
Fast-track schedule to engineer, procure, and construct
Readily available equipment

culture at our company, a core value, and a best business

practice. A few key safety facts include:

Named the Nations Safest Construction Company in

2010 by the Associated General Contractors of America
(AGC)
More than 70% of the nations CCHEST Safety Trained
Supervisors are URS employees or were trained under our
program
First engineering and construction company to form an
alliance with OSHA

POWER

INFRASTRUCTURE

FEDERAL

INDUSTRIAL & COMMERCIAL

URS is a full-service organization providing engineering, procurement, project management,

and construction services worldwide with annual revenues exceeding $10 billion. URS has
approximately 47,000 employees in a network of offices in major cities in the Americas,
Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Europe. Our broad-based expertise is a valued resource
for federal, state, and local governmental agencies, as well as Fortune 500 and other
private industry clients worldwide.

URS Corporation
600 Montgomery Street
26th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94111
www.urscorp.com

2011 URS Corporation

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dennis Dalrymple, PE
Tel: 512.419.5525
dennis_dalrymple@urscorp.com
Bryan Petrinec
Tel: 512.419.5387
bryan_petrinec@urscorp.com
David Seeger, PhD
Tel: 512.419.5709
david_seeger@urscorp.com

WHY SELECT URS?

URS is recognized for our ability to design projects of all complexities from
small, fit-for-purpose units to world-scale processing plants while treating
some of the most challenging gas compositions. Client-specified design
parameters have been successfully combined with URS technical expertise and
project execution methods to execute projects in remote locations, from the
desert to the arctic, using both stick-built and modular construction methods.
URS is a leading provider of engineering, construction and technical services for
public agencies and private sector companies worldwide. We offer a full range of
program management; planning, design and engineering; systems engineering
and technical assistance; construction and construction management;
operations and maintenance; and decommissioning and closure services. The
Engineering News-Record has ranked URS as one of the top three design firms
for the past decade.

9400 Amberglen Blvd.

Austin, TX 78729
www.crystasulf.com
Execution with Certainty is a service mark and CrystaSulf is a registered service mark of URS Corporation.