Sour Water Strippers SWS
Steam stripping of H₂S and NH₃. Steam-stripping columns that drive dissolved H₂S and ammonia out of refinery sour water — recovering acid gas for the sulphur plant and protecting downstream treatment.
System Schematic
Representative process-flow — configured to your streamUnderlying Technology & Scientific Principle
Sour water from crude, FCC, hydrotreater and coker units contains dissolved H₂S and NH₃. Steam stripping in a trayed or packed column reverses the equilibrium, transferring the gases to an overhead vapour stream while clean stripped water leaves the bottom.
Working Mechanism
Sour water is preheated against stripped bottoms and fed near the top of the column. Live or reboiled steam contacts the liquid counter-currently, stripping H₂S and NH₃ into the overhead vapour, which is routed to the sulphur recovery unit (SRU) or a two-stage stripper for separate acid-gas and ammonia products.
Separation / Removal Efficiency
H₂S residual <10 mg/L (single-stage) to <1 mg/L (two-stage); NH₃ residual <50 mg/L (single-stage) to <5 mg/L (two-stage).
Operating Principle & Parameters
Top pressure 0.5–1.5 barg; bottom temperature 120–150 °C; stripping steam ratio 0.15–0.30 kg/kg feed; pH controlled with caustic in two-stage units.
Flow Rates & Volumetric Capacities
Typically 20–200 m³/h per train at refinery scale; single- or two-stage configuration depending on downstream reuse.
Fluid Media Compatibility
Stainless or duplex column with valve trays or structured packing; carbon-steel preheat exchangers; corrosion-resistant overhead system.
System Schematic & Process Integration
Upstream of biological treatment and downstream water reuse; overhead acid gas sent to SRU/TGTU, stripped water often reused as desalter wash water.
Options / Variations Available
Single-stage (combined H₂S/NH₃) or two-stage (separate H₂S and NH₃ products); reboiled or live-steam stripping.
System Complexity & Automation Level
High — feed temperature, steam ratio and pH controlled to maintain residual H₂S/NH₃ specifications and protect downstream units.
Applications & Performance Delivered
Refinery sour water
Treats condensate from crude, FCC, coker and hydrotreater units.
Stripped water reuse
Provides desalter wash water and crude-unit make-up.
Acid-gas recovery
Feeds H₂S to the sulphur recovery unit.
Contaminant Removal Profile
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