Agenda

Format

The symposium takes the form of organized presentations and panel discussions by industry experts from operating companies, academia, and suppliers of products and services.  In addition to the presentations and panels, each daily session will include one or more open-floor question-and-answer periods.  These standalone Q&A sessions have proven to be an essential part of the symposium.

In addition to the papers mentioned above, annual presentations covering important subjects such as safety and regulatory issues, along with plant startups and shutdowns, are given each year. Alberta Sulphur Research Limited (ASRL), the premier research organization in the field of sulfur chemistry, presents one or more technical papers each year at the Brimstone Sulfur Symposium. Similarly, the highly respected Amine Best Practices Group (ABPG) provides a technical paper and their own  dedicated Q&A session. For a listing of recent presentations, see below. We limit the maximum number of attendees to around 100 to encourage active and full participation.

The detailed 2024 agenda will be published soon. For a list of recent presentations, see below.

Golf Event

If you are interested in joining us, we are registering foursomes for a relaxed round of golf with no formal tournament. We are arranging for tee times on Monday, September 9, (or earlier over the weekend); please email us at [email protected] at your earliest convenience. This will help us finalize the arrangements and ensure we have the right number of tee times reserved. Looking forward to your participation!

Program Schedule

2023 Vail Presentation Titles

• “Sulfur Production – Note Set”  Jay Davis (Chevron), John Morgan (John M. Campbell / Petroskills), and Elmo Nasato (Nasato Consulting)
• “Incinerator Optimization – How to Save Energy and Reduce CO₂ Emissions”  Enrique Aceves De Alba (ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company)
• “SRU/TGTU Project Execution Startup Lessons Learned from Owner/Licensor Perspective”  Marcus Weber, Thomas Chow and Theresa Flood (Fluor Energy Solutions)
• “Pushing Boundaries: Two Amine Regenerator Case Studies”  Jim Critchfield (Consultant), Joel Cantrell (Bryan Research & Engineering) and Christina Daniels (INEOS GAS/SPEC Technology Group) 
• “Ultra Capacity with Ultra Low Emissions – Thiopaq O&G Tail Gas Treating of Oxygen – Enriched Claus SRUs”  Theresa Flood, Thomas Chow, Marcus Weber (Fluor), Sandra Schreuder, Rjeks de Rink, Joost I.H. Timmerman and Jan-Henk van Dijk (Paqell)
• “Shutting Down and Starting Up an Amine System”  Jason Stavros and Jack Taylor (Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery) on behalf of the Amine Best Practices Group
• “Technical Review: ENAP Aconcagua Refinery Sulfur Block”  Marco van Son (Comprimo), Xavier Pizarro Villanueva (ENAP Concon Chile), Ines Hernandez-Virla, (Comprimo), Sebastián Chaparro Hernandez, and Carmen Bello Rodriquez (ENAP Concon, Chile)
• “Titania and Alumina Supported Co-Mo Catalysts for Hydrogenation of Sulfur Compounds: A Morphology and Reactivity Study”  Christopher B. Lavery, Ruohong Sui and Robert A. Marriott (Alberta Sulphur Research, Ltd.)
• “Claus Thermal Stage Yields: A Question of Equilibrium, Kinetics, or Heat Transfer?”  Al Keller (Consultant, AlChemE)
• “Simulation-based Analysis of the Effects of Feedwater Distribution on Vapor Hold-Up in Kettle-type Waste Heat Boilers”  Nasato (Nasato Consulting), Treeratanaphitak (Thammasat University, Thailand) and N.M. Abukhdeir (Continuum Engineering)
• “Amine Hygiene and Sustainability”  Jeff Bricker (Chem Group MPR Services) and Mike Millard (OrgChem Group)
• “Pure Evil – Tall Tales of the Most Heinous Hydrocarbons In Refinery Amine Systems”  Nate Hatcher (Phillips 66, Houston), Maddie Mille, Marshall Heltz, Bob Vitt, Jason Kaliszeski, Skyla Scott (Phillips 66 Lake Charles Refinery), Leonard Nyadong and Jesse Contreras (Phillips 66 Energy Research & Innovations, Bartlesville)
• “Highly Efficient SO₂ and SO₃ (sulfuric acid mist) Mitigation Using Sodium Sorbents in Refinery SRU Tail Gas Streams”  Zack Doran (SOLVAir®)
• “A Coordinated, Holistic Approach to SRU & TGTU Catalyst Selection”  Brian Visioli (Evonik)

2022 Vail Presentation Titles

• “Degassing Sulfur with Morpholine”  Ron Pitman (Motiva)
• Amine Best Practices Group (ABPG) Annual Technical Paper:  “Now We’re Cooking – The Effect of Biodiesel Feeds on LPG Treater Operations”  Al Keller (Al Chem. E., LLC) on behalf of the Amine Best Practices Group
• “Successful Operation of SRU with Condenser(s) Bypassed”  David Granum (Contango Lost Cabin Plant)
• “Stuck in the 90’s (alumina) – or – A New Hybrid Approach: 21^st Century Mullite Refractories for Optimum SRU Lining Stability”  Chris Windle (DSF Refractories and Minerals)
• Cameo Presentation:  “Amines for Carbon Capture”  Jesse Santos (BASF/Nalco)
• Alberta Sulphur Research (ASRL) Annual Technical Paper:   “Start-of-Run Versus End-of-Run Kinetics for COS and CS₂ Conversion Across Claus Catalysts”  Christopher B. Lavery, Dao Li, Ruohong Sui, and Robert A. Marriott (Alberta Sulphur Research, Ltd.)
• Cameo Presentation:  “Claus Thermal Reactor Port Purging”  Nick Roussakis, David Sikorski (HEC)
• “SRU Thermal Stage Process Camera: The First Pilot Test”  Matt Coady, Martin McCallister, Ted Keys (Delta Controls)
• “Thermal Reactor Refractory Enhancements for Oxygen Enriched Service”  Jimmy Lam, Jay Davis (Chevron) and Andy Piper, Jeff Proctor (Thorpe Specialty Services)
• “The Trouble with Ammonia:  How Processing Biofuels Changes the Approach”  Marco van Son, Frank Bela (Worley Comprimo)
• “Identifying the Upstream Contributors to Issues Within the Amine System”  Sharon Maydak (Pentair)
• Cameo Presentation: “Sulfur Run-Down Liquid Level Prediction”  Brandon Forbes (Ametek/Controls Southeast), Joseph Tucker, Armias Adhanom, Justin Domingo, Baron Le and Reagan Rushing (University of North Carolina Charlotte Senior Design Team)
• “A Kinetic Model for TGU Hydrogenation Reactors – What Temperature Profiles Say About Catalyst Aging and Poisoning”  Michael A. Huffmaster (Consultant), Prashanth Chandran, Nathan Hatcher and Daryl Jensen (Optimized Gas Treating)
• “Riding the Dragon: Sulfur Plant Thermal Reactor Temperature Measurement – Tools, Tips, and Tactics”  Daryl Jensen, Nathan Hatcher, Matt Bailey (Optimized Gas Treating) and Matt Coady (Delta Controls)
• Cameo Presentation: “How Easily Do Modern Sulfur Products Meet 1970’s Specifications and What Other Handling Practices Might Be Useful in Avoiding Extraneous Dust?”  R. A Marriott, F. Bernard, F.B. Hall, C.E Deering and P.D. Davis (Alberta Sulphur Research Ltd.)
• Cameo Presentation: “ASTM Industry Heat Transfer Program Discrepancies”  Andy Piper, Jeff Proctor and Dan Milsaps (Thorpe Specialty Services)
• “Sulfur Production Reference Note Set”  John Morgan (John M. Campbell / Petroskills), Elmo Nasato (Nasato Consulting) and Jay Davis (Chevron)