An Industry You Can Model 3

We will start the examination of the components of this facility by looking at the Sulfuric Acid Plant. This plant exists in both the 1897 and 1950 Sanborns. The 1897 plant is comprised of four components; a pyrite storage shed, a pyrite burner building with horizontal furnaces, two external acid towers and an acid chamber building. The 1950 era plant has a pyrite burner building with vertical furnaces, attached to a three cell chamber building with no acid towers indicated.

The primary raw materials in the production of sulfuric acid are iron pyrite (source of sulfur), water and sodium nitrate (catalyst). The pyrite is burned to release SO2 and provide heat for the reactions. The sodium nitrite is mixed with sulfuric acid releasing nitrous fumes which promotes the reaction of the sulfur dioxide, oxygen and the water in both the Glover tower and chambers.

The Glover tower is a reaction vessel in which nitrated sulfuric acid and chamber acid are introduced at the top of the tower. In there passed down the interior they encounter the hot combustion gases from the pyrite furnaces. The interaction of the nitrated sulfuric acid and the SO2 gas releases the nitrous fumes dissolved in the acid. As the chamber acid passes down the tower, any water it contains is evaporated. The steam created reacts with the SO2 and oxygen to create sulfuric acid. Concentrated acid is collected at the bottom of the tower and pumped into storage tanks.

After the gases pass out of the Glover tower they enter a series of large lead chambers where more water/steam is misted into the gas flow to produce additional acid. This acid is collected along the floor of the chambers, it is known as chamber acid, and is drawn off through floor drains. After passing through the third chamber the majority of the sulfur oxides have been converted to acid, the residual gas vapor now being nitrous gasses.

The nitrous gasses are recovered in the Gay-Lussac towers. Concentrated sulfuric acid has a great affinity for nitrous gas and is introduced into the top of the Gay-Lussac towers, the chamber gases entering from the bottom. As the acid mingles with the chamber gas stream it absorbs the nitrous gases. The acid recovered at the base of the tower is then pumped to the Glover tower. After passing through the tower the flu gases are vented to the atmosphere.