Department
CONFERENCE REVIEW
SYMPHOS 2015 draws industry experts world wide
The last two SYMPHOS events, held in 2011 and 2013, proved so valuable that the Office Cherifen des Phosphates (OCP Group) hosted its conference for a third time this year. The 2015 edition of SYMPHOS, which stands for International Symposium on Innovation and Technology in the Phosphate Industry, took place May 18-20 in Marrakesh, Morocco. OCP Group, one of the world’s largest phosphate producers, organized over 150 presentations that delved into new technologies and developed technological innovations. The nearly 1,500 professionals in attendance represented multiple industry interests including: the mining industry, phosphates beneficiation, chemical processing, sulfur and sulfuric acid production, am-
Soufiyane El Kassi of OCP and SYMPHOS Steering Committee member welcomed participants to the 2015 SYMPHOS in Marrakesh, Morocco.
Robert Tucker, president of Innovation Resource, gave a keynote presentation on the topic of innovation for the 2015 SYMPHOS in Marrakech, Morocco.
monia, fertilizers, biotechnology, phosphate materials and corrosion protection systems, food safety issues and environmental stakes related to industrial exploitation and development of innovative processes. Welcoming participants to the conference was SYMPHOS Steering Committee member Soufiyane El Kassi of OCP. The opening ceremony was kicked off with a presentation about innovation in the industry given by Robert Tucker, president of Innovation Resource. The sulfuric acid session was moderated by Iliass Elfali, OCP’s director of the Safi Site and Thierry Marin of DuPont. Presentations at the sulfuric acid session included: —“New sulfur melting technology installed in Kazakhstan and the USA,” by Mark Gilbreath, Devco, USA. —“Revamp and upgrade possibilities in sulphuric acid plants,” by Jan Albrecht, Outotec GmbH & Co. KG, Germany. —“Latest developments on DuPont MECS® sulphuric acid catalyst,” by Tom Brouwers,
EMEA Product Manager, Sulphuric Acid Plants and Catalysts, MECS, Belgium. —“Effect of inferior and aging catalyst,” by Casper Vittrup Frandsen, Haldor Topsøe A/S, Denmark. —“Convertible lump sum EPS contracting model—How to get the plant you need now and still enjoy it in 20 years,” by Michael Fenton, Senior Business Development Manager, Chemetics Inc., Canada. —“Process heat recovery and digitalization in sulphuric acid plants,” by Michael Kemmerich, Outotec GmbH & Co. KG, Germany. —“Commercialization of MECS® SolvR™ regenerative SO2 recovery technology,” by
Members from DuPont Sustainable Solutions enjoyed the gala dinner at this year’s SYMPHOS in Marrakech, Morocco. Pictured, from left, are Ken Kershaw, Garrett Palmquist, Pascal Du Bois d’Enghien, Giovanni Marchesi, Thierry Marin, André Kotlarevsky, Richard Martinez, Youssef Riahi, Tom Brouwers, and Patrick Speltincx.
Garret Palmquist, Business Development Manager, MECS, Belgium. —“Increasing production capacity through sustainable cleaning,” by Henning Urch, BASF SE, Formulation Technologies, Germany. The attendees of SYMPHOS 2015 were also treated to a gala dinner consisting of local food and entertainment from bands, singers and dancers. For more information, please visit the event’s website, www.symphos.com. q
The sulfuric acid session at 2015 SYMPHOS consisted of topics such as catalyst, innovations in technology, capital improvement, sulfur melting technology, process heat recovery and SO2 recovery technology. Pictured from left are Garrett Palmquist of DuPont, Iliass Elfali of OCP, Tom Brouwers of DuPont, Casper Vittrup Frandsen of Haldor Topsøe A/S, Michael Fenton of Chemetics, Jan Albrecht of Outotec and Thierry Marin of DuPont.
Radial Flow Stainless Steel Converters Experience: • Introduced in 1981 • Originally developed and patented by Chemetics • Industry standard best in class design • More than 50 designed, fabricated and supplied by Chemetics Features and Benefits: • Radial flow design – Uniform gas distribution results in optimal catalyst performance • All welded, contoured separation and support elements – Eliminates gas bypassing – Low mechanical stress design uses up to 30% less stainless steel • No ‘Posts and Grates’ for ease of access and catalyst installation • Round gas nozzles eliminates leaks, over 1000 years of leak free operation • Modular construction options to reduce cost and schedule risk Flexible configurations, such as internal heat exchangers, for easy retrofits.
Innovative solutions for your Sulphuric Acid Plant needs Chemetics Inc.
Chemetics Inc.
www.jacobs.com/chemetics
Chemetics Inc., a Jacobs company
(headquarters) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Tel: +1.604.734.1200 Fax: +1.604.734.0340 email: chemetics.info@jacobs.com
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(fabrication facility) Pickering, Ontario, Canada Tel: +1.905.619.5200 Fax: +1.905.619.5345 email: chemetics.equipment@jacobs.com
Sulfuric Acid Today • Fall/Winter 2015