Jeddah stack emissions problems and solutions

The phenomenon of acid soot formation at Jeddah has been historically observed throughout the world with the combustion of certain types of heavy residium. The cause of this formation is typically associated with asphaltenes present in crudes of high sulfur content. Because of their porphyritic structure and metallo-organic content, such fuels, when burned, result in a stack gas high in both unburned carbon and sulfur trioxide. In the presence of water vapor, the latter condenses onto the former, and the resulting particulate matter is exhausted from the stack in the form of relatively large diameter agglomerates. These particles, because of their acid content, cause property damage if they are not promptly removed from the areas on which they settle.