Norilsk Nickel Enhances Sulfur Program

Norilsk Nickel has replaced two waste heat boilers in its Sulfur Program. They play a crucial role in the process of producing acid from sulfur dioxide. The new domestically produced boilers, with an improved design, will improve the project's reliability.

Waste heat boilers are part of the process gas flow through the contact apparatus layers. They perform two functions. First, they extract heat from the process gas and transfer it to water—this is how the shop's autonomous heating system operates. Second, they participate in the process of producing acid from sulfur dioxide, explains Ilya Manokhin, Head of the Sulfuric Acid Production and Neutralization Shop at the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant (NMZ).

The previous equipment has been in operation on the first sulfuric acid production line at NMZ since the launch of the first stage of the Sulfur Program in 2023. The new units are identical in their basic technical specifications to the previous units, but have undergone a number of important changes.

The maximum weight of one of the waste heat boiler components is 18 tons, so lifting and moving such structures within the existing production facility required preliminary design and preparation. As of today, the units have already been installed, piping has been completed, the piping has been welded, and the electrical and instrumentation connections have been completed. The boilers have been warmed up. "We are in the final stage of the process," says Ilya Manokhin. "We have begun warming up the first sulfuric acid production line and launching it together with the new boilers."

While the first line is being prepared for launch after the boiler replacement, the second and third sulfuric acid production lines continue to utilize sulfur dioxide. Since the beginning of the year, the facility has processed approximately 300,000 tons of sulfur dioxide. The bulk of the planned volumes will be processed in the second half of 2026, when the plant will reach its peak performance.

Norilsk Nickel's sulfur program continues to improve: a technical upgrade is coming soon, which will improve certain process parameters and enhance equipment reliability. The replacement of waste heat boilers on the first line is part of this planned process. A similar replacement for the second line is planned for 2027.

Reference

Norilsk Nickel's sulfur program is the company's largest environmental project and the most ambitious initiative within the federal Clean Air project. In April 2026, the program entered the final stretch. The third sulfuric acid production line and the fourth neutralization line were commissioned for comprehensive testing at NMZ. The entire sulfur dioxide utilization system is now fully operational. The total investment volume in the Sulphur Program is estimated at more than 250 billion rubles.