Abstract: The factors that affect the activity of hydrogenation catalyst for Claus tail gas from sulfur recycling unit in Quanzhou Petrochemical Co.，Ltd.，were analyzed in aspect of sulfur settlement, carbon deposition, hydrothermal ageing, sulfation, incomplete pre-sulfidation or sulfur loss, and channeling. The causes of catalyst deactivation and the countermeasures for maintaining catalyst activity were proposed. It is found that unreasonable design of the gas distributor is the main reason, which causes uneven gas distribution in hydrogenation reactor and the channel flow in the catalyst bed under high load operation due to the low bulk density of the hydrogenation catalyst. The measures of plugging partial openings of gas distributor and laying protective ball on the top of the catalyst bed can effectively suppress the channeling and stabilize the catalyst activity and operation under high load.

Key words: sulfur recovery, catalyst deactivation, Claus tail gas, SSR process