Sulfur Recovery Engineering

What Sulfur Recovery Engineering does

Sulfur Recovery Engineering Inc. (SRE) is a Calgary, Alberta-based engineering field-testing and consulting firm founded in 1998 that serves gas plants, refineries, and petrochemical facilities worldwide. The company's core offering is on-site Performance Evaluation for Sulfur Recovery Units (SRUs), Amine Treating Units, Tail Gas Treating Units (TGTUs), and Sour Water Strippers (SWS), priced at approximately $35,000 per evaluation and comprising sample collection, rapid compositional analysis, tuned process simulation, and engineering reporting. SRE also delivers rapid-response troubleshooting, startup/shutdown support, and a "Next Plane Out" emergency mobilization service that places its engineers on client sites within 24 hours.

SRE's technical differentiation rests on Micro Gas Chromatography (Micro-GC) instrumentation that delivers compositional results in 4-5 minutes versus 30+ minutes for conventional lab methods, paired with process simulation using VMG Symmetry software that the firm has tuned against 20+ years of accumulated field-testing data from sulfur and amine units globally. The team holds over 100 years of combined experience, including named experts such as John O'Connell (Team Leader), Elmo Nasato (8 patents, 42 papers, 73+ conference presentations), and Patrick E. Holub (multiple patents, former GPA Board President), and SRE reports a zero-incident safety record since inception in hazardous sour gas environments. SRE is reportedly the only firm in oil and gas offering both "bulk" and "trace" on-site ammonia analysis.

SRE operates a professional-services revenue model with four streams: on-site performance evaluations (~$35,000 each), lab testing services sold via an online store ($2,000-$4,000 per test), in-person training courses ($2,600 per person), and emergency mobilization engagements. Distribution is primarily direct enterprise sales with global field deployment, supplemented by content marketing (blog, free webinars), the member-only Sulfur Space community platform, and conference presence at SOGAT and SulGas. In January 2023, SRE was acquired by AIMS Group of Companies and continues to operate under the SRE brand within that parent group.

Name

Sulfur Recovery Engineering

Legal name

Sulfur Recovery Engineering Inc.

Website

https://sulfurrecovery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sulfur Recovery Engineering (SRE) is a Calgary-based engineering services firm founded in 1998 that delivers on-site performance evaluation, rapid sampling, troubleshooting, and consulting for sulfur recovery units and amine treating systems at gas plants, refineries, and petrochemical facilities worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sulfur Recovery Engineering & Consulting

NAICS

Support Activities for Oil and Gas Operations (213112), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Services, Nec (1389), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Sulfur Recovery & Acid Gas Treatment (SRU, Tail Gas Treating, Amine Units) (EUALAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Acid Gas Handling & Sulfur Recovery (Amine/Claus/TGTU) (EUALACAF)

Keywords

• Sulfur recovery engineering
• Amine treating services
• Field testing consulting
• Gas plant performance evaluation
• Process simulation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. On-site Performance Evaluation and Field Testing: Comprehensive on-site performance evaluations for SRUs, Amine Units, SWS, and TGTUs involving sample collection, compositional analysis, simulation, and engineering reporting. Priced at approximately $35,000 per evaluation as referenced in blog content.
2. Lab Testing Services (Online Store): Online ordering of lab tests including Detailed Amine Analysis with Expert Review ($4,000), Foam Testing + Base Report ($2,000), and Sample Sets ($978.88). Clients ship samples to SRE's lab for analysis.
3. On-site Training Seminars: In-person training courses for sulfur recovery and amine unit operations, priced at $2,600 USD per person. Training covers SRU operations, amine treating, troubleshooting, and process simulation.
4. Emergency and Rapid Mobilization Services: 24/7 emergency troubleshooting, shutdown/startup support, and remote operation monitoring services with rapid mobilization capabilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sulfur Recovery Engineering (SRE) provides on-site engineering field testing, performance evaluation, sampling and analysis, troubleshooting, process simulation, lab testing, and operator training services for Sulfur Recovery Units (SRUs), Amine Treating Units, Tail Gas Treating Units (TGTUs), and Sour Water Strippers at gas plants, refineries, and adjacent industrial facilities worldwide. Its flagship offering is a comprehensive Performance Evaluation that combines rapid on-site compositional analysis (via Micro-GC), tuned process simulation in VMG's Symmetry software, and engineering recommendations, with emergency rapid-mobilization response.

Product overview

Sulfur Recovery Engineering (SRE) provides a comprehensive suite of engineering field testing and consulting services for sulfur recovery and amine processing operations. The company offers Performance Evaluation Services as its core offering, combined with Sampling and Analysis, Operations Support, Engineering Support, Lab Testing Services, Training Services, and Process Simulation Services. These services work together to help clients optimize sulfur recovery processes, maintain amine treating units, and ensure regulatory compliance in gas plants and refineries worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Performance Evaluation Services Comprehensive health-check engagements for Sulfur Recovery Units, Amine Treating Units, TGTUs, and SWS units, combining on-site sampling, Micro-GC compositional analysis, tuned process simulation in VMG Symmetry, and engineering recommendations; priced at approximately $35,000 per evaluation.
• Sampling and Analysis Rapid on-site sampling and compositional analysis of gas and liquid streams using Micro-GC technology, returning results in 4–5 minutes for gas plants and refineries.
• Operations Support Comprehensive operational support including troubleshooting, shutdown and startup assistance, and remote monitoring for amine plants, SRUs, and tail gas treating units.
• Engineering Support Expert engineering services including design consultation, technology selection, process simulation, SRU capacity studies, and HAZOP reviews for sulfur recovery and amine units.
• Lab Testing Services Laboratory testing services including Detailed Amine Analysis ($4,000), Foam Testing with Base Report ($2,000), and Amine Material Compatibility Testing; clients ship samples to SRE's lab.
• Training Services On-site 4-day training programs for sulfur recovery units, amine units, and process simulation using Symmetry software, with customized offerings for plant-specific configurations, priced at $2,600 USD per person.
• Process Simulation Services Steady-state and dynamic SRU/Amine process simulation using VMGSim/Symmetry software, enabling tuned SRU modeling and performance predictions for troubleshooting and design.

Quantifiable outcome

• Recovery efficiency restored to above 98% license limit following condenser leak and pump repairs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AIMS Group of CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 January 2023SRE was acquired by AIMS Group of Companies. The acquisition was announced and positions SRE as part of a larger group while continuing to operate under the Sulfur Recovery Engineering brand. The acquisition was disclosed in January 2023 via the SRE Announcements page.
• Brimstone (Vail Sulfur Recovery Symposium)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 September 2020SRE and Brimstone announced a Strategic Alliance. Elmo Nasato, SRE's lead instructor, serves as lead instructor and moderator for the Brimstone Vail Sulfur Recovery Symposium. The alliance involves knowledge sharing and industry leadership in sulfur recovery.
• Virtual Materials Group (VMG)coreTechnology or IntegrationSRE partnered with Virtual Materials Group to use VMG's Symmetry software (formerly VMGSim) for tuned SRU and Amine Unit process simulation. SRE uses over 20 years of accumulated field-testing data combined with VMG's simulation engine to build high-fidelity process models for troubleshooting, optimization, and design. SRE also offers VMG simulation training to clients.
• GPA (Gas Processors Association)minorOthersSRE team members have served on the GPA Board of Directors. Patrick E. Holub served as President, Vice President, and Treasurer of the GPA Board and received the 2008 GPA Recognition Award. SRE individuals are also involved with the Laurence Reid Gas Conditioning Conference as Senior Advisors and Board Members.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Trimeric Corporation: Trimeric is a specialty chemical engineering consultancy focused on gas treating, amine systems, and sulfur recovery process design and troubleshooting. It is one of the closest direct competitors to SRE, serving the same gas processing and refining customers with comparable field-and-simulation-based engineering services.
• Bryan Research & Engineering (BRE): BRE is a process engineering consultancy that develops and licenses the ProMax simulation suite, used heavily in gas processing, amine treating, and sulfur recovery design. It overlaps with SRE on simulation-driven performance optimization and troubleshooting for SRU and amine unit clients.
• Optimized Gas Treating, Inc. OGT specializes in gas treating and sulfur recovery consulting, including amine system troubleshooting and process optimization for refineries and gas plants. It is a tightly comparable niche competitor serving the same client base with similar field-and-simulation methodologies.
• S&B Engineers and Constructors: S&B is a privately held EPC firm with deep refining and gas processing expertise, including sulfur recovery unit design, construction, and revamp work. It competes for engineering and field services engagements that overlap with SRE's SRU and amine unit support offerings.
• Maverick Engineering and Consulting: Maverick Engineering is a small specialty firm providing sulfur recovery and amine treating consulting, troubleshooting, and performance testing for the refining and gas processing industries. It is a closely comparable niche competitor to SRE in the North American market.

Broad incumbents

• Worley: Worley is a global EPC and energy services firm with extensive sulfur recovery, amine treating, and refinery O&M offerings. It competes for adjacent engineering and operations support work and represents the kind of large incumbent that could bundle or internalize SRE-style specialty services.
• Jacobs Solutions: Jacobs is a large global professional services firm providing engineering, consulting, and field services across refining, gas processing, and chemicals. Its broad portfolio overlaps with SRE's refinery and gas plant engineering support work at the project level.
• Honeywell UOP: Honeywell UOP is a leading licensor of sulfur recovery (Claus, SCOT) and amine treating process technologies for refineries and gas plants. It competes indirectly with SRE through proprietary process design, technology licensing, and bundled advisory services.
• Sulzer GTC Technology: Sulzer GTC provides licensed process technologies and engineering services for gas treating and sulfur recovery, including amine systems and tail gas treating. It is a broad incumbent that competes for technology selection and process design work adjacent to SRE's troubleshooting and optimization services.

Others

• Virtual Materials Group (VMG): VMG develops the Symmetry/VMGSim process simulation software that SRE uses and resells training for. While not a direct competitor, VMG is a strategic technology partner and adjacent ecosystem player that could potentially expand into services overlapping with SRE's simulation-based advisory practice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SulfurRecovery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sulfur-recovery-engineering-calgary-ab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sulfur Recovery Engineering