This is an illustration of the process used to extract sulfur from petroleum near-finished products.
Mexico's challenge is the country does not have the technology to produce the immense vessels made with exotic alloys necessary to withstand high pressure, high temperature hydrogen. The smallest atom penetrates even hardened alloy steel and the manufacture of exotic steel alloys is specialized and insanely expensive. Every pipe, every valve in the hydrogen feed must be manufactured with special steel.
The USA, Japan, Germany, and UK have both the facilities and the engineering to manufacture these enormous vessels. In the USA, Fleur corporation is a primary engineering entity for designing refinery process equipment.
Vessels need exquisite quality control manufacturing processing in order to withstand the rigors of operations.
Most refineries in the world are located near to or on major shipping routes. Titanic vessels can be off-loaded in the form of major substructures, then finished welded, x-rayed and tested on site. The prime engineering contractor has to be on-site when the equipment is brought on-line.
Most of Mexico's refineries are not conveniently located to major shipping ports. This produces a giant challenge to the country's infrastructure to provide logistics for incorporating a new refinery process. Welders must be certified, Gamma Ray inspection is performed on all welds. Process control must be computerized. Mexico has none of this in place.
What a daunting hurdle to try and surmount.
