A method to recover sulfur from hydrogen sulfide in an acid gas stream comprising the steps of reacting the hydrogen sulfide and oxygen in the combustion furnace, transferring heat from the furnace effluent to produce a boiler effluent, reducing the temperature of the boiler effluent in the sulfur condenser, separating the water vapor from the non-condensed gases stream, reacting the sulfur dioxide and the hydrogen gas to produce hydrogen sulfide in the first hydrogenation reactor, reacting the hydrogen sulfide and oxygen in the reactor furnace to produce a reactor effluent, transferring heat from the reactor effluent to produce a cooled effluent, reducing the temperature of the cooled effluent in the sulfur cooler to produce a gases stream, separating the water vapor from the gases stream, reacting the sulfur dioxide and the hydrogen gas to produce hydrogen sulfide in the second hydrogenation reactor to produce a treated tail gas stream.