Process for sulfur recovery from acid gas stream without catalytic Claus reactors

A method to recover sulfur from hydrogen sulfide in an acid gas feed, the method comprising the steps of:

• introducing the acid gas feed to a combustion furnace, where the acid gas feed comprises hydrogen sulfide;
• introducing an air feed to the combustion furnace, where the air feed comprises oxygen;
• reacting the hydrogen sulfide and oxygen in the combustion furnace to produce a furnace effluent stream, where the furnace effluent stream comprises hydrogen sulfide, elemental sulfur, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor;
• introducing the furnace effluent to a waste heat boiler;
• transferring heat from the furnace effluent to a water feed to produce a boiler effluent and a steam outlet;
• introducing the boiler effluent to a sulfur condenser;
• reducing the temperature of the boiler effluent in the sulfur condenser to produce a sulfur stream and a non-condensed gases, where the sulfur stream comprises elemental sulfur, where the non-condensed gases comprises hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor;
• introducing the non-condensed gases to a first water adsorber, where the first water adsorber comprises a first molecular sieve;
• separating the water vapor from the non-condensed gases stream in the first water adsorber to produce a first recovered water stream and a first dehydrated stream, where the first recovered water stream comprises water, where the first dehydrated stream comprises hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and combinations of the same;
• introducing the first dehydrated stream into a first hydrogenation reactor;
• introducing a hydrogen feed to the first hydrogenation reactor, where the hydrogen feed comprises hydrogen gas;
• reacting the sulfur dioxide and the hydrogen gas to produce hydrogen sulfide in the first hydrogenation reactor to produce a reduced stream, where the reduced stream comprises hydrogen sulfide;
• introducing the reduced stream to a reactor furnace;
• introducing an air stream to the reactor furnace, where the air stream comprises oxygen;
• introducing a fresh feed to the reactor furnace, where the fresh feed comprises hydrogen sulfide;
• reacting the hydrogen sulfide and oxygen in the reactor furnace to produce a reactor effluent, where the reactor effluent comprises hydrogen sulfide, elemental sulfur, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor;
• introducing the reactor effluent to a heat recovery boiler;
• transferring heat from the reactor effluent to a water stream to produce a cooled effluent and a steam stream;
• introducing the cooled effluent to a sulfur cooler;
• reducing the temperature of the cooled effluent in the sulfur cooler to produce a recovered sulfur stream and a gases stream, where the recovered sulfur stream comprises elemental sulfur, where the gases stream comprises hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor;
• introducing the gases stream to a second water adsorber, where the second water adsorber comprises a second molecular sieve;
• separating the water vapor from the gases stream in the second water adsorber to produce a second recovered water stream and a second dehydrated stream, where the second recovered water stream comprises water, where the second dehydrated stream comprises hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide;
• introducing the second dehydrated stream into a second hydrogenation reactor;
• introducing a hydrogen stream to the second hydrogenation reactor, where the hydrogen stream comprises hydrogen gas;
• reacting the sulfur dioxide and the hydrogen gas to produce hydrogen sulfide in the second hydrogenation reactor to produce a treated tail gas stream, where the treated tail gas stream comprises hydrogen sulfide;
• and
• recycling the treated tail gas stream to the combustion furnace.