# US 10,246,328 B2 · High efficiency process for degassing of hydrogen sulfide from liquid sulfur > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,246,328 B2 - Document ID: US10246328B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/546,932 - Filed: 2015-12-17 - Published: 2018-01-18 - Granted: 2019-04-02 - Earliest claimed: 2015-03-11 - Assignees: WorleyParsons Europe Ltd. - Applicants: WorleyParsons Europe Ltd. - Inventors: Elmo Nasato; Frank Bela; Bill DeWees; Lance Christie; Stephen Pollitt; Robin Street; David Evans - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10246328B2 ## CPC - C01B 17/0232: {Purification, e.g. degassing} - B01D 19/0005: {with one or more auxiliary substances} - B01D 19/0036: {Flash degasification (the other groups take precedence)} - C01B: NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; {METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C} - B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28) ## Abstract Processes and systems for degassing liquid sulfur may include mixing a gas, such as air, with a liquid sulfur mixture comprising sulfur, hydrogen sulfide, and hydrogen polysulfides to form a sulfur-gas mixture. The sulfur-gas mixture may then be transported to a separator, storage vessel or storage tank for separating the sulfur-gas mixture. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A process for degassing liquid sulfur, the process comprising: mixing a gas with a liquid sulfur mixture comprising sulfur, hydrogen sulfide, and hydrogen polysulfides to form a sulfur-gas mixture; transporting the sulfur-gas mixture to a separator, storage vessel or storage tank; separating the sulfur-gas mixture at a pressure below a water condensation point to recover a degassed sulfur product and a vapor stream comprising hydrogen sulfide; wherein mixing gas with the liquid sulfur mixture comprises: introducing the gas into a suction of a sulfur transfer pump used for transporting the liquid sulfur mixture to the separator, storage vessel or storage tank; introducing the gas into a transfer line during transport of the liquid sulfur mixture to the separator, storage vessel or storage tank; or a combination thereof. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the gas comprises air, nitrogen, oxygen, oxygen enriched air, SO2, CO2, Claus reactor tail gas, SRU tail gas and tail gas treatment unit recycle gas or tail gas, or a mixture thereof. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1, 2) The process of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the gas is air having a relative humidity of less than 10% measured at 25° F. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1, 2) The process of claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising mixing a liquid degasification catalyst with the liquid sulfur mixture. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The process of claim 4, wherein the liquid degasification catalyst comprises one or more of cyclohexylamine, morpholine, or urea. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1, 2) The process of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the separating is conducted at a temperature in the range from about 250° F. to about 300° F. and a pressure of less than 40 psig. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The process of claim 6, wherein the separating is conducted at a temperature in the range from about 260° F. to about 290° F. and a pressure in the range from about 20 psig to about 35 psig. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1, 2) The process of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein an average residence time of the liquid sulfur mixture during the transporting and separating steps is in the range from about 0.5 minute to about 30 minutes. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1, 2) The process of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the separating comprises: feeding the sulfur-air mixture to an upper portion of the separator, storage vessel or storage tank; and feeding air to a lower portion of the separator, storage vessel or storage tank. ### Claim 10 A process for degassing liquid sulfur, the process comprising: transporting, from a sulfur pit or vessel, a liquid sulfur mixture comprising sulfur, hydrogen sulfide, and hydrogen polysulfides via a sulfur transfer pump; introducing gas into a suction of the sulfur transfer pump, the sulfur transfer pump mixing the gas and the liquid sulfur mixture to form a sulfur-gas mixture; separating the sulfur-gas mixture to recover a degassed sulfur product and a vapor stream comprising hydrogen sulfide. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The process of claim 10, further comprising: transporting, from the sulfur pit or vessel to a separator, storage vessel or storage tank, the liquid sulfur mixture; separating the sulfur-gas mixture in the separator, storage vessel or storage tank to recover the degassed sulfur product and the vapor stream comprising hydrogen sulfide; wherein the gas comprises air, nitrogen, oxygen, oxygen enriched air, SO2, CO2, Claus reactor tail gas, SRU tail gas and tail gas treatment unit recycle gas or tail gas, or a mixture thereof. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The process of claim 11, further comprising introducing additional gas into the sulfur-gas mixture intermediate the sulfur transfer pump and the separator, storage vessel or storage tank, where the additional gas introduced may be the same or different than that introduced into the suction of the sulfur transfer pump. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11, 12) The process of claim 11 or claim 12, further comprising feeding additional gas to a lower portion of the separator, storage vessel or storage tank and countercurrently contacting the additional gas with the sulfur-air mixture fed to the separator, storage vessel or storage tank, where the additional gas introduced may be the same or different than that introduced into the suction of the sulfur transfer pump. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The process of claim 11, further comprising transferring the degassed sulfur product from the separator, storage vessel or storage tank to a downstream vessel without additional pumping. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The process of claim 10, further comprising feeding a liquid degasification catalyst to the sulfur pit. ### Claim 16 A system for degassing liquid sulfur, the system comprising: a sulfur pit or vessel containing a liquid sulfur mixture comprising sulfur, hydrogen sulfide, and hydrogen polysulfides; a separator, storage vessel or storage tank; a sulfur transfer pump for transferring the liquid sulfur mixture from the sulfur pit to the separator, storage vessel or storage tank; a feed line for introducing pressurized gas to the liquid sulfur during transfer from the sulfur pit or vessel to the separator, storage vessel or storage tank, wherein the pressurized gas comprises air, nitrogen, oxygen, oxygen enriched air, SO2, CO2, Claus reactor tail gas, SRU tail gas and tail gas treatment unit recycle gas or tail gas, or a mixture thereof; a separator, storage vessel or storage tank vapor outlet for recovering a vapor product comprising hydrogen sulfide; and a separator, storage vessel or storage tank liquid outlet for recovering a degassed liquid sulfur product. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the feed line is configured to introduce the pressurized gas to a suction of the sulfur transfer pump. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16, 17) The system of claim 16 or claim 17, further comprising a feed line for feeding additional gas to a lower portion of the separator, storage vessel or storage tank. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16, 17) The system of claim 16 or claim 17, further comprising an exchanger for increasing or reducing a temperature of the liquid sulfur mixture intermediate the sulfur transfer pump and the separator, storage vessel or storage tank. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16, 17) The system of claim 16 or claim 17, further comprising a feed line for introducing a liquid degassing catalyst to the sulfur pit or vessel.