Methods and apparatus for sulfur recovery from acid gases
AssigneeBlack & Veatch Corporation
InventorJustin A. Lamar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus and methods for recovering sulfur from acid gases. Acid gases containing relatively high amounts of carbonyl sulfide and/or one or more types of mercaptans can be treated in a sulfur recovery system employing an acid gas enrichment zone and a tail gas treatment zone, where partially-loaded sulfur absorbing solvent from the tail gas treatment zone is employed for sulfur absorption in the acid gas enrichment zone. Off-gas from the acid gas enrichment zone can be combined and hydrogenated with a sulfur recovery unit tail gas thereby increasing the total amount of sulfur recovery from the initial acid gas.
Claims35
A process for recovering sulfur from an acid gas comprising hydrogen sulfide, said method comprising:
- contacting said acid gas with a partially-loaded sulfur absorbing solvent in an acid gas enrichment zone to thereby produce a hydrogen sulfide rich sulfur absorbing solvent and a hydrogen sulfide depleted off-gas, wherein said hydrogen sulfide depleted off-gas comprises hydrogen sulfide in an amount of at least 0.5 mole percent, wherein prior to said contacting, said partially-loaded sulfur absorbing solvent comprises hydrogen sulfide in an amount of at least 0.01 mole percent.
A process for recovering sulfur from an acid gas comprising hydrogen sulfide, said process comprising:
- (a) contacting said acid gas in an acid gas enrichment zone with a partially-loaded sulfur absorbing solvent to thereby produce a hydrogen sulfide rich sulfur absorbing solvent and a hydrogen sulfide depleted off-gas;
- (b) removing at least a portion of said hydrogen sulfide from said hydrogen sulfide rich sulfur absorbing solvent to thereby produce an enriched hydrogen sulfide stream and a regenerated sulfur absorbing solvent;
- and
- (c) contacting at least a portion of said regenerated sulfur absorbing solvent with a hydrogenated stream containing hydrogen sulfide to thereby produce said partially-loaded sulfur absorbing solvent,
- wherein the hydrogen sulfide content of said hydrogen sulfide rich sulfur absorbing solvent is at least 2.6 mole percent.
A sulfur recovery system for recovering sulfur from an acid gas, said sulfur recovery system comprising:
- an acid gas enrichment absorber vessel containing a sulfur absorbing solvent operable for removing hydrogen sulfide from said acid gas;
- a sulfur absorbing solvent regenerator in downstream fluid communication with said acid gas enrichment absorber vessel and operable for separating hydrogen sulfide from said sulfur absorbing solvent and generating an enriched hydrogen sulfide stream and a regenerated sulfur absorbing solvent;
- a Claus sulfur recovery unit in downstream fluid communication with said sulfur absorbing solvent regenerator and operable for recovering sulfur from said enriched hydrogen sulfide stream;
- a heater/mixer unit in downstream fluid communication with said Claus sulfur recovery unit and said acid gas enrichment vessel and operable for mixing and heating a tail gas from said Claus sulfur recovery unit and a hydrogen sulfide depleted off-gas from said acid gas enrichment absorber vessel;
- a hydrogenation unit in downstream fluid communication with said heater/mixer unit operable for hydrogenating a hydrogenation feed stream discharged from said heater/mixer unit;
- a quench column in downstream fluid communication with said hydrogenation unit;
- and
- a tail gas treatment absorber vessel in downstream fluid communication with said quench column and operable for removing hydrogen sulfide from a hydrogenated Claus tail gas and acid gas enrichment off-gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.