Regenerating solvent mixtures that are used for elemental sulfur removal within hydrocarbon wells

A method for utilizing and regenerating a solvent mixture for dissolving elemental sulfur within a hydrocarbon well and stimulating a formation through which the hydrocarbon well extends, comprising:

• providing a solvent mixture, wherein the solvent mixture comprises:
• an elemental sulfur solvent fraction comprising at least one elemental sulfur solvent, wherein the at least one elemental sulfur solvent comprises dimethyl disulfide (DMDS);
• and
• an odorant fraction comprising at least one odorant, wherein the at least one odorant comprises at least 20 wt % and at most 70 wt % of a lactate ester solvent;
• wherein the elemental sulfur solvent fraction forms at least 20 wt % and at most 80 wt % of the solvent mixture, and the odorant fraction forms at least 20 wt % and at most 80 wt % of the solvent mixture;
• injecting the solvent mixture into a hydrocarbon well such that the elemental sulfur solvent fraction of the solvent mixture dissolves elemental sulfur deposited on well components;
• contacting the solvent mixture with water such that the lactate ester solvent within the odorant fraction reacts with the water to generate lactic acid;
• stimulating a formation through which the hydrocarbon well extends by flowing the solvent mixture comprising the lactic acid through the hydrocarbon well and into the formation;
• collecting a resulting spent solvent mixture comprising thiols and residual lactate ester solvent within a spent solvent separator;
• 4 Preliminary Amendment
• increasing a temperature of the spent solvent mixture within the spent solvent separator to at least 120° F. and at most 200° F.;
• introducing an oxidizer into the spent solvent separator;
• sparging the spent solvent mixture with the oxidizer within the spent solvent separator at an oxidizer injection rate of at least 0.1 meters per second (m/s) and at most 2.0 m/s to allow for oxidation of the thiols to produce DMDS using the residual lactate ester solvent;
• and
• regenerating the solvent mixture using at least a portion of the DMDS produced within the spent solvent separator.