Process for sulfur removal suitable for treating high-pressure gas streams
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorScott Lynn
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Abstract
H2S-containing gases, particularly such gases at elevated pressure, are treated to remove H2S by reaction in a liquid medium with SO2, the SO2 being present in stoichiometric excess with respect to the H2S. The SO2 is produced by combustion of sulfur, preferably sulfur produced in the reaction between H2S and SO2, preferably with oxygen. The process produces a treated gas that is substantially free of both H2S and SO2. An acid-gas absorber/stripper system or other system typically found in such processes to raise or concentrate the H2S level in the gas to be treated, is not needed in operations according to the invention.
Claims29
In a process in which hydrogen sulfide in a hydrogen sulfide-containing gas is removed from said gas by reaction with sulfur dioxide to produce elemental sulfur in a liquid medium, the invention comprising conducting said reaction so as to react the hydrogen sulfide substantially to extinction using a stoichiometric excess of sulfur dioxide and producing a gas substantially free of hydrogen sulfide and containing from 0.01 to 1 vol. % sulfur dioxide.
A process for removing H2S from a gas containing it, comprising:
- (a) reacting an H2S-containing gas stream with a stoichiometric excess of SO2 in a reactor so as to react the hydrogen sulfide substantially to extinction and to produce an SO2-containing gas substantially free of H2S and containing from 0.01 to 1 vol. % sulfur dioxide and liquid sulfur, the reaction being conducted in an organic liquid solvent containing a homogeneous catalyst that promotes the reaction
- 2H2S+SO23S+2H2O
- at a temperature in the reactor that is above the melting point of sulfur;
- (b) withdrawing liquid sulfur from the reactor;
- (c) withdrawing the SO2-containing gas of step (a) from the reactor;
- (d) removing SO2 from the gas of step (c) to produce a substantially H2S- and SO2-free gas, and
- (e) recycling the SO2 removed in step (d) to step (a).
A process for removing H2S from a gas containing it, comprising:
- (a) reacting an H2S-containing gas stream with a stoichiometric excess of SO2 in a reactor so as to react the hydrogen sulfide substantially to extinction and to produce an SO2-containing gas substantially free of H2S and liquid sulfur and containing from 0.01 to 1 vol. % sulfur dioxide, the H2S-containing gas being at a pressure of at least 5 bar absolute, the reaction being conducted in an organic liquid solvent containing a homogeneous catalyst that promotes the reaction
- 2H2S+SO23S+2H2O
- at a temperature in the reactor that is above the melting point of sulfur;
- (b) withdrawing liquid sulfur from the reactor;
- (c) combusting the sulfur from step (b) to produce SO2 used in step (a);
- (d) withdrawing the SO2-containing gas of step (a) from the reactor;
- (e) removing SO2 from the gas of step (d) to produce a substantially H2S- and SO2-free gas, and
- (f) recycling the SO2 removed in step (e) to step (a).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.