System and process for gas sweetening

A system for removing hydrogen sulfide from a sour gas stream, the system comprising:

• a converter comprising an inlet for sour gas, an inlet for a liquid stream comprising oxidized catalyst, and a converter outlet line for a converter liquid product comprising sulfur and reduced catalyst;
• a dispersible gas inlet whereby oxidant may be introduced into the converter outlet line;
• an external high shear device downstream of the converter and connected therewith via the converter outlet line, wherein the external high shear device comprises a high shear device outlet and at least one rotor and one complementarily-shaped stator separated by a shear gap width defined as the minimum clearance between the at least one rotor and the at least one stator, wherein the external high shear device is configured for intimately contacting the oxidant with the converter liquid product such that the reduced catalyst therein is oxidized;
• a vessel in fluid communication with the high shear device outlet, wherein the vessel is configured for separation of a regenerated catalyst stream comprising oxidized catalyst from a slurry comprising elemental sulfur;
• and
• a recycle line fluidly connecting the vessel and the inlet for a liquid stream of the converter, whereby regenerated oxidized catalyst may be recycled from the vessel to the converter.