Oxidative removal of hydrogen sulfide from gas streams

Patent · Tue Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:5865357

Cronkright, W A; Schlossman, M I; Solbakken, A; Van Dijk, C P

A method is described for recovering elemental sulfur and selectively removing hydrogen sulfide from a hydrogen sulfide containing sour gas stream also containing carbon dioxide. The method consists of: (a) contacting the hydrogen sulfide containing sour gas stream in a first reaction zone with a buffered aqueous solution enriched in thiosulfate ions at a pH between 4.5 and 6.5 for a residence time sufficient to react a portion of the hydrogen sulfide to elemental sulfur and thereby produce a single gas stream lean in hydrogen sulfide and a separate aqueous solution lean in thiosulfate ions, the aqueous solution containing elemental sulfur; (b) separating the elemental sulfur from the aqueous solution lean in thiosulfate ions; (c) contacting the single gas stream lean in hydrogen sulfide from the first reaction zone with an oxygen-containing gas and the aqueous solution lean in thiosulfate ions in a second reaction zone at an initial acid to neutral pH greater than the pH in the first reaction zone for a residence time sufficient to enrich the thiosulfate ion concentration of the aqueous solution and to produce a hydrogen sulfide depleted product gas stream; (d) removing the hydrogen sulfide depleted product gas stream from the second reaction zone; and (e) recycling the aqueous solution enriched in thiosulfate ions without change in composition to the first reaction zone.

• Assignee: M.W. Kellogg Co., Houston, TX
• Patent Number(s): US 4579727
• OSTI ID: 5865357
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
030300* -- Natural Gas-- Drilling
Production
& Processing
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DESULFURIZATION
DISPERSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FLOW
GAS FUELS
GASES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN SULFIDES
KINETICS
MIXTURES
NATURAL GAS
OXIDATION
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PH VALUE
QUANTITY RATIO
REACTION KINETICS
REMOVAL
SOLUTIONS
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
THIOSULFATES
TIME DEPENDENCE