Separation of hydrogen sulfide from gas mixture including carbon dioxide
General Electric Co.'s new process removes hydrogen sulfide with a high degree of selectivity from a mixture of gases including CO/sub 2/ while impeding the removal of CO/sub 2/. Particularly applicable to coal-derived gases, the process minimizes the release of sulfur dioxide to the atmosphere, conserves CO/sub 2/ in pressurized coal gas as a valuable working fluid to maximize turbine efficiency, and concentrates the H/sub 2/S to help reduce the size and cost for a downstream Claus sulfur-removal plant. The method involves passing the mixture over an assembly comprising a pair of immobilized liquid membranes of carbonate-bicarbonate solution separated by a gas-permeable barrier of hydrophobic microporous material. Because hydrogen sulfide transport through the membranes is diffusion-limited while carbon dioxide transport is reaction-rate-limited, the assembly exhibits a reduced permeability to carbon dioxide and an essentially unchanged high permeability to hydrogen sulfide, compared with a single immobilized liquid membrane of thickness equal to the total thickness of the membranes in the assembly. Hydrogen sulfide thus passes through the assembly more selectively than carbon dioxide.
- Assignee:
- General Electric Co.
- Patent Number(s):
- US 4115514
- OSTI ID:
- 6893956
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
030300* -- Natural Gas-- Drilling
Production
& Processing
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DESULFURIZATION
DIFFUSION
FLUIDS
GASES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN SULFIDES
MEMBRANES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERMEABILITY
PURIFICATION
REMOVAL
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS