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Process for recovery of sulfur from acid gases

Patent ·
OSTI ID:869785
 [1];  [2]
  1. Kirkbymoorside, GB2
  2. Pleasant Hill, CA
+ Show Author Affiliations
Elemental sulfur is recovered from the H.sub.2 S present in gases derived from fossil fuels by heating the H.sub.2 S with CO.sub.2 in a high-temperature reactor in the presence of a catalyst selected as one which enhances the thermal dissociation of H.sub.2 S to H.sub.2 and S.sub.2. The equilibrium of the thermal decomposition of H.sub.2 S is shifted by the equilibration of the water-gas-shift reaction so as to favor elemental sulfur formation. The primary products of the overall reaction are S.sub.2, CO, H.sub.2 and H.sub.2 O. Small amounts of COS, SO.sub.2 and CS.sub.2 may also form. Rapid quenching of the reaction mixture results in a substantial increase in the efficiency of the conversion of H.sub.2 S to elemental sulfur. Plant economy is further advanced by treating the product gases to remove byproduct carbonyl sulfide by hydrolysis, which converts the COS back to CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 S. Unreacted CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 S are removed from the product gas and recycled to the reactor, leaving a gas consisting chiefly of H.sub.2 and CO, which has value either as a fuel or as a chemical feedstock and recovers the hydrogen value from the H.sub.2 S.
Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA
DOE Contract Number:
AC03-76SF00098
Assignee:
Regents of Unviversity of California (Berkeley, CA)
Patent Number(s):
US 5397556
OSTI ID:
869785
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (1)

Catalytic Decomposition of Hydrogen Sulfide journal November 1978

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Related Subjects

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acid
acid gas
acid gases
advanced
amounts
byproduct
carbonyl
catalyst
catalyst selected
chemical
chemical feed
chemical feedstock
chiefly
consisting
conversion
converts
cos
cs
decomposition
derived
dissociation
economy
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elemental
elemental sulfur
enhances
equilibration
equilibrium
favor
feedstock
form
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fossil
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fossil fuels
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gases derived
heating
high-temperature
hydrogen
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overall
plant
presence
primary
process
product
product gas
product gases
products
quenching
rapid
rapid quench
rapid quenching
reaction
reaction mixture
reactor
recovered
recovers
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recycled
remove
removed
results
selected
shift reaction
shifted
substantial
substantial increase
sulfide
sulfur
temperature reactor
thermal
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thermal dissociation
treating
unreacted
value
water-gas-shift