UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING

Introduction

GAS PROCESSING OBJECTIVES

Understanding the purpose of gas processing operations

Dehydration
NGL recovery
Fractionation
LNG manufacture
Sweetening
Sulfur recovery
Know the main types of processes for each operation

Gas processing is the treatment used to reduce impurities to an acceptable content or to enhance the total
gas stream value. The process is generally implemented in the order listed, starting with dehydration to
permit transport of the gas stream or to prepare it for natural gas liquid (NGL) recovery. Fractionation is used
to separate the NGL components and Liquefied natural gas (LNG) consists primarily of liquefied methane
from a cryogenic process.
If H2S or CO2 contaminate the gas, a gas sweetening process is used to remove these contaminants prior to
dehydration and NGL recovery. H2S and CO2 are called acid gases; they form acids in the presence of water.
“Sour gas” is a produced gas stream (associated or non-associated) that contains acid gas components.
Sour gas processing is more than the sweetening step. Acid gas disposal is the primary consideration since
economic, environmental, and safety issues all impact and frame the possible alternatives. One option is
sulfur recovery that is used to convert H2S to sulfur. In addition sulfur disposal is a major component within
the context of sour gas processing. Important points:

Key Messages

This section has a variety of options available for sour

gas treating. The variety can cause confusion.
Increased supply of sulfur requires that we consider
“sulfur disposal” instead of “sulfur recovery”.
H2S is extremely toxic. Selection of treating/disposal
options requires careful analysis of technical, safety,
health, environmental, and business factors.

Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 1

UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING

Sour Gas Processing

Sour Gas Processing

Objectives

Understand why we sweeten gas

Know the components removed in a gas sweetening process
Understand the types of processes available
Understand the S.H.E. (Safety Health Environmental) issues associated with sour gas

The first step in sour gas processing Steps in Gas Processing

usually occurs after the gas has
been gathered and compressed to a
pressure suitable for treating. The
gas from several field areas
gathered at a central site typically is
the most cost efficient method for
gas sweetening.
H2S and CO2 removal is the
common definition of “gas
sweetening” where the hydrocarbon
components are sent on for
dehydration and NGL recovery
while the non-hydrocarbon acid
components are sent to “acid gas
disposal”.

Mary Ann and 823 The sour gas processing actually consists of two
separate fundamental steps: 1.) Gas sweetening
to remove H2S and CO2 and 2.) Sulfur
recovery/tail gas cleanup to enable disposition of
the H2S and CO2 in a safe and environmentally
acceptable manner.
The acid gas components in sour gas greatly add
to OPEX and CAPEX of facilities. Most of the
equipment shown in the photo would not be
required if the gas were sweet.

Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 2

UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING

Jay Gas Plant -- St. Regis
In another plant layout, the gas sweetening
processes and sulfur recovery processes are
outlined at the left for each of three parallel
trains. Note the tall incinerator stack at the far
right of each plot area.
Again this plant would be much smaller if
processing only sweet gas.

“Sour gas” consists of the Traditional Sour Gas Processing

hydrocarbon and non-
hydrocarbon components
that enter the gas
sweetening process. This
step gives the “sweet gas”
of hydrocarbons and
nitrogen (if any) in one
stream and the “acid gas”
of H2S and CO2 in the
other stream. Most of the
sulfur is recovered in a
Claus plant and then any
remaining H2S in the tail
gas is removed in the tail
gas cleanup unit (TGCU).

Sour Gas Processing Other options to the traditional sour

Additional Considerations
gas processing steps are shown in
this schematic.
The additional considerations to the
basic process steps arise due to
economic, regulatory, or plant
construction time constraints.
Other processing steps or acid
gas/sour gas injection may yield
improved economics and improved
regulatory compliance.

Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 3

UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING
REMOVAL of H2S, CO2, etc.
Acid Gases -- form acids in water
H2S (hydrogen sulfide, SPEC < 4 ppmv)
CO2 (carbon dioxide, SPEC < 50 ppmv cryogenic)
CO2 Spec varies for other applications
Sulfur Species Spec between 10 -100 ppm
COS (carbonyl sulfide)
CS2 (carbon disulfide)
RSH (mercaptans)
RSR (sulfides or thiophenes)
H2S is very toxic, even in small concentrations
H2S and water are corrosive.
CO2 will freeze in cryogenic processes.
Some customers cannot accept CO2 in
hydrocarbon feed streams.
CO2 and water are corrosive.
Mercaptans, CS2, Sulfides, and COS are
undesirable.
These components can concentrate in NGL
products
H2S SAFETY HEALTH and ENVIRONMENTAL
sometimes called S.H.E. or H.S.E
H2S kills faster than Hydrogen Cyanide
You never knew what hit you -- if you’re revived
1000 ppm or 0.1% is fatal
Blocks respiration and causes chemical
asphyxiation
Vapor Density: 1.19 @ 59°F & 1 atm. (heavier than
air)
Flammable limits: 4.3% to 46% in air (wider range
than methane)
Combustion: burning H2S produces sulfur dioxide
(SO2), which is also very toxic
Odor threshold: 0.06 to 1 ppm
Olfactory fatigue: 50 to 150 ppm
OSHA 8-hour TWA: 10 ppm
Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 4
Specification (spec) for gas going to a sales
pipeline or into NGL recovery requires a very
low level of H2S. The CO2 limit is about 50
ppm for cryogenic processing but can be
much higher in certain situations. In addition
other sulfur species have a maximum
specification limit. Any undesirable
component must be removed to the
specification limit for acceptance for sale or
NGL processing.
Why Remove Acid Gas Components?
The extreme toxicity of H2S requires special
precautions at facilities and wells with this
component. Common sense actions could save
your life or that of your colleagues:
Be aware which wells and facilities have H2S
Have H2S monitors on your person and know
where safety masks (SCBA – Self Contained
Breathing Apparatus) are located
Know wind direction and escape to upwind
locations
Know that H2S is heavier than air and settles
in low points (well cellars) and stays in
enclosed vessels
Know that H2S tends to associate with the
vapor phase so be wary for vapor leaks at
connections, mechanical seals on pumps,
instrumentation, and safety relief valves
If you ever become complacent you will most
likely die
UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING

Gas Sweetening ‘Solvent’ Process The most common

sweetening processes use
“solvents” to absorb the acid
gas components and remove
them from the incoming sour
natural gas stream. The
sweet residue gas is ready for
added processing and the
“rich solvent” goes to the
regenerator. In this step the
acid gas components are
removed from the solvent,
which is then recycled as
“lean solvent” to the absorber.

A few examples of the Gas Sweetening Processes

numerous solvents used are
categorized by type of solvent
and by the nature of its
absorption process to remove
the acid components. These
examples and categories are
shown at the top half of the list.
In addition non-absorption
processes are use to sweeten
gas. These are listed in the
bottom half.
Most of the world’s sour gas is
treated using solvent
processes.

Sweetening PFD The process flow diagram

(PFD) for the typical
sweetening process is
shown in the schematic. In
general concept it is much
like the glycol dehydration
PFD.
Primary items are the
absorber tower and the
stripper tower. The
absorber is the sweetening
unit while the stripper is
part of the solvent
regenerating unit.
The solvent essentially
makes a continuous loop
while the gas merely
passes through the
absorber.

Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 5

UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING

Review of Absorber The key item is the absorber tower that

contacts the down-flowing lean solvent on
the trays (or packing) with the rising sour
gas vapor. The mixing action causes the
solvent to absorb the acid gas components,
which leaves a sweet gas to exit the
absorber overhead. The rich solvent with
the acid gas components is sent to the
stripper.
The mixing also causes the solution to
warm. Absorber bottom temperatures are
generally 70 to 80°C (160 to 180°F).

The stripper tower is the key item in the Review of the Stripper
solvent regeneration procedure. The
rich solvent enters the top tray (or
packing) and is stripped of H2S and CO2
by the rising vapors. The lean solvent is
returned to the absorber while the
overhead stripper gas plus the H2S and
CO2 go to sulfur recovery/disposal.

Selectivity A wide variety of solvents can be used to

remove H2S and CO2 or primarily H2S. A
solvent that removes primarily the H2S is
deemed selective, that is the H2S is removed
(to the specification limit) but a significant
portion of the CO2 is not (slips through).
More “selective” processes allow more CO2 to
slip into the sweet gas. Selective processes
generally require less CAPEX for downstream
sulfur disposal options. However, the sweet
gas customer(s) must be willing to take the
additional CO2.

Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 6

UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING

Solvent Loading Solvent loading is the quantity of acid

gas components contained per unit
quantity of solvent. The lean solvent
loading is termed lean loading and the
example shows this to be 0.001 mole
H2S per mole of MEA
(monoethanolamine). Exiting the
absorber tower, the solvent is rich with
acid gas and the term rich loading is
applied. The example has this as 0.350
mole H2S per mole of MEA. The pickup
of acid gas is the difference or 0.349
mole H2S per mole of MEA.
High loading values are desirable
because they relate to lower solvent
circulation rates and lower investment.

Amine Solvents
MEA - Monoethanolamine
DEA - Diethanolamine
DGA - Diglycolamine
DIPA - Di Isopropanolamine
MDEA - Methyl Diethanolamine

TEA - Tri Ethanolamine

DEMEA -Diethyl Monoethanolamine

Gas Treating Amines An amine solution is the most

commonly used sour gas processing
solvent. They are categorized as
primary, secondary, or tertiary by the
number of alcohol groups attached to
the nitrogen. The common amines in
each category are shown.
The amine solutions are weak organic
bases that have a chemical reaction
with the weak acid solutions containing
H2S or CO2. This acid – base reaction
forms weak salts that decompose
when heated.

Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 7

UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING

Sizes of Amine Plants The size of the sweetening plant

can be very large, such as the left
photo of the Saudi Aramco DGA
Plant at Shedgum circulating
10,000 gpm to treat 500 million
scf per day of sour gas.
Skid-mounted rental unit at right
circulates 3 gpm for fuel gas
treating.

FLEXSORB is a class of ExxonMobil Technology Review

solvents that are generally selective for
H2S. They allow the CO2 to slip through
for further processing.
The combination of high selectivity and
high solution loading permit circulation
rates to be reduced, which significantly
reduce the initial capital and operating
costs.
Capacity Increase with FLEXSORB®
FLEXSORB®SE
Highly selective for H2S
High capacity for H2S
Not tertiary amine, but sterically hindered
FLEXSORB®SE Hybrid
Addition of Sulfolane to FLEXSORB®SE enhances
mercaptan and carbonyl sulfide removal.
FLEXSORB®PS Hybrid
A Hybrid of FLEXSORB®PS and Sulfolane gives good
bulk removal and an improvement over Sulfinol. Also
removes mercaptans and carbonyl sulfides

Potassium Carbonate Solvents FLEXSORB-HP

Catacarb
Benfield
Lurgi Vetricoke

Potassium carbonate solvents (K2CO3) are used for Potassium Carbonate Solvents
removal of large quantities of CO2. This chemical
absorption process has the absorber tower and
stripper tower schematic shown that is similar to the
amine processes.
Potassium carbonate cannot achieve the high purity
achieved with amine solvent. Potassium carbonate is
usually limited to bulk removal operations.

Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 8

UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING

Physical Solvents
The physical absorption solvents listed below do not react
chemically but use physical attraction similar to lean oil or
glycol absorption processes. The absorber tower and
stripper tower components are the same and since no
chemical reaction occurs, the solvent does not degrade as
quickly. Physical solvents normally have lower heat
requirements. The disadvantages are high-pressure
requirements (6000 – 10000 kPa, 800-1500 psi) and high
heavy hydrocarbon co-absorption.
Selexol
Purisol
Recitisol
Propylene Carbonate

The PFD for a physical solvent system is Physical Solvents

very similar to a chemical solvent system.
However there is a succession of recycle
flash tanks downstream of the absorber.
Also in some applications stripping gas
can be used in lieu of a reboiler. There is
generally a trade off with the physical
solvent systems using more recycle
horsepower and less heat and fuel gas.

FLEXSORB - PS Hybrid Solvents

FLEXSORB-SE Hybrid
Sulfinol – D
Sulfinol – M

Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 9

UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING

Hybrid Solvents Hybrid solvents

combine chemical
and physical
absorption solvents
to potentially
achieve the best
characteristics of
each. This
combination can
reduce capital,
energy required for
regeneration, and
operating cost.
The PFD has the
same absorber
tower and stripper
tower arrangement
as the amine
processes.

Gas Sweetening Processes Alternatives to solvent

sweetening processes are the
non-regenerable, direct
conversion, dry bed, and
separation processes listed.

For very small quantities Non-Regenerable / Scavengers

of sour gas, such as fuel
gas, the non-regenerable
scavenger processes can
be used.
Small quantities of
H2S
No CO2 removal
Dispose of spent
material
Operation of scavenger
systems can become very
expensive with time due
to the reoccurring fresh
solvent purchase costs
and the spent solvent
disposal costs.
Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 10
UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING
Non-Regenerable / Iron Oxide
The LO-CAT process is one of several
processes that removes H2S and converts
it to elemental sulfur in one unit operation.
The LO-CAT process is a liquid redox
system that uses a chelated iron solution to
convert H2S to elemental sulfur. The
Stretford process is an older process that
has similar performance, but the Stretford
solution is toxic. LO-CAT does not use
toxic chemicals and produces no
hazardous waste byproducts. Generally the
sulfur from a LO-CAT unit cannot be sold; it
does not have the bright yellow color of
Claus sulfur because it contains impurities.
However, sometimes it can be given to
farmers. Some operators have reported
solids plugging.
Dry Bed Removal of Acid Gas
Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing
Iron sponge is another non-regenerable
process. It consists of wood shavings
or wood chips impregnated with
hydrated iron oxide for removal of H2S.
Exposure to H2S and mercaptans
produces iron sulfides and iron
mercaptides. The removal of H2S
results in iron sulfides as follows:
2Fe2O3 ·H2O + 6H2S --> 2Fe2S3 + 8H2O
Sometimes it may be re-oxidized or
reverted, with exposure to air, to iron
oxide and elemental sulfur. The spent
iron sponge is pyrophoric or self-heating
and care should be taken when
handling the spent material.
Direct Conversion LO-CAT Unit
Dry bed methods use the molecular
sieves similar to dry bed desiccant
dehydration. In fact the mole sieves can
be used to sweeten and dehydrate
simultaneously, but considerably more
molecular sieve is needed to do both.
The beds are usually regenerated with a
heated side-stream of treated gas. The
tower undergoing regeneration also has
its pressure reduced to accelerate the
regeneration procedure. Regeneration
temperatures are 250 to 300°C (450-
600°F)
The gas used to regenerate the beds
must also be treated and can require a
separate treating system.
Page 11
UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING

Cryogenic separation processes could be Cryogenic Separation

used for a sour gas stream containing
20% to 80% acid gases. The cold
temperature cryogenic facility could
integrate NGL recovery, nitrogen
rejection, and liquefaction.
Most cryogenic sweetening systems must
make allowances for CO2 freezing in the
system.

Acid Gas Separation - Ryan Holmes
Ryan-Holmes is a cryogenic process that uses a
solvent to prevent CO2 freezing. The CO2 can be
removed from the NGL via traditional
fractionation, however more solvent may be
necessary to break the azeotrope and allow
complete separation.

Acid Gas Separation - Membranes Membranes provide direct

separation of gas
components with no moving
Feed Gas C2 parts. Issues:
CH4 Gas purity
Residue
Permeate Gas
Membrane integrity
N2
Plugging
SPIRAL WRAP
Much work is being done to
Feed Gas
CO2 improve membrane run times.
Residue
Membranes are ideal for
Permeate Gas
H2S offshore and fuel gas treating,
C2 CH4 N2 O2 CO2 H2S H2 H20
H2O however premature plugging
SLOW PERMEATION RATES FAST
HOLLOW FIBER and performance degradation
have kept acceptance limited
to special cases.

Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 12

UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING

The sour gas treating options are listed ExxonMobil Sour Gas Processing
and each process identifies the
ExxonMobil plants. The most common is
MDEA (methyldiethanolamine) and the
second is Sulfinol, which is a hybrid of
sulfolane (tetrahydrothiophene dioxide)
and DIPA (di-isopropanolamine) or MEA
(monoethanolamine).

Gas Sweetening Facilities
- Operational Issues -
Issues relating to sour gas processing operations are:
Off specification gas, solvent carryover
Varying composition or unknown feed impurities:
paraffins, BTX’s, sulfur, oxygen, FeS, mercury
Inadequate regeneration, impurities, off-spec
solvent concentration
Hydrocarbon (HC) contamination, low H2S/CO2
ratio
Exchanger leaks
Vessels foaming, flooding, or plugging plus
corrosion or mechanical damage

Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 13

UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING

Sour Gas Processing Processes Used at ExxonMobil Locations

Chemical Solvents (Reaction) Process Selection
Traditional Amines H2S concentration
MEA, DEA, DGA, MDEA CO2 concentration
High Performance Amines Inlet gas composition
FLEXSORB SE Heavy hydrocarbons (especially aromatics)
Promoted MDEA Mercaptans, COS, sulfur, etc
Potassium Carbonates Mercury, Diamondoids
Physical Solvents (Absorption) Operating pressure and temperature
Selexol, Purisol Treated gas specifications
Hybrid Solvents Disposal mechanism
Sulfinol, FLEXSORB PS
Other
Ryan Holmes
Molecular Sieves
Iron Sponge, Scavengers
Membranes

Process selection is largely dependent Sweetening Process Selection

on the quantity of H2S and of CO2 in the
feed stream. H2S must be removed for
sale or NGL processing of the gas,
however CO2 might be retained to control
the BTU content of the gas or for
subsequent processing and use in
enhanced recovery projects.
Acid gas pickup should be high in order
to reduce circulation rate, which can
reduce absorber tower size and reduce
the heat duty needed to regenerate the
solvent.

Summary -- H2S CO2 Removal

H2S and CO2 are the main acid gas components removed in a sweetening process.
There are a wide variety of options available for sour gas treating.
Sour gas treating is a costly complex operation.
H2S is extremely toxic. Selection of treating/disposal options requires careful analysis of
technical, SHE, and business factors.
The cost and design of gas sweetening units depend on gas composition, pressure, product
specs, markets, and local regulations.

Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 14

UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING

Sulfur Recovery/Disposal

Sulfur Recovery/Disposal
Objectives

Understand why we recover or dispose of sulfur compounds

Understand the effect of CO2 on the processes
Understand the types of processes available for sulfur recovery and tail gas cleanup
Understand there are significant S.H.E. (Safety Health Environmental) issues associated with
sour gas.

Disposition of H2S is the step Disposition of H2S

after sour gas sweetening. The
acid gas components must be
processed to remove H2S or
they must be injected.
Typically the H2S is converted
to sulfur in the Claus sulfur
recovery plant with a small
remaining quantity converted in
the tail gas cleanup unit.

ExxonMobil Upstream The numerous ExxonMobil sulfur recovery units

Sulfur Recovery Units (SRU) are listed. The variations of the Claus
process are represented at the plants depend on
the nature of the acid gas and local regulations.

Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 15

UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING
ExxonMobil Sulfur Production
Traditional SRU/TGCU
Convert to elemental sulfur and
hopefully sell it.
Seawater Scrubbing
Oxidize to SO2, absorb with seawater,
and discharge in the ocean.
AG Injection
Compress and inject acid gas in an
appropriate subsurface location.
Claus Sulfur Recovery Unit
Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing
Need sulfur? We can make you a
special deal. Along with being
the largest oil company,
ExxonMobil has the “dubious”
distinction of producing the most
sulfur.
Sulfur production occurs
worldwide since oil and gas
operations containing H2S are
common.
H2S and Sulfur Species
Disposal Options
The Claus sulfur recovery unit pictured is typical of the
various installations. A portion of the H2S is burned to form
SO2, which is then reacted with the remaining H2S feed to
yield elemental sulfur.
The facility has thermal (furnace) and catalyst (reaction or
converter) sections to obtain the necessary high
conversion of H2S to elemental sulfur (96 – 98%).
Page 16
UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING

Technology Description - Sulfur Recovery Units THERMAL SECTION

60 - 65%
Burner:
Burn 1/3 of H2S to SO2
Reaction Furnace:
Time for thermal reaction
Most of sulfur is formed
Waste Heat Boiler:
Recover heat
Sulfur Condenser:
Remove sulfur
CATALYTIC SECTION
93 - 98 %
Reheat:
Vaporized entrained sulfur
Avoid sulfur condensation
Reactor (Converter):
Promotes Claus reaction
Alumina catalyst
Sulfur condenser:
Remove sulfur
Reduce sulfur loses

The conversion of H2S to sulfur is shown on the Sulfur Recovery Units

chart as Sulfur Recovery %. It is a function of the Effects of H2S Enrichment
% H2S in the acid gas feed stream. The recovery
is highest and the investment capital is lowest for
cases with high H2S content acid gas. This
occurs because less inert CO2 must be
processed in the system

SRU Feed Conditioning Sometimes acid gas enrichment (AGE) can be

Acid Gas Enrichment (AGE) added to increase the H2S content in the Claus
feed, which reduces the cost of the facility.

Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 17

UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING

LaBarge SRU Some SRU components in the LaBarge

sulfur recovery unit are pictured. The
catalytic converter is shown at upper left,
the run down pits are shown at upper right,
and the sulfur storage tanks are at bottom.

Catalyst deactivation Claus Sulfur Recovery Units

sulfation -Operational Issues-
coking
sulfur condensation
thermal degradation
Excessive emissions due to off-design performance
H2S and/or solids buildup in rundown pit
Significant amounts of CO2 increase OPEX and
CAPEX
Poor reaction furnace performance due to burner or
internals failure
Hydrocarbon (HC) contamination
Aromatics in acid gas
Low H2S/CO2 ratio
Exchanger leaks in condensers, reheaters, and
waste heat units.
SULFUR SALES OR DISPOSAL??

Disposition of H2S The Claus plant does not convert 100%

of the H2S to sulfur, so a small quantity
remains for disposal. The tail gas
cleanup unit (TGCU) is used convert the
small remaining amount to sulfur or to
recycle any remaining H2S back to the
Claus unit.

Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 18

UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING
Approaches to Tail Gas Cleanup
The tail gas cleanup units of
ExxonMobil are listed. The plant
name, followed by country location and
process option, shows a widespread
geographic and process range.
Amoco CBA
(Sub Dew Point TGCU)
Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing
The sulfur compounds
remaining in the tail gas from
the Claus unit must be
converted and the basic
approaches are listed.
The tail gas cleanup unit
(TGCU) is generally an
extension of the Claus
process that increases H2S
conversion. Some of the
processes recycle H2S back
to the front of the SRU.
ExxonMobil
Tail Gas Cleanup Units
The Amoco Cold Bed Adsorption
(CBA) method is an example of the
extended Claus process. It
operates at a sub-dew point
temperature and the sulfur vapor is
adsorbed on the catalyst. When the
bed is saturated with sulfur, the
catalyst is regenerated with hot
vapor directly from the first
converter.
The elemental sulfur desorbs and is
removed in the condenser. The
higher conversion of H2S to sulfur at
the lower temperatures causes the
improved recovery.
Page 19
UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING

SCOT Process The Shell Claus Offgas Treating

BSR with Amine Absorption (SCOT) process has a reduction section
and an H2S selective absorption
section. The tail gas is mixed with
hydrogen and undergoes a reduction
reaction over the cobalt molybdenum
catalyst. Most sulfur compounds are
converted to H2S that can be recovered
in a selective amine process to be
recycled to the Claus plant.

Any remaining sulfur compounds are Incineration

incinerated to form sulfur dioxide (SO2). (Thermal Oxidizer)

The tail gas is fired with auxiliary fuel gas

to achieve a stack temperature of
approximately 1000 ºC.
The stack is approximately 100 m high to
allow sufficient dispersion of unrecovered
sulfur dioxide.
With new technology sulfur emissions can
be kept below 100 ppm during normal
operations.

Sulfur Disposal Sulfur disposal is currently a problem since the worldwide

production from sulfur recovery plants exceeds the
demand.

Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 20

UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING

Tengiz One large accumulation of sulfur is at Tengiz.

The people walking on this block are potentially at hazard
for their lives. Bubbles of molten sulfur can migrate within
the sulfur block, and a person could fall into molten sulfur
if the surface gives away.

Some forecasts predict there will over one 174,000 Tons of Sulfur
billion metric tonnes of sulfur stored in
Alberta alone by 2099. This view of the
Quirk Creek plant and sulfur storage
shows the size of a 200,000 tonne block
and indicates the magnitude of the
potential problem.

Prilled Sulfur Sulfur can be made into pellets for shipment to

manufacturing plants for sulfuric acid or similar uses. The
liquid sulfur is piped the top of the prilling towers at left.
The sulfur falls, similar to rain drops, and cools in descent
to arrive at bottom as pellets. The right photo shows the
pellets being removed for bulk shipment by rail or barge or
for bagging to be shipped in smaller quantities.

Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 21

UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING

Offshore Sulfur Disposal When sulfur recovery is required in fuel systems offshore,
the sulfur must be returned to land. An ASME vessel is
filled with sulfur production and is carried to shore on a
workboat for disposal.

Acid gas disposal is an option to sulfur recovery and tail Technology Review - Acid gas disposal
gas cleanup. Two options are listed. The first requires
processing to convert H2S to SO2 and the second uses ABB SO2 Seawater Scrubbing
injection into approved salt water aquifers.
Acid Gas Injection

Seawater Scrubbing of SO2 The seawater scrubbing steps are:

H2S is converted to SO2 in an incinerator.

Hot effluent from an acid gas incinerator is
quenched with seawater.
Additional seawater is used to absorb
approximately 98-99% of the SO2 from the gas.
A countercurrent packed bed absorber is used.
The spent quench water and absorber wash
water are returned to the sea.
The treated gas is vented via fuel gas fired
incinerator.

Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 22

UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING

SO2 Seawater Scrubbing Operational issues regarding seawater scrubbing are:

-Operational Issues-
Seawater must be available, fresh water will not work.
Large quantities of seawater are required. Reliable
quenching is essential.
Only applicable to reasonably small quantities of sulfur
Significant quantities of CO2 in the acid gas adversely
affect the economics.
Picture shows unit delivered to Statoil's Åsgard B
platform

Injection into approved subsurface locations Sour Gas / Acid Gas Injection
is an option. The facility will typically have
multistage compression. Sour gas injection
will have the hydrocarbon components
whereas acid gas injection would be primarily
the H2S and CO2. For sour gas injection
dehydration is required at an intermediate
pressure to minimize the corrosion problem.

Acid Gas / Sour Gas Injection

-Operational Issues- Number of wells
Completions: Materials for tubing
string, wellhead and packers.
Reservoir: Volume, injectivity,
impurities, communication with
other zones
Facilities: Horsepower, injection
pressure containment , materials,
seals, toxicity, maintenance,
sparing, and rotor dynamics

Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 23

UNIT 24 SOUR GAS PROCESSING

Summary
H2S Recovery and Disposal

H2S has no value and cannot be vented. It must be disposed of safely. 99.0 to 99.9% of the H2S
must be recovered.
CO2 mixed with the H2S adds to the disposal cost and complexity. Sometimes acid gas
enrichment is required.
H2S is extremely toxic. Selection of disposal options requires careful analysis of technical, SHE,
and business factors.
The cost and design of sulfur recovery units depend on acid gas composition, markets, and
local regulations.

Unit 24 Sour Gas Processing Page 24