Amoco Corporation

Standard Oil Company (indiana)

Boyd E Cabanaw

Clifton S Goddin, Jr

Davis L Taggart

John J McGovern

Apparatus and method for separating flowing immiscible fluid phases of different specific gravities includes an elongate conduit having an inlet for receiving incoming fluids, an outlet for discharging separated fluids, a first end and an open second end. The outlet is formed by the open second end. The inlet is longitudinally spaced away from the outlet on the elongate conduit. A flow assembly is provided for creating cyclonic flow of the fluid from the inlet through the outlet of the elongate conduit in order to centrifugally separate the fluids so that that the separated fluids flow concentrically through the outlet. The separator can include an outer tank surrounding the elongate conduit.

Apparatus and method for separating fluids

A portion of the acid gas feedstream to a Claus plant is passed through Claus catalyst to strip residual sulfur and sulfur compounds from the catalyst. The resulting gas-in-process containing the stripped compounds can then be provided to a Claus conversion step.

Sulfur recovery process including removal of residual sulfur from Claus

In a preferred embodiment, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide are removed from a gaseous stream also containing a recoverable hydrocarbon product by CO.sub.2 sweetening, bulk CO.sub.2 removal, and hydrocarbon sweetening absorption steps, each absorption utilizing the same alkanolamine as absorbent. According to another aspect, each amine can be selected from the group consisting of tertiary amines and sterically hindered amines. According to yet another aspect, a feed gas comprising hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide can be introduced successively into a carbon dioxide sweetening absorption zone, then into a bulk CO.sub.2 removal absorption zone, then into a hydrocarbon sweetening absorption zone. Alternatively, a feed gas comprising hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide can be introduced first into a bulk CO.sub.2 removal absorption zone and then streams from the bulk CO.sub.2 removal zone can be provided respectively to the hydrocarbon sweetening absorption zone and the CO.sub.2 sweetening absorption zone.

Process for producing sweet CO.sub.2 and hydrocarbon streams

A three catalytic reactor system and process is disclosed for obtaining acceptable levels of sulfur recovery from acid gas at a cost significantly less than that required for a standard modified four reactor cold bed adsorption (CBA) system. The system and process utilize two conventional Claus reactors and one cold bed adsorption (CBA) reactor in series. Four condensers are provided, one disposed before each of the catalytic reactors and one on a process line connecting the third catalytic (CBA) reactor to the first catalytic reactor. The system is designed to operate either in a normal adsorption mode or in a regeneration mode. In the normal adsorption mode, the second Claus reactor is operated at a closer sulfur dewpoint approach then the second Claus reactor in the standard CBA system. In the regeneration mode, gas downstream of the thermal reactor is directed first to the second Claus reactor and then, after removal of sulfur and reheating, to the CBA reactor. Thus, the second and third catalytic reactors are regenerated simultaneously. The first catalytic reactor is placed on cold bed adsorption during the regeneration mode. Effluent from the first catalytic reactor is then passed through the second condenser and to the tail gas stack.

System and process for producing elemental sulfur

A three catalytic reactor system and process is disclosed for obtaining acceptable levels of sulfur recovery from acid gas at a cost significantly less than that required for a standard four reactor cold bed adsorption (CBA) system. The system and process of the present invention utilizes two conventional Claus reactors and one cold bed adsorption (CBA) reactor in series. Four condensers are provided, one disposed before each of the catalytic reactors, and one on a process line connecting the third catalytic (CBA) reactor to the first catalytic (Claus) reactor. The system is designed to operate either in an adsorption mode or in a regeneration mode. In the adsorption mode, the system is similar to a standard CBA system except that the present invention incorporates only one CBA reactor while a standard CBA system incorporates two CBA reactors. In the regeneration mode, however, the CBA reactor of the present invention is operated in the same manner as the first Claus reactor in adsorption mode. Heated gas downstream of the thermal reactor is used to regenerate the CBA reactor. The effluent from the regenerated CBA reactor is directed through a heater and then to the first Claus reactor.

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Tulsa, OK, United States of America

Boyd E Cabanaw