Amoco Corporation

Other

Paul T Pendergraft

Min-Hsiun Lee

Rajen Puri

Russell L McGalliard

John J McGovern

Gary M Bond

Processes are disclosed for separating an oxygen-containing gas into oxygen-enriched and oxygen-depleted streams. The oxygen-depleted stream is injected into a methane-containing solid carbonaceous subterranean formation to produce a methane-containing gaseous mixture. The oxygen-enriched stream is reacted with a stream containing an oxidizable material which can be the methane-containing mixture.

Method for producing methane-containing gaseous mixtures

A high pressure to low pressure transition in the steam production within sulfur condensers feeding cold bed adsorption reactors in an extended Claus process sulfur recovery plant is prevented from affecting recovery by maintaining a sufficiently cold reactor in final position to absorb potentially emissions affecting increase in final reactor feed temperature.

High pressure-low pressure steam system for extended Claus sulfur

A reactor unit for use in extended Claus process plants comprising three or more reactor units, each alternating between operation under high temperature Claus and cold bed adsorption conditions, comprises a sulfur condenser upstream of an associated downstream reactor which are rotated as a unit through operations in the plant. This reduces the number of condensers required. In a further aspect, a potential surge in the plant low pressure steam system is eliminated in comparison with previous similar extended Claus plants.

Condenser-reactor switching units for extended Claus process

In a Claus process sulfur recovery plant of the type having at least three reactors operated alternately under high temperature Claus conditions and under cold bed adsorption conditions, an emissions-affecting pressure surge in a low pressure steam delivery system due to a high pressure to low pressure transition in a switched sulfur condenser is avoided by providing a dedicated low pressure condenser in the process gas stream at times when switching a condenser from a high pressure to a low pressure system would otherwise cause the emissions-affecting pressure surge to occur. Recoveries are maintained at high levels and operating difficulties with a prior art plant are avoided.

Sulfur species are removed from a Claus plant tailgas stream by contacting with ZnO producing ZnS. ZnS is regenerated to ZnO by contacting with dilute O.sub.2 under conditions for reducing the volume of regeneration recycle to the Claus plant.

Sulfur recovery process using metal oxide absorbent

Sulfur species are removed from a Claus plant tail gas stream by contacting with ZnO producing ZnS which is regenerated to ZnO by dilute O.sub.2. Following regeneration, fresh regenerated ZnO in one ZnO absorber is purged with an effective reducting gas stream producing SO.sub.2 emissions while another ZnO absorber is downstream operating under effective absorption conditions for removing thus produced SO.sub.2 from the first ZnO absorber effluent.

Sulfur recovery process using metal oxide absorbent with improved purge

An improved method for reducing the hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen polysulfide content of liquid sulfur, wherein, the liquid sulfur is brought into contact with a solid degradation catalyst consisting of alumina or a cobalt-molybdenum impregnated alumina at 250.degree. F. to 320.degree. F., preferably 270.degree.-275.degree. F., in the presence of a gaseous purge stream of air or oxygen enriched air. In addition to exhibiting a many fold increase in rate of reaction relative to the use of either the catalyst without a purge gas or the purge gas alone, the use of an oxygen containing purge gas (such as wet air) in combination with the catalyst (such as alumina) shows a significant improvement, when compared to the use of a dry nitrogen purge in combination with the catalyst under similar conditions, in the kinetics of both the conversion of the polysulfides to sulfide (rate constant of 0.611 for wet air vs. 0.409 for dry nitrogen at 300.degree. F.) and the removal of hydrogen sulfide from liquid sulfur (rate constant of 0.877 in wet air vs. 0.62 for dry nitrogen at 300.degree. F.).

Process for removal of hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen polysulfide from

In a process in which ZnO is used to absorb H.sub.2 S and/or SO.sub.2 from Claus Plant tail gas, producing ZnS, and in which ZnS is regenerated using O.sub.2 producing regeneration effluent, the volume of regeneration effluent containing sulfur species which must be further processed is reduced or diminished in quantity by diluting the oxygen containing gas with water prior to regeneration of ZnS to ZNO and thereafter removing at least a portion of the added water.

Removal of water vapor diluent after regeneration of metal oxide

Regenerator effluent produced by regenerating ZnS to ZnO is provided with a stream containing H.sub.2 S from the feed to a Claus plant to a catalytic oxidation zone where O.sub.2 present is consumed. The effluent from the catalytic oxidation zone is provided to a Claus catalytic reaction zone.

Sulfur recovery process using metal oxide absorbent with regenerator

A system and method of use thereof are disclosed for recovering sulfur from a feed gas stream containing hydrogen sulfide which is combusted with an oxygen-enriched gas in a Claus reaction furnace. Within the method, combustion effluent from a waste heat boiler associated with the Claus reaction furnace is divided into a first and second stream so that the sulfur in the first stream is condensed and then the stream is passed on to later Claus reaction stages, and the sulfur in the second stream is condensed and then this stream is introduced into the Claus reaction furnace to moderate the temperatures therein.

Recycling of waste heat boiler effluent to an oxygen-enriched Claus

A process for the conversion of hydrogen polysulfide to hydrogen sulfide in liquid sulfur and removal of hydrogen sulfide from said liquid sulfur comprising a multistage process in which the sulfur is supplied to a holding zone, passed to a treatment zone where it is given multiple contact with a solid catalyst adapted to convert hydrogen polysulfide to hydrogen sulfide and removed from a third zone after treatment for hydrogen sulfide removal. Apparatus for carrying out the method is disclosed and described.

Process and apparatus for degassing sulfur

This invention relates to a modified furnace for treating low-quality acid gas streams (those containing less than fifty percent (50%) hydrogen sulfide) to permit stable operation of combustion to provide a Claus furnace effluent. The system comprises burning a fuel gas and indirectly supplying the heat of this combustion to the hydrogen sulfide oxidant reaction wherein the hydrogen sulfide is converted to sulfur and other sulfur-containing products.

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Tulsa, OK, United States of America

Paul T Pendergraft