Method of scavenging hydrogen sulfide from sour gas well using mineral oil nanoemulsions

Abstract

A method of scavenging hydrogen sulfide from a sour gas well includes injecting a nanoemulsion through a borehole into a subterranean geological formation including a gaseous hydrocarbon composition including hydrogen sulfide. The nanoemulsion includes a mineral oil, water, a surfactant, and an additive. The water is a continuous phase of the nanoemulsion. The surfactant is selected from a group consisting of a sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, and a nonionic polyoxyethylene detergent. The additive is selected from a group consisting of a silver salt and a copper salt. The method includes circulating the nanoemulsion in the borehole in the subterranean geological formation to contact the nanoemulsion with the hydrocarbon composition and reacting the nanoemulsion with the hydrogen sulfide in the gaseous hydrocarbon composition to form a production gas including less than 5 parts per million (ppm) of hydrogen sulfide.