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Catalyst modification and process design considerations for the oxidation of low concentrations of hydrogen sulfide in natural gas
Author(s) -
Chowdhury A. I.,
Tollefson Eric L.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
the canadian journal of chemical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1939-019X
pISSN - 0008-4034
DOI - 10.1002/cjce.5450680315
Subject(s) - hydrogen sulfide , catalysis , sulfur , natural gas , chemistry , sour gas , sulfide , acid gas , hydrogen , flue gas desulfurization , fraction (chemistry) , waste management , chemical engineering , inorganic chemistry , organic chemistry , engineering
Low concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) in natural gas can be selectively oxidized over an activated carbon catalyst to elemental sulfur, water and a small fraction of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ). Efforts to improve catalyst performance and product sulfur quality have been made by a) modification of the catalyst composition b) removal of the heavy hydrocarbons from the feed and c) choice of reaction conditions. The use of a guard bed to absorb heavy hydrocarbons and operation at elevated pressures show positive results. A preliminary flow diagram incorporating these findings has been prepared for a small commercial unit capable of processing sour natural gas containing 1.0% H 2 S.