Claus process for sulfur recovery with intermediate water vapor removal by adsorption

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10005666-B2
Application number	US-201715606779-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 26, 2017
Priority date	Jan 5, 2016
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

A method to recover sulfur comprising the steps of feeding an acid gas stream to a combustion furnace, condensing the cooled furnace stream to produce a first gas stream, feeding the first gas stream to a first adsorber comprises a molecular sieve, feeding the first hot dry gas stream to a first catalytic reactor, cooling the first catalytic outlet stream in a first condenser, feeding the second gas stream to a second adsorber, feeding the second hot dry gas stream to a second catalytic reactor, cooling the second catalytic outlet stream in a second condenser, introducing the third gas stream to a third adsorber, feeding the third hot dry gas stream to a third catalytic reactor to produce a third catalytic outlet stream, and cooling the third catalytic outlet stream in a third condenser to produce a third sulfur stream and a tail gas stream.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method to recover sulfur from hydrogen sulfide in an acid gas stream, the method comprising the steps of:
feeding the acid gas stream to a combustion furnace to produce a furnace outlet stream, the combustion furnace configured to convert the hydrogen sulfide to elemental sulfur, wherein the furnace outlet stream comprises elemental sulfur, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor;
introducing the furnace outlet stream to a waste heat boiler to produce a cooled furnace outlet stream, the waste heat boiler configured to reduce a temperature of the furnace outlet stream;
condensing the cooled furnace stream in a sulfur condenser to produce a liquid sulfur stream and a gas stream, the sulfur condenser configured to reduce a temperature of the cooled furnace stream to a temperature below a dew point of elemental sulfur and above a dew point of water; and
feeding the gas stream to an adsorber to produce a dry gas stream and a water stream, wherein the adsorber comprises a molecular sieve, wherein the dry gas stream is in the absence of water vapor, wherein the dry gas stream comprises hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
introducing the dry gas stream to a first Claus catalytic stage;
producing a second gas stream and a first sulfur stream in the first Claus catalytic stage, wherein the first sulfur stream comprises liquid sulfur, wherein the second gas stream comprises hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor;
introducing the second gas stream to a second Claus catalytic stage;
producing a third gas stream and a second sulfur stream in the second Claus catalytic stage, wherein the second sulfur stream comprises liquid sulfur, wherein the third gas stream comprises hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor;
introducing the third gas stream to a third Claus catalytic stage; and
producing a tail gas stream and a third sulfur stream in the third Claus catalytic stage, wherein the third sulfur stream comprises liquid sulfur, wherein the tail gas stream comprises hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
introducing the dry gas stream to a first Claus catalytic stage;
producing a second gas stream and a first sulfur stream in the first Claus catalytic stage, wherein the first sulfur stream comprises liquid sulfur, wherein the second gas stream comprises hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor;
introducing the second gas stream to a second Claus catalytic stage; and
producing a tail gas stream and a second sulfur stream in the second Claus catalytic stage, wherein the second sulfur stream comprises liquid sulfur, wherein the tail gas stream comprises hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
introducing the dry gas stream to a first Claus catalytic stage;
producing a second gas stream and a first sulfur stream in the first Claus catalytic stage, wherein the first sulfur stream comprises liquid sulfur, wherein the second gas stream comprises hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor;
introducing the second gas stream to a second adsorber, wherein the second adsorber comprises a molecular sieve;
producing a second dry gas stream and a second water stream in the second adsorber, wherein the second dry gas stream is in the absence of water vapor, wherein the second dry gas stream comprises hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide;
introducing the second dry gas stream to a second Claus catalytic stage;
producing a third gas stream and a second sulfur stream in the second Claus catalytic stage, wherein the second sulfur stream comprises liquid sulfur, wherein the third gas stream comprises hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor;
introducing the third gas stream to a third Claus catalytic stage; and
producing a tail gas stream and a third sulfur stream in the third Claus catalytic stage, wherein the third sulfur stream comprises liquid sulfur, wherein the tail gas stream comprises hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
introducing the dry gas stream to a first Claus catalytic stage;
producing a second gas stream and a first sulfur stream in the first Claus catalytic stage, wherein the first sulfur stream comprises liquid sulfur, wherein the second gas stream comprises hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor;
introducing the second gas stream to a second adsorber, wherein the second adsorber comprises a molecular sieve;
producing a second dry gas stream and a second water stream in the second adsorber, wherein the second dry gas stream is in the absence of water vapor, wherein the second dry gas stream comprises hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide;
introducing the second dry gas stream to a second Claus catalytic stage;
producing a tail gas stream and a second sulfur stream in the second Claus catalytic stage, wherein the second sulfur stream comprises liquid sulfur, wherein the tail gas stream comprises hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the molecular sieve is molecular sieve 3A.

7. A method to recover sulfur from hydrogen sulfide in an acid gas stream, the method comprising the steps of:
feeding the acid gas stream to a combustion furnace to produce a furnace outlet stream, the combustion furnace configured to convert the hydrogen sulfide to elemental sulfur, wherein the furnace outlet stream comprises elemental sulfur, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor;
introducing the furnace outlet stream to a waste heat boiler to produce a cooled furnace outlet stream, the waste heat boiler configured to reduce a temperature of the furnace outlet stream;
condensing the cooled furnace stream in a sulfur condenser to produce a liquid sulfur stream and a first gas stream, the sulfur condenser configured to reduce a temperature of the cooled furnace stream to a temperature below a dew point of elemental sulfur and above a dew point of water; and
introducing the first gas stream to a first Claus catalytic stage;
producing a second gas stream and a first sulfur stream in the first Claus catalytic stage, wherein the first sulfur stream comprises liquid sulfur, wherein the second gas stream comprises hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor;
introducing the second gas stream to a second Claus catalytic stage;
producing a third gas stream and a second sulfur stream in the second Claus catalytic stage, wherein the second sulfur stream comprises liquid sulfur, wherein the third gas stream comprises hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor;
feeding the third gas stream to an adsorber to produce a dry gas stream and a water stream, wherein the adsorber comprises a molecular sieve, wherein the dry gas stream is in the absence of water vapor, wherein the dry gas stream comprises hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide
introducing the dry gas stream to a third Claus catalytic stage; and
producing a tail gas stream and a third sulfur stream in the third Claus catalytic stage, wherein the third sulfur stream comprises liquid sulfur, wherein the tail gas stream comprises hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the molecular sieve is molecular sieve 3A.

9. A method to recover sulfur from hydrogen sulfide in an acid gas stream, the method comprising the steps of:
feeding the acid gas stream to a combustion furnace to produce a furnace outlet stream, the combustion furnace configured to convert the hydrogen sulfide to elemental sulfur, wherein the furnace outlet strea

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Ercan Cemal
• Othman Rashid M
• Wang Yuguo

Classifications

• B01J19/245

  placed in series · CPC title

• C01B17/0456 Primary

  the hydrogen sulfide-containing gas being a Claus process tail gas · CPC title

• B01D53/8615

  Mixtures of hydrogen sulfide and sulfur oxides · CPC title

• C01B17/0408

  Pretreatment of the hydrogen sulfide containing gases · CPC title

• C01B17/0404

  by processes comprising a dry catalytic conversion of hydrogen sulfide-containing gases, e.g. the Claus process · CPC title