Systems and methods for degassing of sulfur

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10059588-B2
Application number	US-201514875096-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 5, 2015
Priority date	Oct 5, 2015
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

Contemplated systems and methods for removing polysulfides and hydrogen sulfide from liquid sulfur of a Claus plant include (a) physically separated steps of catalytic decomposition of polysulfides and gas stripping, or (b) use of the stripping gas as the continuous phase in a packed column with decomposition catalyst to so avoid catalyst attrition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of treating liquid sulfur containing polysulfides and hydrogen sulfide, comprising:
contacting the liquid sulfur with a decomposition catalyst in a fixed bed of a trickle bed reactor under conditions effective to convert polysulfides to hydrogen sulfide to thereby generate hydrogen sulfide enriched liquid sulfur; and
concurrently with the step of contacting, stripping the hydrogen sulfide from the hydrogen sulfide enriched liquid sulfur in the fixed bed of the trickle bed reactor with a stripping gas as a continuous phase to so form an acid gas stream and a liquid sulfur product stream.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the decomposition catalyst comprises a Claus catalyst or a Claus like catalyst material.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the decomposition catalyst comprises the Claus like catalyst material, wherein the Claus like catalyst material is alumina oxide or a metal oxide supported on alumina oxide.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stripping gas is an inert gas or a low-oxygen gas.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of sweeping is under counter-current flow regime.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the acid gas stream is fed to an incineration unit or a Claus plant.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fixed bed is a ring shaped catalyst bed.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the hydrogen sulfide formed in the fixed bed passes along with the stripping gas through an annular opening of the ring shaped catalyst bed.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of contacting the liquid sulfur with the decomposition catalyst in the fixed bed is performed in a decomposition section and the step of stripping is performed in a stripping section of the trickle bed reactor.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the decomposition section is above the stripping section.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving the liquid sulfur product stream in a container fluidly coupled to the trickle bed reactor.

Assignees

• Fluor Tech Corp

Inventors

• Fenderson Stephen N
• Wong Vincent W

Classifications

• B01J8/02

  with stationary particles, e.g. in fixed beds · CPC title

• C01B17/0232 Primary

  Purification, e.g. degassing · CPC title

• C01B17/0404

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

• C01B17/165

  Preparation from sulfides, oxysulfides or polysulfides · CPC title