Economical method for scavenging hydrogen sulfide in fluids

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9254453-B2
Application number	US-201313787759-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2013
Priority date	Mar 6, 2013
Publication date	Feb 9, 2016
Grant date	Feb 9, 2016

Abstract

Method for removing hydrogen sulfide from fluids such as oil and gas well drilling, treatment, and production fluids and effluents from hydrocarbon operations and mineral mining operations. The sulfide scavenger used in the method is a gluconate salt other than ferrous gluconate. The gluconate salt is added to the fluid along with an iron source if iron is not already in the fluid. The gluconate reacts with the iron and forms iron gluconate in the fluid, which in turn reacts with the hydrogen sulfate to form iron sulfide which may be readily removed from the fluid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of removing hydrogen sulfide from a fluid containing hydrogen sulfide, the method comprising:
adding a gluconate additive other than ferrous gluconate to the fluid, and adding a source of iron to the fluid where the fluid does not comprise iron or iron ions or where more iron is needed in sufficient quantity to react with the gluconate to form iron gluconate in the fluid;
mixing the fluid such that the gluconate additive contacts the iron and forms iron gluconate in the fluid, wherein the fluid has a pH no lower than about 11 during the mixing; and
allowing the iron gluconate in the fluid to react with the hydrogen sulfide in the fluid, forming iron sulfide, water and gluconic acid, such gluconic acid then being available to react with iron in the fluid to form iron gluconate.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising maintaining the gluconate additive at a level to maintain a sulfide ion concentration in the fluid below a certain desired level.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the quantity of gluconate additive and any iron source added to said fluid exceeds the quantity needed to form ferrous gluconate and react with all of the hydrogen sulfide in the fluid.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising removing the iron sulfide from the fluid.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the gluconate additive added to the fluid is selected from the group consisting of: gluconic acid; sodium gluconate; other gluconate salts other than ferrous gluconate; and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the iron source added to the fluid is selected from the group consisting of: ferric oxide; ferrous oxide; ferric hydroxide; ferrous hydroxide; and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the fluid is an aqueous fluid.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the fluid is an oleaginous fluid.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the fluid comprises at least one invert emulsion.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the fluid comprises at least one emulsion.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the fluid is a drilling fluid.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the fluid is a well treatment fluid.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the fluid is a well surface treatment fluid.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the fluid is an effluent from an oil or gas well.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the fluid is an effluent from a mining operation.

16. The method of claim 14 or claim 15 wherein the effluent comprises water.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the fluid further comprises at least one polymer.

18. A method of reducing a concentration of hydrogen sulfide in a drilling fluid having a pH of at least about 11 and having a source of iron or iron ions, the method comprising:
adding a gluconate additive other than ferrous gluconate to the fluid; and
allowing the gluconate additive to react with the iron in the fluid with the fluid having a pH no lower than about 11 thereby forming iron gluconate in situ which reacts with the hydrogen sulfide in the fluid such that sulfide is precipitated.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said sulfide is precipitated as iron sulfide.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein said drilling fluid has a pH ranging from about 11 to about 12.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Mcdaniel Cato Russell
• Thaemlitz Carl J

Classifications

• C02F1/56

  Macromolecular compounds · CPC title

• B01D53/52

  Hydrogen sulfide · CPC title

• C02F2101/101

  Sulfur compounds · CPC title

• C02F1/66

  by neutralisation; pH adjustment (for degassing C02F1/20; using ion-exchange C02F1/42; for flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities C02F1/52; for removing dissolved compounds C02F1/58) · CPC title

• B01D19/0005 Primary

  with one or more auxiliary substances · CPC title