Processes for producing sulfuric acid from sour tail gas field

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9815693-B2
Application number	US-201414905905-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2014
Priority date	Jul 18, 2013
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

A method of producing sulphuric acid from a sour tail gas comprises (a) obtaining a sour tail gas stream comprising H 2 S or reduced sulphur species or a combination thereof from an oil and gas facility; (b) subjecting the sour tail gas stream to oxidation and obtaining an oxidized gas stream comprising SO 2 ; and, (c) utilizing the oxidized gas stream to obtain sulphuric acid and a SO 2 reduced tail gas stream. The method may further comprise subjecting the oxidized gas stream to a regenerable absorption process. The sulphuric acid may be used to produce fertilizer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of producing sulfuric acid comprising:
(a) obtaining a sour tail gas stream comprising H 2 S or reduced sulfur species or a combination thereof from an oil and gas facility;
(b) subjecting the sour tail gas stream to oxidation and obtaining an oxidized gas stream comprising SO 2 ;
(c) utilizing the oxidized gas stream to obtain sulfuric acid and a SO 2 reduced tail gas stream; and
(d) subjecting the oxidized gas stream to a regenerable absorption process and obtaining a SO 2 rich gas stream and a SO 2 reduced oxidized gas stream, and step (c) comprises feeding the SO 2 rich gas stream to a sulfuric acid production unit and obtaining sulfuric acid and a SO 2 reduced tail gas stream.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising recycling at least a portion of the SO 2 reduced tail gas stream to the sulfuric acid production unit.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising subjecting at least a portion of the SO 2 reduced tail gas stream to a SO 2 regenerable absorption process and obtaining an enriched SO 2 tail gas stream and recycling at least a portion of the SO 2 enriched tail gas stream to obtain additional sulfuric acid.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the SO 2 scrubbing comprises a regenerable amine absorption process.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein heat produced by the oxidation and/or the sulfuric acid production unit is used in the regenerable absorption process.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein water purged from the regenerable absorption process is used in the sulfuric acid production unit.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises feeding the feed gas stream to an incinerator.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising utilizing at least a portion of the sulfuric acid to produce fertilizer.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising utilizing at least a portion of the sulfuric acid to produce fertilizer at a facility that is part of or proximate the oil and gas facility.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the regenerable absorption process is a regenerable amine absorption process.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising subjecting at least a portion of the SO 2 reduced tail gas stream to a SO 2 absorption process and obtaining a further reduced tail gas stream.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein heat produced by the oxidation and/or the sulfuric acid production unit is used in the regenerable absorption process.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein water purged from the regenerable absorption process is used in the sulfuric acid production unit.

Assignees

• Cansolv Tech Inc
• Shell Oil Co

Inventors

• Gierman Menno Bastiaan Hendrik
• Sarlis John Nicholas
• Gelder Joe
• Micone Philippe

Classifications

• C01B17/508

  by oxidation of sulfur compounds · CPC title

• C01B17/76 Primary

  by contact processes · CPC title