Zero emissions sulphur recovery process with concurrent hydrogen production

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9981849-B2
Application number	US-201614989696-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 6, 2016
Priority date	May 6, 2011
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

Disclosed is a process for the concurrent production of hydrogen and sulphur from a H 2 S-containing gas stream, with reduced, and preferably zero, emissions. The method comprises the catalytic oxidative cracking of H 2 S so as to form H 2 and S 2 . Preferably, the oxidation is conducted using oxygen-enriched air, preferably pure oxygen. The process is conducted in a reaction chamber comprising a bifunctional catalyst material, so as to favor both the partial oxidation of H 2 S and the dissociation thereof.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A plant suitable for conducting catalytic oxidative cracking of an H 2 S-containing gas stream, said plant comprising a catalytic reaction chamber having a first inlet for an H 2 S-containing acid gas stream and a second inlet for an oxygen-comprising stream and comprising a reaction zone containing in series a first catalyst bed filled with a first catalyst for H 2 S partial oxidation and downstream thereof a second catalyst bed filled with a second catalyst for H 2 S cracking;
wherein the first catalyst is an oxidation catalyst selected from the group consisting of one or more Group VIII metals and oxides thereof and the second catalyst is a cracking catalyst which is one or more metal sulphides; and
wherein the reaction chamber further comprises a gas quench zone downstream from the reaction zone; and
wherein said plant further comprises, upstream of said catalytic beds, a static mixer configured for mixing gases from said first and second inlets.

2. A plant according to claim 1 , wherein said gas quench zone comprises a water sprayer.

3. The plant according to claim 1 , wherein the second catalyst is selected from the group consisting of CoS 2 , NiS, NiS 2 , WS 2 , MoS 2 , FeS 2 , Ag 2 S, CuS, CdS, MnS, ZnS, and Cr 2 S 3 .

4. The plant according to claim 1 which further comprises a waste heat boiler and a sulphur condenser downstream of the reaction chamber.

Assignees

• Stamicarbon
• Stamicarbon B V Acting Under The Name Of Mt Innovation Center

Inventors

• Angelini Fabio
• Barbato Lucia

Classifications

• Y02P20/129

  Energy recovery, e.g. by cogeneration, H2recovery or pressure recovery turbines · CPC title

• C01B17/0495 Primary

  by dissociation of hydrogen sulfide into the elements · CPC title

• C01B17/0404

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

• B01D2256/16

  Hydrogen · CPC title

• B01D2251/102

  Oxygen · CPC title