Technical Investigation of Integrated Gas Sweetening and Enrichment Process

Mahdipoor, Hamid Reza; Ghorbani, Atiyye; Hamidnia, Mohammad Kazem

doi:10.22078/pr.2018.3327.2527

Technical Investigation of Integrated Gas Sweetening and Enrichment Process

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

¹ Gas Technology Development Research Center, Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI), Tehran, Iran

² National Iranian Gas Company, Asaluyeh, Iran

10.22078/pr.2018.3327.2527

Abstract

The duty of Sulfur Recovery Unit (SRU) is converting the acid gas coming from the gas sweetening unit to Sulfur, to prevent the emission of environment pollutant gases. Low H₂S concentration in the feedstock may lead to problems such as unstable flame in the reaction furnace, inactivity of catalysts, decrease of sulfur product and increase of environmental pollutants, and reducing the quality of producted sulfur. Therefore, preparing facilities for enrichment of acid gas and increasing the H₂S concentration in the feedstock of SRU is necessary. At this time, the H₂S concentration in the feedstock of SRU in the south Pars refineries is significantly decreased. Therefore, since the gas sweetening unit is operating under its nominal throughput due to decrease in the H₂S concentration of its feedstock, using the excess capacity of this unit for enrichment of the acid gas routed to SRU is applicable. In this papert, at first the gas sweetening unit is simulated by means of the operating data. Then, with considering the enrichment absorber column, an integrated system for increasing the H₂S concentration routed to SRU is recommended and simulated. The results shows that increasing the H₂S concentration from 20 mol% up to 34 mol% is achievable by applying the unused capacity of the gas sweetening unit and adding just one absorber column.

Keywords

20.1001.1.23452900.1398.29.986.12.6

References

[1]. ZareNezhad B., “An investigation on the most important influencing parameters regarding the selection of the proper catalysts for Claus SRU converters,” J. Ind. Eng. Chem., Vol. 15, pp. 143-147, 2009.##

[2]. Mahdipoor H. R., Hassan Broojerdi Erfani A., S. and Javaherizadeh H., “Estimating required combustion air and fuel gas in a sulfur recovery unit (SRU) containing lean acid gas feed,” Journal of Petroleum Science Research, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 50-53, 2014.##

[3]. Clark P. D., Dowling N. I. and Huang M., “Chemistry of the claus front-end reaction furnace hydrocarbon reactions and the formation and destruction of CS₂,” Proceedings of the Brimstone Sulfur Recovery Symposium, Vail, pp. 23-26, 1997.##

[4]. Mahdipoor H. R., Ganji H., Naderi H., Yousefian H. and Javaherizadeh,H., “Adjusting the furnace and converter temperature of the sulfur recovery units,” World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, Vol. 67, pp. 1294-1297, 2012.##

[5]. مهدی‌پور ح. ر و گنجی ح.، «فرآیند بازیافت گوگرد»، انتشارات اندیشه سرا، 1395.##

[6]. Elsner M. P., Menge M., Müller C. and Agar D. W., “The claus process: teaching an old dog new tricks,” Catalysis Today, Vol. 79, pp. 487-494, 2003.##

[7]. Sames J., “Sulfur recovery process fundamental,” Technical paper, Sulfur experts Inc, Calgary, 1998.##

[8]. Anonymous, “Gas processors suppliers association (GPSA),” Engineering Data Book, GPSA, Tulsa, Chapter 22, 1987.##

[9]. Mahdipoor H. R., Khorsand K., Hayati R. and Javaherizadeh H., “Effect of reaction furnace and converter temperatures on performance of sulfur recovery units (SRUs)”, JPSR, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 1-3, 2012##.

[10]. مهدی‌پور ح. ر، خورسند ک.، گنجی ح. و حسن بروجردی س.، «طراحی بهینه یک واحد صنعتی بازیافت گوگرد با خوراک گاز اسیدی رقیق»، چهاردهمین کنگره ملی مهندسی شیمی ایران، دانشگاه صنعتی شریف، تهران، 1391.##

[11]. مهدی‌پور ح. ر، خورسند ک.، گنجی ح. و حسن بروجردی س.، «تنظیم پارامتر کلیدی دما در طراحی واحد بازیافت گوگرد»، فرآیند نو، شماره 37، صفحات 82-90، 1391.##

[12]. Flowers J., Chow T. and Wong V., “Tackling contaminants in sulphur recovery,” Sulphur, Vol. 333, pp. 42-58, 2011.##

[13]. Slavens A. and La mar J., Nikolic D. L. and Brok T., “Enhanced sulphur recovery from lean acid gases,” GAS, Petroleum Technology Quarterly, Vol. 12, Issue 7, 2011.##

[14]. Perry D., Fedich R. B. and Parks L. E., “Better acid gas enrichment, sulphur,” Vol. 326, pp. 38-42, 2010. ##

[15]. Mahdipoor H. R., “THE influence of acid gas loading on the performance of acid gas enrichment (age) absorber column”, International Journal of Chemical and Petroleum Sciences, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 1-7, 2015.##

[16]. Mahdipoor H. R. and Dehghani A., “Feasibility study of a sulfur recovery unit containing mercaptans in lean acid gas feed,” Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, Vol. 31, pp. 585-588, 2016.##

[17]. مهدی‌پور ح. ر، «شبیه‌سازی واحدهای شیرین‌سازی گاز با نرم‌افزار ProMax»، انتشارات اندیشه سرا، 1395.##

[18]. کیستر ه.، ترجمه مهدی‌پور ح. ر و شکیبا س.، «طراحی تقطیر»، انتشارات اندیشه سرا، تهران، 1391.##