Chapter 8 - Sulfur Recovery and Handling

Abstract

Roughly 25% of the natural gas brought into production from new sources requires some degree of treatment to remove hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) and recover elemental sulfur from acid gas streams containing H 2 S in high concentrations. In fact, due to the latest legislation plus environmental and safety considerations, venting or flaring H 2 S to the surroundings is now an unacceptable option, so conversion to elemental sulfur is necessary. Elemental sulfur is easy to store, handle, and transport in bulk. Ease of storage is an important advantage as it enables sulfur to be stockpiled economically in periods of reduced demand. Chemical conversion of H 2 S for disposal as solid waste (such as calcium sulfate) is technically feasible but uneconomical. Converting H 2 S to sulfuric acid is also a feasible option. However, sulfuric acid is both toxic and corrosive and, as a liquid, more expensive to store and transport than solid sulfur. Where environmental regulations permit and production of elemental sulfur is not economically attractive, injection wells provide a safe means for H 2 S disposal. This chapter discusses the properties of elemental sulfur and then describes the most common methods available for dealing with large quantities of H 2 S.