METHOD FOR REMOVING SULFUR COMPOUND FROM NATURAL GAS

• Main Authors: INOUE HIROSHI, YOSHIKAWA YOSHITSUGU, NOZAWA MORIYUKI, SATO ETSURO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 25.01.2007
• Subjects: ADDING MATERIALS TO FUELS OR FIRES TO REDUCE SMOKE ORUNDESIRABLE DEPOSITS OR TO FACILITATE SOOT REMOVAL; CHEMISTRY; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; FIRELIGHTERS; FUELS; FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; INORGANIC CHEMISTRY; LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS; LUBRICANTS; METALLURGY; NATURAL GAS; NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; PEAT; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; SEPARATION; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BYSUBCLASSES C10G, C10K; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; TRANSPORTING

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for removing efficiently all of sulfur compounds, without using a physical absorption method, from a natural gas which contains hydrogen sulfide, mercaptan and other sulfur compounds. SOLUTION: This method for removing the sulfur compounds from a natural gas comprises an absorption stage that removes hydrogen sulfide and gaseous carbon dioxide mainly by treating the natural gas by the use of a chemical absorption method using an amine-containing solution, an adsorption stage that removes the mercaptan mainly by flowing the natural gas from the absorption stage into a molecular sieve-packed bed, a recovery stage that recovers sulfur from the hydrogen sulfide removed at the absorption stage using Claus process, a regeneration stage that desorbs the mercaptan adsorbed on the molecular sieve at the adsorption stage using a heated gas, and a reaction stage that converts the mercaptan, existing in a regenerated exhaust gas exhausted from the regeneration stage, to the hydrogen sulfide, wherein the reaction stage is performed by injecting steam or water, in the ratio of H2O/S=1-5 (molar ratio) relative to the sulfur in the regenerated exhaust gas, in the presence of a catalyst, under the condition of a temperature of 250-400°C and pressure of 1-10 MPa. COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT