104 Gas Sweetening ‘and water; metering, mixing, and a storage tank for the 20% NaOH feed; sour gas flow control; mixing tee or contactor; gas-liquid separator; NaSH recirculation and storage tank; and a control system. Figure 7-3 shows a rypical contact tower for liquids and slurries. The vessel is cylindrical with elliptical heads. It is equipped with inlet and outlet gas nozzles, slurry feed and overflow nozzles, a drain, a manway to meet code requirements, a mist eliminator, and a gas distributor. The sour gas enters at the bottom and rises to the distributor plate where it is dispersed into small gas bubbles. These rise through the slurry and provide the agitation needed to keep the slurry mixed. The sweetened gas flows through the mist eliminator and leaves at the top. Bubbling the gas into the slurry results in an expansion of the slurry equal to the volume of all the gas bubbles CHEMSWEET TOWER suum OVERFLOW wasosy BD sumay Figure 7-3. Contact tower for Liquid Processes (Manning, 1979), rising through the slurry at any given time. Consequently, the depth of the slurry increases from the static value to the dynamic value. Vessel height must be sufficient to maintain an adequate disengaging space, i.e., the distance between the top of the expanded slurry and the mist eliminator. Vessel diameter is a function of the actual gas flow rate at operating conditions. A minimum superficial gas velocity (ic., actual gas flow rate divided by the cross-sectional area) is needed to provide the agitation that keeps the slurry mixed. Too high a superficial gas velocity results in excessive expansion and entrainment of the slurry. Vessel height is dictated by the chemical requirement. ‘This requirement is determined by the bed life desired between charges. Normal bed life is 30 to 90 days. Design Table 7-2 summarizes five design procedures for iron sponge units. Agreement is excellent. Operation at a superficial velocity of 10 fmin results in lower loadings, €.g., 0.25 Ib Silb sponge. Higher loadings correspond to lower space velocities. The iron oxide must be hydrated, iue., Fey Osx HzO with a moisture content of at least 20%. A basic environment is assured by including about ‘one pound of sodium carbonate per bushel. When gas bubbles flow through a liquid or slurry they quickly reach a constant terminal velocity of about 48 fimin. The volume of the liquid expands by the volume Of gas in the liquid. The expansion factor, f, is the ratio of the dynamic volume—or liquid depth in a vessel of constant diameter—to the static volume or depth. The expansion factor should not be less than 1.03 to provide mixing of the solution or above 1.20 where liquid entrainment occurs, The following design procedure is recommended: Required Data: 1. Gas flow rate, Q, MMsefd 2. Operating pressure, P, psig 3. Operating temperature, T, °F 4. HyS inlet concentration, (ppmv) if the HS concentration is in grains H,S/100 sef, multiply by 15.9 to get ppmv.) 5. Compressibility factor, Z—Use Figures 3-16 through 3-21 (f the gas gravity is not known use 0.7.) 6. Expansion factor, f (Use 1.10 to 1.20.) When the bubbles rise at 48 fmin f is related to the superficial velocity V, in fumin V, = 48 (fF ~ Lyf.Gas Sweetening 105 Table 7-2 Design Criteria for Iron Sponge Towers ‘Anerousis Taylor | Pemy | Campbell | Maddox | Whitman 1956) | 4970) | caste) | a974) (1985) ‘Bed Height, f 10min.) | 10120 | 10(min) | 4%010 | 10 Cmin) (onin.) (enin.) | 20 with RSH. Supericial Velocity, 10 (max.) 2010 fvmin Max. Mass Velocity | 78 p,°° 189,09 Timin sq ft Max. Space Velocity, | 180 oy 5010 180 | 55 10 180 sacthcu ft bed 90 (50 gr HSN00sef) Contact Time, see 60 (min.) Loading, 0.60 cas fost ost 0.25 10 0.35 Tb Sib sponge Heat Effect, Sulfur | 15 ~ 15 Is Is Deposition: sein! sqft of bed Max. Gas Temp, °F dry | 100 13 110 7 water spray 120 = Minimum Gas Pressure, | 20 | psig Calculation Procedure: Caustic Soda Depends on the CO content NaSH NS = 0.109 (QXppmv H3S) _ gal 20% Calculate the Gas actual flow rate, Qy, at T & P Nowa 19.63 (QUT + 460) (Z) scfm 4 (P+ 14.7) where 14.7 = atmospheric pressure at sea level 2. Calculate the internal cross-sectional area, A, and the internal vessel diameter, ID. Superficial Velocity Cross Sectional Provess fvmin ara Iron Sponge 10.0 0.10 Q, ‘Chemsweet 65 0.160, Sulfa-Check 8.0 0.11, Caustic Soda 80 0.3 6 ID = [A/0.7854)°° fe Select a vessel OD that provides at least this internal diameter after considering the wall thickness. Calculate the actual ID (ft) and use this value. 3. Caleulate the daily chemical requirement Iron Sponge 1S = 0.0133 (Qy(ppmv H,S) _ f/day Chemsweet CS = 0.248 (Qy(ppmv HS) Ib/day Sulfa-Check SC = 0.0474 (Q\(ppmv HS) gal/day Select a static bed height, L—typically 10 to 20 ft The volume, RV, of reactant is: RV = 0.7854 (D)*L) f° Note that bubbling gas into aliquid increases the volume (and the height in the tower) by the volume of the gas bubbles in the liquid at any given time. This increase in bath height—up to 20%—must be considered in selecting the shell length of the tower. The bed life, BL, is: Iron Sponge BL = RVAS days Chemsweet BL = 11.7 RVICS days Sulfa-Check BL= 7.5 RV/SC days . The charge requirements are: Iron Sponge: RV bushels Chemsweet: 11.7 RV Ib solids T.ORV gal water Sulfa-Check: 7.5 RV gallons ‘The above correspond to a minimum vessel diameters, reactant volumes, and bed lives. To increase the bed life, the tower diameter and height can be increased.106 Gas Sweetening However, reducing the superficial gas velocity below 2 fmin causes channeling in iron sponge towers. For slurries, operation velocities below 1 ft/min are not recommended because of poor mixing, 7. For iron sponge units the following checks (Table 7-2) are advisable even though they seldom invalidate a design, Make sure the mass velocity is less than 78 (p,)"* Ibimin sq ft. This occurs only with liquid hydrocarbons and a density over 30 Ib/cu ft. 8. Check the contact time by determining the space velocity acfhift of bed. This should be less than 180 acthift® for low HS contents and 90 acfhift? for over 50 ‘1/100 sef gas. 9. Check the heat effect. The sulfur deposition or absorption should be less than 15 gr/min ft? of bed area Example 7-1, Select and size a sweetening process for the following gas stream: 100 Msefd, 100 ppm HS, 1% CO>, 200 psig, 80°F, SG = 0.7, elevation = 1000 ft. First estimate sulfur content: 1S _ (set) (® mol 2s) (mols day \aay)\ set Not gas (Ps \ mol Hi _ 100,000 1 100 32 1379.5 7,000,000 1 = 0.85 Use a batch process—select iron sponge. Design steps are: 1. At actual gas flowing conditions Z= 0.955 (Fig. 3-19). Pry = 14.2 at 1000 ft elevation (Appendix 6, Table A6-2) 19.63 (0.1180 + 459.7)(0.955) (200 + 14.2) 4.72 acim. 2. Assume superficial velocity is 2.5 fumin, Bed cross-sectional are 0.4 Qa, = 1.89 2 Bed diameter = 1.5 ft ID 3. Daily chemical requirement IS = (0.0133)(.1)(100) = 0.133 f/day 4, Select bed height 5 ft, D = 1.5 ft RV = (.7854)(1.5)%(5) = 8.84 f° 5. Bed life = RV/IS = 8.84/0.133 = 66 days 6. Check contact time Space velocity = acf/RV Okay because < 180. 7. Check heat effect 100 ppmy = 100/15.9 3 gr HyS/100 sef S deposition = (scfimin)(gr H,S/scfy (bed area) 100,000/24 x 60)(6.3/100V(1.9) = 2.3 gr HpS/min ft? bed Okay because less than 15 gr H,S/min fi? bed Operation ‘The Keys to trouble-free operation are proper installation of the tower and preparation of the reactant. Be sure (o: 1 Check the design parameters, especially the superficial velocity of the sour gas. For iron sponge units, too low a velocity results in poor gas distribution, gas channeling, and loss of absorption efficiency. Too high 4 velocity compacts the bed and increases the pressure drop. For slurries, too low a velocity means poor mixing and settling of the solids. Too high a velocity promotes foaming, liquid entrainment, and carryover of the bath. Anticipate condensation and hydrate formation duting cold weather. A high pressure drop across an iron sponge bed can produce sufficient cooling for these phenomena. Include an inlet separator. Liquids—water or hydrocarbons—quickly ruin an iron sponge bed by washing the iron oxide off the wood chips and swelling the wood. The result is a rapid pressure build-up across the bed— as much as 200 psi in one day. For slurries the results are equally disastrous: increased bath volume, formation of water/hydrocarbon emulsions, foaming, and carryover. Pressurize the rower slowly and, if possible, from both the top and bottom. Be careful: too rapid a pressurization from the top compacts the iron sponge chips and strains the bed support. From the bottom too rapid a pressurization either lifts the chips and settles them tunevenly or bumps liquids into the mist eliminator. Start and increase the gas flow slowly. Unless impractical (e.g., remote areas), check the ‘operation daily. Measure the gas flow, temperature, and