Strategies for Short-

Term H2S Removal

Darryl Mamrosh, PE Carrie Beitler
Darshan Sachde, PhD Duane Myers, PE
Ken McIntush, PE

Trimeric Corporation
Buda, Texas
Overview
 Introduction
 Technologies
 Example: Refinery Turnaround
 Example: Gas Processing
 Conclusions

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Introduction

 Why is short-term H2S removal important?

 Turnarounds
• Gas treatment plants
• Refineries
 Oil and gas production upstream
• More H2S than planned when gas is first produced
• Well testing
• Short-term H2S removal while long-term H2S removal
solutions is being designed / installed / permitted

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Introduction

How is an H2S Removal Method Chosen?

 Most applications:
• Long term
• Permanent
… Establish selection criteria based on economics of
proven technologies
 Short-term H2S removal:
• Economics work out differently
• Selection criteria not as well established

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Introduction

Important variables
 How quickly needed
 How long it is needed for
 Amount of H2S removed
 Treat requirement
 Type of gas
• Amine acid gas
• Fuel gas
• Natural gas
• Flare gas
 Is the gas the product or can it be burned?
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Introduction
A comment on economic data…
 Some operating and capital cost estimates, and
relative costs, are given
 Economics vary case to case
• One of the points of this paper
 Economics vary locally, over time, etc.
• New technologies routinely change the picture
 This paper provides examples illustrating
technologies considered
• Don’t assume the conclusions apply for all cases

6
Overview
 Introduction
 Technologies
 Example: Refinery Turnaround
 Example: Gas Processing
 Conclusions

LRGCC February 25‐28, 2019 7
Technologies

 No technology dedicated to short-term H2S

removal
• Rental equipment may be
 Thing to look for
• Low capital cost or rental
• Quick availability
• Small footprint
• Simplicity, easy installation
 Operating costs much less important
• Consider technologies not normal for long-term use

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Technologies
What technologies might be considered?
Flaring
 Burn gas, converts H2S to SO2
 Advantages
• Simplest option, chosen when feasible
• Most facilities have flares in place
• Rental flares available
 Disadvantages
• Limited use when gas is the product
• Limited by environmental permits, safety

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Technologies
What technologies might be considered?
Scavengers
 Disposable solid or liquid react with H2S
irreversibly
• Permanent installations: < few hundred lb/day H2S
• Triazine (liquid)
• Iron oxide or other metal oxides (solid)
• Caustic (liquid)

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Technologies
What technologies might be considered?
Scavengers
 Advantages
• Simple: often just two vessels, limited controls
• Quick implementation
• Low capital cost
• Rental
 Disadvantages
• Scavenger purchase
• Solid scavengers: vessel changeouts
• Disposal of spent

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Technologies
What technologies might be considered?
Liquid Redox Sulfur Recovery (LRSR)
 Liquid phase reaction: H2S to sulfur
• Chemical is regenerated and reused
 H2S removal rates between scavengers and
amine/Claus
 Historically, usually not for temporary applications
• Some vendors developing portable versions

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Technologies
What technologies might be considered?
Liquid Redox Sulfur Recovery (LRSR)
 Advantages
• Less chemical usage/disposal cost than scavengers
• High H2S removal efficiency
 Disadvantages
• More complex process to operate
• Significant capital cost
• Little history of temporary/mobile applications

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Technologies

What technologies might be considered?

Amine Combinations
• Amine is usually a “partial solution”
• Combined with downstream technology to deal with acid
gas stream
• Strategy is specific to the application, location
• Vendors offer rental skidded amine units

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Technologies

What technologies might be considered?

Burn & Scrub (post-combustion scrubbing)
• Incinerate gas
• Quench, scrub SOx using caustic
• Particularly good for high-CO2 waste gases

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Technologies

Want to learn more?

FUNDAMENTALS OF LOW-TONNAGE SULFUR REMOVAL

AND RECOVERY
Laurance Reid Gas Conditioning Conference - 2017

LRGCC February 25‐28, 2019 16
Overview
 Introduction
 Technologies
 Example: Refinery Turnaround
 Example: Gas Processing
 Conclusions

LRGCC February 25‐28, 2019 17
Example: Refinery Turnaround
 Hypothetical case: Flare gas recovery system
outage during turnaround

• Turnaround (TAR) of part of refinery

• Amine systems would remain running
• Flare gas recovery (FGR) system to be down
• Cannot flare gas directly due to SO2 emission limits
• Must remove H2S from flare gas to < 162 ppmv
• Flare gas varies… Four cases developed
• Expected TAR duration: ~30 to ~60 days
 50 days in this analysis

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Example: Refinery Turnaround

Parameter Units Case I Case II Case III Case IV

Gas flow rate MMscfd 2 2 4.5 4.5

H2 mol% 75 25 75 25
C1+ mol% 20 46 20 46
H2S mol% 0.55 7.7 0.55 7.7
CO2 mol% 0.2 0.6 0.2 0.6
O2 mol% 0.4 2 0.4 2
Other mol% 4.6 19 4.6 19
Sulfur Rate LTPD 0.41 5.8 0.93 13.1
Total S to remove (50 days) LT 22 307 49 691

19
Example: Refinery Turnaround
Considerations for technology selection:
 Direct flaring without treatment: not an option
• High SO2 emissions
 Parts of the refinery operating – amine & SRU
• Potential to use amine, but gas at low pressure
 TAR are routine but infrequent (~several years)
• Could install permanent equipment, idle between TAR
• Rental equipment preferred

20
Example: Refinery Turnaround

Technologies considered in detail

 Amine treating
• Take slipstream lean from operating lean header
• Contact at low pressure
• Return now-rich slipstream to existing rich header
• Flare sweet gas

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Example: Refinery Turnaround

Technologies considered in detail

 Scavenging:
• Types
 caustic scrubbing
 iron oxide solids
 triazine liquid
• Remove H2S into scavenger
• Change out scavenger as needed
• Flare sweet gas

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Example: Refinery Turnaround

Technologies considered briefly & ruled out

 Burn & caustic scrub
 LRSR
 Ammonia scrubbing
 Bleach scrubbing

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Example: Refinery Turnaround

 Option 1A: Amine, permanent system

• Purchase low-pressure contactor (idle during normal ops)
 Option 1B: Amine, rental System
• Rent contactor, pump and controls, set up for each TAR

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Example: Refinery Turnaround

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Example: Refinery Turnaround

 Amine Treating of low-pressure flare gas

• Main Issue: Treating at low pressure
 Lean amine not lean enough
 <162 ppm H2S achievable by pushing amine regen a bit to
get leaner
• Evaluated purchased & rental versions

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Example: Refinery Turnaround

 Option 2A: Caustic scrubbing, permanent system

• Purchase contactor, pumps (idle during normal ops)
 Option 2B: Caustic scrubbing, rental system
• Rent skidded scrubber, set up for each TAR

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Example: Refinery Turnaround

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Example: Refinery Turnaround

 Option 3A: Solid scavengers, purchased system

 Option 3B: Solid scavengers, rental system

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Example: Refinery Turnaround

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Example: Refinery Turnaround

 Option 4: Triazine liquid scavenger, rental

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Example: Refinery Turnaround
Off-Line On-Line
Liquid Scavenger Liquid Scavenger
Vessel Vessel

Triazine Tank

Spent
Triazine
Removal
(batch)
To Gas
Plant Existing FGR Spent Triazine
System Storage

Normal TAR
Route Route

To
Sour Gas in Flare
Flare Header
System

Existing
Seal Pot
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Example: Refinery Turnaround
 Economic Evaluation, Permanent Installation

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Example: Refinery Turnaround
 Economic Evaluation, Rental Equipment

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Example: Refinery Turnaround

Situational factors
 Implement rental systems more quickly
 Rental caustic and scavenger units common
• But usually for lower capacity range
 Amine rental equipment usually not for low pressure
 Experience at the location: has the technology been applied
before?
 Waste disposal issues with scavengers
• Solid waste disposal versus liquids

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Example: Refinery Turnaround
Conclusions of this example
 Results vary depending upon case
 Rental systems are advantageous
• Generally not available to handle highest H2S load cases
 For lower load cases
• Rental caustic scrubbers and solid scavengers
• Choose one based on familiarity
 Low-pressure amine contacting was advantageous
for the highest H2S throughput cases

36
Overview
 Introduction
 Technologies
 Example: Refinery Turnaround
 Example: Gas Processing
 Conclusions

LRGCC February 25‐28, 2019 37
Example: Gas Processing

 Associated Gas
• Oil production may force gas production & treatment
 Example: 50 MMscfd
• 1,000 ppmv H2S
• 2 mole% CO2
 ~1.9 LTPD H2S
 Long-term solution planned:
• Amine with AGI
• AGI is long lead: well, permitting
 Short-term solution:
• Amine plant installation on the short term
• What to do with the acid gas?
 Duration of short-term solution: uncertain
• Build and permit new facility while producing gas
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Example: Gas Processing

 Short-term disposition of acid gas

• Flare
• Liquid scavenging
 Caustic
 Triazine
• Solid scavenging
• Liquid Redox Sulfur Recovery Processes
 Compare relative AGI + LRSR

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Example: Gas Processing

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Example: Gas Processing

 For this small-tonnage H2S example, scavengers

can be used for temporary applications
• Up to 2 years before becoming more expensive overall
compared to permanent technologies (LRSR, AGI)

41
Overview
 Introduction
 Technologies
 Example: Refinery Turnaround
 Example: Gas Processing
 Conclusions

LRGCC February 25‐28, 2019 42
Conclusions

 Short-tem removal of H2S has different economics

than permanent installations
• Higher operating costs okay
• Lower capital cost preferred
• Must consider the amount of H2S to be removed and
duration of the application
• Rapid availability: rentals can advantageous but not
available for all applications
• Operations preference / familiarity is also important

LRGCC February 25‐28, 2019 43
 Strategies for Short-
Term H2S Removal
Darryl Mamrosh, PE Carrie Beitler
Darshan Sachde, PhD Duane Myers, PE
Ken McIntush, PE

Trimeric Corporation
Buda, Texas