Method for removing hydrogen sulfide from hydrocarbon gas streams without pollution of the atmosphere

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR REMOVING HYDROGEN SULFIDE FROM A GAS STREAM AND SUBSTANTIALLY ELIMINATING AIR POLUTION FROM TAIL GAS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: PASSING A HYDROGEN SULFIDE CONTAMINATED INPUT GAS THROUGH A HYDROGEN SULFIDE ABSORBER TO REMOVE HYDROGEN SULFIDE THEREFROM AND PRODUCE A RESULTANT CLEAN GAS OUTPUT STREAM; CONVERTING A PORTION OF THE REMOVED HYDROGEN SULFIDE TO SULFUR IN A SULFUR CONVERSION PLANT; PASSING TAIL AS CONTAINING UNCONVERTED HYDROGEN SULFIDE FROM THE SULFUR CONVERSION PLANT TO AN ADSORBER PLANT TO THEREBY REVERSIBLY ADSORB SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE UNCONVERTED HYDROGEN SULFIDE; AND PERIODICALLY DESORBING SAID ADSORBED UNCONVERTED HYDROGEN SULFIDE AND RECYCLING THE DESORBED HYDROGEN SULFIDE INTO THE HYDROGEN SULFIDE ABSORBER AND SULFUR CONVERSION PLANTS TO EFFECT FURTHER CONVERSION OF HYDROGEN SULFIDE TO SULFUR, WHEREBY SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE HYDROGEN SULFIDE IN THE INPUT GAS IS ULTIMATELY CONVERTED TO SULFUR AND SULFUR CONTAINING TAIL GAS IS NOT VENTED TO THE ATMOSPHERE.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR REMOVING HYDROGEN SULFIDE FROM A GAS STREAM AND SUBSTANTIALLY ELIMINATING AIR POLUTION FROM TAIL GAS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: PASSING A HYDROGEN SULFIDE CONTAMINATED INPUT GAS THROUGH A HYDROGEN SULFIDE ABSORBER TO REMOVE HYDROGEN SULFIDE THEREFROM AND PRODUCE A RESULTANT CLEAN GAS OUTPUT STREAM; CONVERTING A PORTION OF THE REMOVED HYDROGEN SULFIDE TO SULFUR IN A SULFUR CONVERSION PLANT; PASSING TAIL AS CONTAINING UNCONVERTED HYDROGEN SULFIDE FROM THE SULFUR CONVERSION PLANT TO AN ADSORBER PLANT TO THEREBY REVERSIBLY ADSORB SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE UNCONVERTED HYDROGEN SULFIDE; AND PERIODICALLY DESORBING SAID ADSORBED UNCONVERTED HYDROGEN SULFIDE AND RECYCLING THE DESORBED HYDROGEN SULFIDE INTO THE HYDROGEN SULFIDE ABSORBER AND SULFUR CONVERSION PLANTS TO EFFECT FURTHER CONVERSION OF HYDROGEN SULFIDE TO SULFUR, WHEREBY SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE HYDROGEN SULFIDE IN THE INPUT GAS IS ULTIMATELY CONVERTED TO SULFUR AND SULFUR CONTAINING TAIL GAS IS NOT VENTED TO THE ATMOSPHERE.

Claim 3

A method for removing hydrogen sulfide from a gas stream without creating atmospheric pollution comprising the steps of: passing a hydrogen sulfide contaminated gas stream through an amine absorption plant to produce a clean output gas stream and an amine solution containing hydrogen sulfide; removing the hydrogen sulfide from the amine solution and passing the removed hydrogen sulfide into a Claus type conversion plant to convert a major portion of the hydrogen sulfide to sulfur, unconverted hydrogen sulfide being carried from the conversion plant in a tail gas stream; passing the conversion plant tail gas stream into a molecular sieve adsorption plant to reversibly adsorb hydrogen sulfide from the tail gas to provide a non-polluting tail gas vent stream to the atmosphere; and periodically desorbing the adsorbed hydrogen sulfide and recycling the desorbed hydrogen sulfide into the amine absorption plant; whereby ultimately substantially all of the hydrogen sulfide in the input gas stream is converted and removed from the cleanup system as liquid or solid sulfur thereby eliminating sulfur containing tail gases and thus eliminating atmospheric contamination.

Claim 4

A method for removing hydrogen sulfide from a gas stream without creating atmospheric pollution comprising the steps of: passing a hydrogen sulfide contaminated gas stream through an amine absorption plant to produce a clean output gas stream and an amine solution containing hydrogen sulfide; removing the hydrogen sulfide from the amine solution and passing the removed hydrogen sulfide into a Claus type conversion plant to convert a major portion of the hydrogen sulfide to sulfur, unconverted hydrogen sulfide being carried from the conversion plant in a tail gas stream; passing the conversion plant tail gas stream into a molecular sieve adsorption plant to reversibly adsorb hydrogen sulfide from the tail gas to provide a non-polluting tail gas vent stream to the atmosphere; and periodically desorbing the adsorbed hydrogen sulfide and recycling the desorbed hydrogen sulfide into the amine absorption plant; whereby ultimately substantially all of the hydrogen sulfide in the input gas stream is converted and removed from the cleanup system as liquid or solid sulfur thereby eliminating sulfur containing tail gases and thus eliminating atmospheric contamination.