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Bechtel’s Impact Report

Hydrogen Sulfide Production Unit

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Hydrogen Sulfide Production Unit

The Bechtel hydrogen sulfide production unit produces a high-quality hydrogen sulfide product from hydrogen and liquid sulfur. Bechtel offers licensing and a process design license package for the hydrogen sulfide production unit.

The hydrogen sulfide production unit consists of the sulfur storage and feed section, the reactor section, and the hydrogen sulfide cleanup section. A simple block flow diagram is presented below.

The unit will process liquid sulfur and hydrogen gas in the reactor section and will produce a hydrogen sulfide product. Sulfur in the hydrogen sulfide product is removed in the hydrogen sulfide cleanup section. The sulfur removed in the cleanup section is returned to the sulfur storage section for reuse.

Hydrogen is fed into the reactor where it contacts liquid sulfur and produces hydrogen sulfide according to the following equation:

H2 + S → H2S + Heat

Hydrogen Sulfide Production Unit

The hydrogen sulfide produced exits the reactor and enters the hydrogen sulfide cleanup section. In the hydrogen sulfide cleanup section, the hot reaction gas is cooled and the sulfur contained in the hydrogen sulfide gas from the reactor is removed.

Some of the cooling and condensation required in the hydrogen sulfide cleanup section is provided by circulating sulfur from the reactor section through the hydrogen sulfide cleanup section. Additional cooling is provided by cooling water exchangers.

An electric heater submerged in liquid sulfur is used to maintain and control the reactor temperature to the optimum reaction point.

Molten sulfur make-up to the plant is combined with the circulating liquid sulfur stream. The sulfur make-up is filtered to minimize the amount of solids that are introduced into the process. Solid build-up in the reactor is controlled by removing a blow-down stream of sulfur from the reactor.