Sulfinol Process

[johnsmith600]

Hello,

Having been researching the sulfinol gas treating process, i am unsure as to what would be the ideal solvent to be used in the stripping column (regenerator)?

Sulfinol-M is to be used. Would steam suffice as an effective solvent for use in stripping column in order to regenerate a lean sulfinol solution?

H2S in feed stream is at 1ppm. CO2 much much less.


Thank you for your help

James Smith

 

[maddocks]

Steam is the normal stripping medium - see the GPSA Data book for more info.

 

[dcasto]

If you add live steam to the stripper, you will eventually lower the concentration of the sulfinol mixture. You need to keep the system i n balance and just use steam to heat the sulfinol mixture.

 

[johnsmith600]

what exactly is live steam?

also how will it lower the concentration of the sulfinol mixture as the components of the sulfinol mixture have high boiling points apart from the water content?

 

[dcasto]

live steam means steam under pressure and slightly superheated. As energy is transfered from the steam to heat the solution and to add heat to reverse the absorbtion, the steam will condense to water in the system. Then you will also consense the reamining steam in the reflux cooler and pump water with a few parts of sulfinol back into the still.

If you use steam to heat the reboiler, then you won't have any problems with dilution and the heat will boil the water mixed with the sulfinol. Use the lowest pressure steam you can, say 30 to 40 psig.

 

[johnsmith600]

the thing i am having trouble with (sorry i have just graduated), is that the steam will be generated from the reboiler as this would be the most economical mthod as using live steam the steam would be lost and using a reboiler would allow some of the heing medium to be retained. the issue is do i have a feed of steam into the reboiler which directly goes into the column or do i just use steam to boil the water from the sulfinol solution to create the steam requird for the regeneration of sulfinol?

thank you very much for all your help

 

[maddocks]

Typically 40-50 Psig saturated steam goes into the tubeside of the amine reboiler and this condensing heat will boil the amine solution on the shellside and create sour steam vapour to strip the acid gas out of the amine coming down the tower. The overhead condenser will then condense the steam, create a reflux, cool the acid gas and reduce water losses.