Patent ID: 6168768
Filing Date: 2001-01-02
Classification: B01D,C10L

Abstract:
A process for removing sulfur in the form of H.sub.2 S and sulfur containing organic compounds from sour natural gas containing C.sub.4+ /C.sub.5+ hydrocarbons, with recovery of said C.sub.4+ /C.sub.5+ hydrocarbons, comprises: (I) contacting said sour gas with a regenerable liquid sulfur absorbent to remove most of said sulfur and form a sulfur reduced gas; (ii) cooling said sulfur reduced gas to condense more sulfur compounds and said C.sub.4+ /C.sub.5+ hydrocarbons as a liquid condensate which is cooler than said sulfur reduced gas formed in step (I) and to form a cool gas reduced in hydrocarbons and further reduced in sulfur; (iii) separating said liquid condensate from said cool gas and recovering said C.sub.4+ /C.sub.5+ hydrocarbons, and (iv) contacting said sulfur and hydrocarbon reduced gas with one or more solid, sulfur removing absorbents to produce a clean gas having less than 0.1 vppm of sulfur.