Patent ID: 8851794

Claim:
A sulfur disposal method for disposing of sulfur in an unconsolidated sand formation comprising the steps of: receiving sulfur; reducing the sulfur to sulfur particulates from about 1 to about 10 microns; preparing an aqueous sulfur slurry comprising a carrier fluid and the sulfur particulates, wherein the carrier fluid comprises water; disposing of the aqueous sulfur slurry downhole; introducing the aqueous sulfur slurry to the unconsolidated sand formation; and allowing the aqueous sulfur slurry to diffuse throughout the unconsolidated sand formation wherein the aqueous sulfur slurry occupies and permeates through the unconsolidated sand formation by way of a dilation mechanism; wherein the step of reducing the sulfur to sulfur particulates is by conversion of the molten sulfur to the sulfur particulates and comprises the steps of: introducing molten sulfur to a tower; atomizing the molten sulfur to form an atomized molten sulfur spray, allowing the atomized molten sulfur spray to descend in the tower; introducing a gas to the tower, allowing the gas to flow through the tower counterflow to the atomized molten sulfur spray; allowing the gas to intimately interface with the atomized molten sulfur spray and cool the atomized molten sulfur spray to form the sulfur particulates; allowing the sulfur particulates to descend the tower under the influence of gravity; and withdrawing the sulfur particulates from the tower to form a withdrawn sulfur powder; and forming a slurry by mixing the withdrawn sulfur powder with an aqueous slurry, wherein the aqueous slurry includes wastewater available from a hydrocarbon production site.