Patent ID: 8444887

Claim:
A method for forming sulfur powder from molten sulfur comprising the steps of: providing a tower; introducing a molten sulfur to the tower through a plurality of atomization nozzles 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 a sulfur powder; allowing the sulfur powder to descend the tower under the influence of gravity; withdrawing the sulfur powder from the tower to form a withdrawn sulfur powder; and forming a slurry by mixing the withdrawn sulfur powder with an aqueous slurry, wherein the aqueous slurry includes wastewater available from a hydrocarbon production site.