Patent ID: 7282193

Claim:
A method for producing sulfur and energy from an acid gas stream comprising hydrogen sulfide, the process comprising: a) charging the acid gas stream comprising hydrogen sulfide and an oxygen-containing gas to a combustion zone; b) combusting a quantity of the acid gas sufficient to produce a combustion flame temperature from about 1500 to about 2000° F. to produce a combustion product gas comprising hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide; c) mixing a sulfur dioxide stream with the combustion product gas in an amount sufficient to produce a reaction gas having an H 2 S:SO 2 ratio from about 1.9 to about 2.1; d) cooling the reaction gas to produce sulfur and heat energy; e) passing the reaction gas to a Claus process to produce sulfur; f) combusting sulfur with an oxygen-containing gas in at least one combustion chamber to produce a combustion product sulfur dioxide stream and heat energy; and, g) passing at least a portion of the combustion product sulfur dioxide stream to mixture with the combustion product gas.