Solubility and diffusion coefficient of hydrogen sulphide in polyethylene glycol 400 from 100 to 140°C

Abstract

Solubilitity Diffusion Coefficient of Hydrogen Sulphide in Polyethylene Glycol 400 from 100 to 140°C - The limitation of greenhouse and sour gas emissions in the atmosphere, such as hydrogen sulphide, is nowadays a major preoccupation in industrial processes. In this context, the Clauspol® process is a Claus tail gas treatment able to respond to this challenge of reaching high sulphur recovery. It consists of chemically converting H2S and SO2 into elementary sulphur in a polyethylene glycol 400 solvent. The optimisation of the process design requires a precise knowledge of both the solubility and diffusivity of these gases in this solvent. Hence, this work presents, in the case of H2S, experimental measurements and modelling of these data in the process operating conditions. The solubility data are modelled by the Sanchez-Lacombe equation of state with a single temperature-independent binary interaction coefficient. The diffusion coefficients are determined by applying the Infinite-Acting model to the experimental pressure decay curve. It is found to be inversely proportional to the viscosity of the solvent. Copyright © 2008, Institut français du pétrole.