Iranian Journal of Chemical Engineering (IJChE)

Abstract Marun oil field is located in the southwest of Iran and consists of two oil reservoirs named Asmari and Bangestan. Asmari oil reservoir has been producing sweet oil and gas since 1964, but for the first time a high amount of hydrogen sulfide gas was observed in one well of this reservoir in 1980. Moreover, the Bangestan oil reservoir is located deeper than the Asmari oil reservoir and has been producing sour oil and gas since 1972. This paper represents the conducted study on the determination of hydrogen sulfide oil pollution sources in the Asmari oil reservoir. There are two hypotheses for sources of hydrogen sulfide oil pollution in the Asmari oil reservoir; first, hydrogen sulfide gas migration from Bangestan oil reservoir and second, sour gas injection migration. Data of well souring history, hydrogen sulfide gas concentration of wells, volume of gas injection and RFT analysis were used to investigate these hypotheses. The results showed a similar trend of gas injection volume and hydrogen sulfide gas concentration of wells, which decreased over time. Also, the results demonstrated that the migration of gas injection is a source and cause of spreading of hydrogen sulfide gas in the Asmari oil reservoir.

Abstract Eventual realization of a hydrogen economy requires cheap and readily available hydrogen sources and a technology to convert them into pure hydrogen in an efficient and sustainable manner. The objective of this paper is the computational investigation of the hydrogen production through thermal decomposition of sour natural gases containing CH 4 and H 2S inside a solar reactor. In this study a solar reactor has been used to absorb solar power and allow it to concentrate in a graphite nozzle in the middle of the reactor and transfer it to a flow reactant thereafter. From an economical standpoint, the main issue is the production of two valuable products, hydrogen (H 2) and a high-value nano-material of carbon. The effects of H 2S to CH 4 feed ratio and reactor temperature on hydrogen, carbon black, S2 and CS 2 formation are investigated. The results show complex behavior in the products because of the difference in CH 4 and H 2S pyrolysis temperatures. It can be seen that for H2S/CH 4>2, the yields of H2 and CS 2 reach a local and global maximum at H2S/CH 4=5, respectively. A comparison performed between the presented results and the results of Towler and Lynn, and Abanades demonstrates a good agreement.

Abstract The removal of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) from airstreams was studied in a biotrickling filter packed with porous lava as a carrier of Thiobacillus thioparus (DSM5368) with counter current flows of the air and liquid streams. The effect of operating parameters on biotrickling filter performance was studied. Experiments were performed at different empty bed residence times (9-60 sec), and moderate H₂S concentrations (10-90 ppm) to assess the performance of biotrickling filter at different conditions of these parameters. The effect of superficial liquid velocity (0.98-1.95mh^-1) on the performance of biotrickling filter was evaluated. Increasing superficial liquid velocity decreased removal efficiency of the BTF. The gradual change in the concentration of H₂S in different heights of the BTF was investigated. Decreasing empty bed residence time lead to a slight increase in the homogeneity of the removal at different heights of the BTF; however the effect of change in the inlet concentration was insignificant. Complete removal was achieved in the first 85% of the bed. To gain a brief insight into the robustness of the biotrickling filter, its performance was investigated after several upsets in the system.