UCBSRP process

Townsend Process, 841 IFP Clauspol 1500 Process, 843 Wiewiorowski Process, 846 UCBSRP Process, 846... 

In 1986, the University of California at Berkeley conducted extensive bench scale research on a process similar to the original Townsend process, but using a different physical solvent and a new catalyst formulation. This process has been named the UCBSRP process, but in spite of its scientific interest, it has not attracted the funding needed to be scaled up to the pilot-plant stage. 

Bench scale tests of the application of the UCBSRP process to recycle gas from a crude oil residuum hydrotreater and to a coal gasification stream were reported, respectively, by Lynn et al. (1987) and by Neumann and Lynn (1986). 

Design Basis for a Plant Utilizing the UCBSRP Process to Treat ... 

The UCBSRP process is claimed to have significantly lower capital and operating costs than the combination of an ethanolamine absorber/stripper unit plus a Claus plant plus a SCOT tail gas unit. Most of the energy consumed by the process is connected with the recovery and fractionation of propane and heavier hydrocarbons. Approximately 92% of the electrical power usage and 89% of the cooling requirements are associated with hydrocarbon recovery and separation (Sciamanna et al., 1988). The heat generated by the sulfur furnace more than offsets the heat demand required by the desulfurization of the natural gas stream. 

Corrosion studies by Crean (1987) indicate that carbon steel and 3(X) series stainless steels are satisfactory materials of construction for the UCBSRP process. 

UCBSRP [University of California Berkeley Sulfur Recovery Process] A process for removing hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide from natural gas. These gases react together in a polyglycol solvent with a catalyst, yielding elemental sulfur. Not piloted as of 1997. 

The natural gas processing scheme proposed by Sciamanna and Lynn (1988) was developed with the aid of the UCBSRP flow-sheet simulator (Neumann, 1986). The process flow diagram presented in this paper is rather complex for a process of this type, reflecting greater emphasis on technical optimization than on commercial feasibility. An illustration of a simplified, updated generic flow diagram for the UCBSRP selective H2S process is shown in Figure 9-50 (Lynn et al. 1991). 

Figure 9-50. Flow diagram of UCBSRP H2S selective gas purification process (Lynn et al., 1991). Reprinted with permission from the Proceedings of die 1991 GRi Liquid Redox Suifur Recovery Conference, copyright 1991, Gas Research institute...

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