Kinetics of the scavenging reactions of hydrogen sulfide with MEA-triazine

Hydrogen sulfide is a compound that is naturally present in hydrocarbon reserves; however, due to its extreme toxicity and corrosiveness, the concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the gas streams must be substantially decreased prior to their export to avoid any negative impact on operators, the facilities, and the environment. The preferred method for the removal of hydrogen sulfide from the gas in offshore processing is the direct injection of liquid chemicals – known as scavengers – to the gas stream, with the most common scavenger used for this purpose being MEA-triazine.

During her PhD studies, Iveth Romero focused on the kinetics of the reactions occurring between hydrogen sulfide and MEA-triazine in aqueous phase under relevant industrial conditions, and defined a kinetic model that describes such reactions. This kinetic model can be used by other researchers and oil and gas operators to model the gas-liquid hydrogen sulfide scavenging process, which will allow improving the management of MEA-triazine in offshore oil and gas installations. This is expected to reduce the consumption of MEA-triazine for the given hydrogen sulfide removal target, which in turn will decrease the environmental impact of offshore oil and gas production.

The research was conducted at the Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Section of Chemical Engineering, Aalborg University.