Scavenging hydrogen sulfide and/or mercaptans from fluid and gas streams

Abstract

Hydrogen sulfide and mercaptans may be removed from a fluid or gaseous stream by reacting the hydrogen sulfide and mercaptans in the stream with a scavenger selected from a: (i.) 1,3,5-trisalkanylamino hexahydro-1,3,5-triazine derivative; (ii.) morpholine or piperazine derivative; (iii.) amine oxide; (iv.) alkanolamine; or (v.) aliphatic or aromatic polyamine.

1 . A method for scavenging hydrogen sulfide and/or mercaptans from a liquid or gaseous stream which comprises bringing the stream into contact with a scavenging effective amount of at least one scavenger selected from the group consisting of a: 
 (i.) a 1,3,5-trisalkanylamino hexahydro-1,3,5-triazine derivative;    (ii.) a nitrogen heterocyclic compound of the formula:                          wherein Y is —N or —O and R 8  is an aminoalkyl group containing between 2 to 4 carbon atoms;    (iii.) an amine oxide; and    (iv.) an aliphatic or aromatic polyamine and thereby scavenging hydrogen sulfide and/or mercaptan from the liquid or gaseous stream.    
     
     
         2 . (canceled)  
     
     
         3 . (canceled)  
     
     
         4 . (canceled)  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one scavenger comprises morpholine bottoms.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one scavenger comprises an amine oxide is of the formula (R 1 )(R 2 )(R 3 )N→O wherein R 1  is an alkyl, alkenyl, alkylarylalkylene, alkenylarylalkylene, alkylamidoalkylene, or alkenylamidoalkylene group, wherein each of said alkyl groups contains up to about 24 carbon atoms and may be branched or straight chained and saturated or unsaturated, and wherein said alkylene groups have from about 1 to about 6 carbon atoms; and R 2  and R 3  are independently aliphatic chains having about 1 to about 30 carbon atoms.  
     
     
         7 . (canceled)  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the alkanolamine is selected from the group consisting of monoalkanolamines, dialkanolamines and trialkanolamines and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the alkanolamine is selected from the group consisting of monoethanolamine, monomethanolamine, monopropanolamine, monobutanolamine, monopentanolamine, monohexanolamine, monoheptanolamine, monooctanolamine, monononanolamine, ethyldiethanolamine, dimethanolamine, methanolethanolamine, diethanolamine, methanolpropanolamine, ethanolpropanolamine, dipropanolamine, methanolbutanolamine, ethanolbutanolamine, propanolbutanolamine, dibutanolamine, dipentanolamine, dihexanolamine, diheptanolamine dioctanolamine, triethanolamine and tripropanolamine.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one scavenger comprises a polyamine containing at least two amine groups per molecule.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the polyamine is a polyalkylene or aromatic polyamine having from 1 to about 4 primary or secondary amine groups per molecule of the formula —N(R 8 )(R 9 ) wherein each R 8  and R 9  are independently selected from the group consisting of —H and a C 1 -C 6  alkyl, wherein each alkylene group contains between from 2 to about 8 carbon atoms.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the polyamine is dialkylene triamine, trialkylene tetraamine or a pentaalkylene hexamine or a mixture thereof.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the polyamine is N,N′-di-sec-butyl-p-phenylenediamine, tris-(2-aminoethylamine), diethylene triamine, trimethylene tetraamine, pentaethylene hexamine, ethylenediamine, propylenediamine, triethylenetetramine, tetraethylenepentamine, tetrabutylenepentamine, hexaethyleneheptamine, hexapentyleneheptamine, heptaethyleneoctamine, octaethylenenonamine, nonaethylenedecamine, decaethyleneundecamine, decahexyleneundecamine, undecaethylenedodecamine, dodecaethylenetridecamine, and tridecaethylenetetradecamine.  
     
     
         14 . A method for scavenging hydrogen sulfide and/or mercaptan contaminants from a hydrocarbon stream, comprising mixing the hydrocarbon stream with a scavenging effective amount of at least one a scavenger selected from the group consisting of: 
 (i.) nitrogen heterocyclic compound of the formula:                          wherein Y is —N or —O and R 8  is an aminoalkyl group containing between 2 to 4 carbon atoms;    (ii:) amine oxide of the formula (R 1 )(R 2 )(R 3 )N→O wherein R 1  is an alkyl, alkenyl, alkylarylalkylene, alkenylarylalkylene, alkylaminoalkylene, alkenylaminoalkylene, alkylamidoalkylene, or alkenylamidoalkylene group, wherein each of said alkyl groups contains up to about 24 carbon atoms and may be branched or straight chained and saturated or unsaturated, and wherein said alkylene groups have from about 1 to about 6 carbon atoms; and R 2  and R 3  are independently aliphatic chains having about 1 to about 30 carbon atoms; and    (iii.) aliphatic or aromatic polyamine    and thereby scavenging hydrogen sulfide and/or mercaptan contaminants from the hydrocarbon stream.    
     
     
         15 . (canceled)  
     
     
         16 . (canceled)  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the at least one scavenger is an alkanolamine is selected from the group consisting of monoethanolamine, monomethanolamine, monopropanolamine, monobutanolamine, monopentanolamine, monohexanolamine, monoheptanolamine, monooctanolamine, monononanolamine, ethyldiethanolamine, dimethanolamine, methanolethanolamine, diethanolamine, methanolpropanolamine, ethanolpropanolamine, dipropanolamine, methanolbutanolamine, ethanolbutanolamine, propanolbutanolamine, dibutanolamine, dipentanolamine, dihexanolamine, diheptanolamine dioctanolamine, triethanolamine, and tripropanolamine.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the at least one scavenger comprises a polyamine containing at least two amine groups per molecule.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the polyamine is a polyalkylene or aromatic polyamine having from 1 to about 4 primary or secondary amine groups per molecule.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the at least one scavenger comprises a polyamine selected from the group consisting of N,N′-di-sec-butyl-p-phenylenediamine, tris-(2-aminoethylamine), diethylene triamine, trimethylene tetraamine, pentaethylene hexamine, ethylenediamine, propylenediamine, triethylenetetramine, tetraethylenepentamine, tetrabutylenepentamine, hexaethyleneheptamine, hexapentyleneheptamine, heptaethyleneoctamine, octaethylenenonamine, nonaethylenedecamine, decaethyleneundecamine, decahexyleneundecamine, undecaethylenedodecamine, dodecaethylenetridecamine and tridecaethylenetetradecamine.  
     
     
         21 . A method for scavenging mercaptans from a liquid or gaseous stream which comprises bringing the stream into contact with a scavenging effective amount of an alkanolamine and thereby scavenging mercaptans from the liquid or gaseous stream.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the scavenger is a nitrogen heterocyclic compound or an amine oxide and further wherein the scavenger, when contacted with the stream, is neat or diluted with a solvent selected from the group consisting of alcohols, esters, benzene, benzene derivatives, acetone, kerosene and aromatic naphtha.  
     
     
         23 . A method for scavenging hydrogen sulfide and/or mercaptans from a liquid stream which comprises bringing the stream into contact with a scavenging effective amount of at least one scavenger selected from the group consisting of a: 
 (i.) an alkanolamine of the formula (R 4 )(R 5 )N(R 6 )OH wherein R 6  is a C 1 -C 12  linear or branched alkyl group, R 4  and R 5  are independently selected from hydrogen, R 6  or R 7 —OH, and R 7  is methylene or a C 2 -C 8  linear or branched alkylene group; and    (ii.) an aliphatic or aromatic polyamine    and thereby scavenging hydrogen sulfide and/or mercaptans from the liquid stream wherein the scavenger is neat or diluted with a solvent selected from the group consisting of alcohols, esters, benzene, benzene derivatives, acetone, kerosene and aromatic naphtha.    
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the liquid stream is selected from the group consisting of liquefied petroleum gas, crude oil, petroleum residual oil and heating oil.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one scavenger is a nitrogen heterocyclic compound of the formula:  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one scavenger is an amine oxide.