High levels of hydrogen sulfide and mercaptans in regional oil and gas supplies can now be combated with intelligent, safe and clean additives.
Producing and transporting oil and gas around the Middle East region and the world is hazardous at the best of times. Add to that mercaptan levels of up to 2000 ppm and similar levels of Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) and you have a cargo that needs processing even before sale.
Higher H2S content and high levels of produced sour water are common issues facing the Middle East region’s major oil companies in today’s market.
The presence of H2S in hydrocarbons poses three major challenges to the region’s drilling, production, refining, shipping and trading firms.
Firstly, from a safety perspective, contact with H2S in gas form is toxic. At certain concentrations the gas can cause major health concerns and is often fatal.
Secondly, the compound is so corrosive that it can degrade and destroy installations and process equipment at an alarming rate. Thirdly, high levels of mercaptans and H2S reduces the value of hydrocarbon products.
Singapore based chemical inventor and manufacturer No Heat Resources Pte Ltd has brought a new weapon to assist the oil and gas industry in its fight against H2S and mercaptans.
This weapon takes the form of a chemical additive which can significantly reduce the costs, treatment time and waste generated by more traditional methods of treatment.
As David Snodgrass, Managing Director of No Heat Resources Middle East explains: “We’re bringing new technology in the field of chemical additives from South East Asia to the Middle East.
Our premier product, called HydraScav, is a targeted additive for H2S and Mercaptan removal in a single process. HydraScav is a water-based chemical which has significant implications for companies producing or shipping liquids with mercaptans and H2S.”
No Heat Resources’ HydraScav is a second generation chemical that has been developed for treating H2S. “Despite what the name may infer, HydraScav is not a scavenger in chemical terms,” says Snodgrass.
“Its chemistry is completely different to the numerous scavengers on the market today. HydraScav is a blend of inorganic compounds in an aqueous solution which is extremely fast and effective in converting H2S and mercaptans into a stable and benign bi-product.
The resulting bi-product is water and soluble sulfate salts (SO4), which are non hazardous and have a very low Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD).
The reaction is stable, non-corrosive, non-reversible and does not impact on oil, gas or fuel quality. The required injection rate is a fraction of traditional scavengers which is an advantage in costs as well as logistics.
When queried on the effectiveness of existing chemicals that remove H2S and mercaptans, Mr Snodgrass advised that: “Typically triazine/formaldehyde-based scavengers are used to encapsulate H2S molecules, this encapsulation can often break down and the H2S can reform.
To remove mercaptans, often a caustic wash is used which is effective, however you then have to treat the caustic before it can be safely disposed of and this is an additional costs.
HydraScav is neither of these, the reaction is stable, irreversible and the byproduct is easily disposed of.
One interesting area where we are now very active is in treating water. This includes water and sewage treatment plants, water-based drilling mud as well as production water. It is often cheaper to simply inject HydraScav to remove the H2S than to run sour water strippers.
You also don’t have the capital costs of constructing the sour water strippers or the daily costs of running the heat exchanges. Additionally, HydraScav can be injected at the source which eliminates the need to pipe H2S contaminated water long distances to the treatment plant.
Plants which do not have sulphur recovery units will typically flare the H2S into the atmosphere.
“A recent trend has seen new refining and processing facilities that service high H2S fields being built with sulphur recovery units. But often oil and gas companies just want to quickly and safely get rid of the H2S,” Snodgrass explains.
“Their [oil and gas producers] primary task is producing oil and gas, they don’t necessarily want to get involved in the sulphur retail business. As a commodity, granulised sulphur’s value varies greatly; in some instances, the capital outlay involved in the installation and operation are difficult to justify.
HydraScav provides a cost-effective alternative to many producers in this position. As towns and cities in the region extend ever closer to upstream facilities, early and safe removal of H2S is vital.
“The bottom line is that for clients the savings are significant, but it’s difficult to change established and proven practices in the oil and gas industry. We are excited to introduce our technology and guide people’s perceptions of what can be done to treat and eradicate mercaptans and H2S in the energy business,” Snodgrass concludes.
Local presence, global footprint
Headquartered in Singapore, No Heat Resources maintains offices in the US and Australia, with a number of partners based in the major oil and gas producing regions worldwide.
No Heat Resources primarily focuses on environmentally sustainable, tailor-made solutions to customers’ product and infrastructure decontamination needs, with continual technological improvement cited as an integral and fundamental part of its company policy.
