Merichem Technologies announces successful field trial for new H2S removal process treating gas from production separator
Merichem Technologies, a global leader in sustainable sulfur removal and treatments, has announced successful results from its ECOTREAT® field trial in the Permian Basin, demonstrating that its new hydrogen sulfide (H2S) removal process achieved sustained removal of > 99% of H2S gas without producing any solid waste products.
The new core technology uses an aqueous phase proprietary catalytic process that converts H₂S into thiosulfate. By keeping the reaction entirely in solution, the process eliminates the solid waste characteristic of liquid redox or solid media systems. The approach also prevents plugging and downstream corrosion issues often encountered with triazine treatment. The only required feed reagent is potash added to feed water or produced water (which already contains the required salts). The aqueous effluent can be discharged into saltwater disposal systems or sent downhole with unneeded produced water. In simplified configurations, the system can treat H₂S directly in produced water, reducing hazards associated with produced water handling.
The month-long ECOTREAT field trial was conducted in the Delaware Basin, the westernmost component of the larger Permian Basin, with various wells and a wide range of H2S concentrations up to 2%. The objectives of the trial were to demonstrate the ability to remove H2S in sustained field operations, verify the operating window and solution capacity, compare equipment performance, and treat gas with produced water from the same wells.
The Permian Basin overall produces roughly 21.2 Bft3d of natural gas, with increasingly significant volumes containing high H2S content, classifying them as sour gas. As drilling shifts to deeper, gassier formations, producers are handling more sour gas, driving investment in infrastructure to capture and treat acid gas.
In Merichem’s ECOTREAT field trial, more than 14,000-ppm H2S was fed into a unit that had been designed to receive a maximum of 10,000 ppm in the feed. In this condition, the unit exceeded its nameplate capacity of 2 lbs of H2S removal per day. In all the equipment trials, the sustained removal of H2S was achieved.
The month-long trial also included tests utilizing produced water. The H2S concentration, gas ratio, and water ratio were sufficient to treat all the sales gas with produced water from the same wells despite less-than-ideal produced water being used as a feed reagent.
With the smooth operation and success of the ECOTREAT field trial, the technology is being transitioned from the pilot stage to a full-scale commercial rollout.
“The industry is continually seeking to reduce both the price and complexity of removing hydrogen sulfide from gas production, especially since oil production has shifted to increasingly sour sources, higher gas ratios, and higher water ratios,” said Jeff Gomach, SVP, Merichem Technologies. “ECOTREAT met all its field trial objectives and provides a highly effective method for removing hydrogen sulfide to prevent equipment corrosion, ensure worker safety, meet environmental regulations, and maintain product quality for transport.”
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