Mathematical Modeling of Direct Oxidation of H2S in Fluidized Bed Reactor: Suggestion of Operational Condition for High Performance

A mathematical model of direct oxidation of H2S to elemental sulfur in a fluidized bed reactor with external circulation has been developed in this research. If the deactivation takes place in the fluidized bed, the catalyst will be send to the regeneration zone and then by heating the catalyst up to the sulfur dew point, sulfur will be removed from the catalyst. In this model the changes in H2S conversion, reactants consumption and product generation in comparison with fixed bed reactor results, has shown reasonable trends and by analyzing the results, one may suggest appropriate operational conditions for next step of experimental studies. The results show that in good operational condition (that is the temperature between 100 – 130 ◦C and high bed density) and having a catalyst with high activity and stability, direct oxidation of H2S to elemental sulfur in the fluidized bed reactor may lead to 100% H2S conversion.