Free-flowing sulfur transport, storage and use to produce energy, fertilizer or hydrogen without carbon dioxide
US7097392B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 11, 2003 |
| Grant date | Aug 29, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 26, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02P20/10
- WIPO fieldMaterials, metallurgy
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
Elemental sulfur is combined with either liquid anhydrous ammonia, liquid sulfur dioxide, or both to form a solution or slurry which is transportable through pipelines or other transport vessels without a risk of clogging due to the environmental temperature drops that these vessels typically encounter. This unusual behavior and the advantages it offers arise from the discovery of unexpected solubility vs. temperature relationships of elemental sulfur in each of these two carriers. Among the advantages are significant improvements in the economics of many industrial chemical processes that involve the presence of sulfur either in elemental or chemically combined form, including natural gas or tar sands production and processing, hydrogen sulfide abatement, hydrogen production without carbon dioxide emissions, and sulfur extraction from ores, subterranean deposits, depositories, or fouled impaired industrial facilities. Large-scale ramifications for energy and fertilizer mineral resource utilization, greenhouse gas abatement, hydrogen economy, and nitrogen fertilizer production are taught.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.