CANADIAN SOUR-GAS PLANT HIKES SULFUR RECOVERY.

Located northwest of Calgary, CanDel's Minnehik-Buck Lake gas plant processes sour wet gas from the Pekisko formation. H//2S content of the nonhomogeneous reservoir varies from 0. 020 mol % in the southern area to 2. 50 mol % near the northern boundary of the field. A performance test in 1974 showed that the two existing sulfur-plant trains could not maintain sulfur-emission rates below permitted levels if inlet volumes of H//2S exceeded 950 Mscfd. Since increased well density in the sweet south section was not economical, expansion and/or optimization of the sulfur plants was necessary. The authors describe the efforts made to increase the efficiency of the sour-gas plant, using computer runs and revamped process equipment that have resulted in a theoretical recovery of 96. 5%.