REDUCING SLURRY EMULSION AND FOAMING IN OXIDATION-REDUCTION SULFUR REMOVAL PROCESSES

1 . A method for converting a sulfur species present in a sour gas stream into at least one of solid sulfur or a solid sulfur species, comprising:

introducing a surfactant to the sour gas stream, the surfactant including an alkoxylated block copolymer and a glycol ether; and

introducing, to the sour gas stream, a reducing reagent configured to convert the sulfur species in the sour gas stream into at least one of solid sulfur or solid sulfur species.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

introducing an oxidizer into the sour gas stream.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein introducing the surfactant includes introducing an aqueous surfactant composition to the sour gas stream, the aqueous surfactant composition including the alkoxylated block copolymer and the glycol ether.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein introducing the surfactant further comprises introducing the surfactant to the sour gas stream, the surfactant including the alkoxylated block copolymer, the glycol ether and an alcohol ethoxylate.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein introducing the surfactant further comprises introducing an aqueous surfactant composition to the sour gas stream, the aqueous surfactant composition including 0.5% to 15% by weight of the alkoxylated block copolymer and greater than 0% and up to 50% by weight of the glycol ether.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein introducing the surfactant further comprises introducing an aqueous surfactant composition to the sour gas stream, the aqueous surfactant composition including 0.5% to 15% by weight of the alkoxylated block copolymer and greater than 0% and up to 50% by weight of the glycol ether, wherein the alkoxylated block copolymer comprises a structure: R1-[R2]n-R3, wherein R1 is an alkyl group arranged in a chain, R2 is a block copolymer, n is a number, and R3 is an end cap.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein introducing the aqueous surfactant composition comprises introducing the alkoxylated block copolymer including the end cap, the end cap comprising at least one of: a hydroxyl group or a short-chained alcohol of less than five carbon atoms.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein introducing the surfactant further comprises introducing an aqueous surfactant composition to the sour gas stream, the aqueous surfactant composition including 0.5% to 15% by weight of the alkoxylated block copolymer and greater than 0% up to 50% by weight of the glycol ether, wherein the glycol ether includes a structure: R5-(O—CH2)x-OH, wherein R5 is a short-chained alkyl group and x is a number between 2 and 4.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein introducing the surfactant further comprises introducing an aqueous surfactant composition comprising 0.5% to 15% by weight of the alkoxylated block copolymer and greater than 0% up to 50% by weight of the glycol ether, wherein the glycol ether comprises a structure R6-R7 wherein R6 is an alkyl or aryl group, and R7 is a short-chained glycol group.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein introducing the surfactant further comprises introducing an aqueous surfactant composition to the sour gas stream, the aqueous surfactant composition including 0.5% to 15% by weight of the alkoxylated block copolymer and greater than 0% up to 50% by weight of the glycol ether, wherein at least one block of the alkoxylated block copolymer comprises polyethylene glycol, with a number of blocks between three and ten units.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein introducing the aqueous surfactant composition further comprises introducing the at least one block of the alkoxylated block copolymer,

wherein at least one block of the alkoxylated block copolymer is a more hydrophobic unit than the polyethylene glycol, and the at least one block comprises at least one of: polypropylene glycol, polylactone, polycaprolactone, polybutadiene, or any combination thereof.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein introducing the surfactant comprises introducing an aqueous surfactant composition to the sour gas stream, the aqueous surfactant composition including 0.5% to 15% by weight of the alkoxylated block copolymer and greater than 0% up to 50% by weight of the glycol ether, wherein the alkoxylated block copolymer comprises a hydrophobic-lipophilic balance between 0 and 10.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein introducing the surfactant comprises introducing an aqueous surfactant composition comprising 0.5% to 15% by weight of the alkoxylated block copolymer and greater than 0% up to 50% by weight of the glycol ether, wherein the glycol ether comprises one of: ethylene glycol (—O—CH2—CH2—OH), propylene glycol (—O—CH2—CH2—CH2—OH) or diethylene gylcol (—OCH2—CH2—O—CH2—CH2—OH).

14 . The method of claim 4 , wherein introducing the surfactant comprises introducing an aqueous surfactant composition comprising 0.5% to 15% by weight of the alkoxylated block copolymer, greater than 0% and up to 50% by weight of the glycol ether and 0.5% to 15% by weight of an alcohol ethoxylate.

15 . The method of claim 9 , wherein introducing the aqueous surfactant composition comprising 0.5% to 15% by weight of an alkoxylated block copolymer and greater than 0 % and up to 50% by weight of the glycol ether further comprises introducing the glycol ether, wherein the alkyl or the aryl group on R6 comprises one of: methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, n-butyl, tert-butyl, phenyl, or benzyl groups.

16 . The method of claim 9 , wherein introducing the aqueous surfactant composition comprising 0.5% to 15% by weight of the alkoxylated block copolymer and greater than 0% and up to 50% by weight of the glycol ether further comprises introducing the glycol ether, wherein the short-chained glycol group comprises ethylene glycol (—O—CH2—CH2—OH), propylene glycol (—O—CH2—CH2—CH2—OH), or diethylene gylcol (—OCH2—CH2—O—CH2—CH2—OH).