Acid gas

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Acid gas is a particular typology of

pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, anything above 7 is basic while anything below 7 is acidic. Water has a neutral pH of 7 so once a gas is mixed with water, if the resulting mixture has a pH of less than 7 that means it is an acidic gas.[1]

The term/s acid gas and

acidic gases such as carbon dioxide
(CO2) or hydrogen sulfide. Thus, carbon dioxide by itself is an acid gas but not a sour gas.

Dangers of acid gas

Once a process burns a gas containing an acidic mixture, that acid gas is released into the atmosphere. This causes one of manufacturing's most detrimental effects on the environment,

power plant can travel hundreds of miles after the gas mixes with water molecules in the atmosphere. The compounds then fall to the earth again in different forms of precipitation (acid rain) and can cause respiratory health issues in humans, kill plants and wildlife, erode structures and buildings, and contaminate water sources.[2]

Acid gases are also hazardous in other ways than polluting the environment. Acid gases can be extremely

flammable and explosive under pressure, so must be kept away from heat, sparks, or open flames.[3]

Hydrogen sulfide is a toxic gas, it can cause breathing problems and asphyxiation. It also is very corrosive to metals[3] which restricts the materials that can be used for piping and other equipment for handling sour gas, as many metals are sensitive to sulfide stress cracking.

Carbon dioxide at concentrations of 7% to 10.1% causes dizziness, headache, visual and hearing dysfunction, and unconsciousness within a few minutes to an hour. Concentrations above 17% are lethal when exposed for more than one minute.[4]

Processing and safety

Before a raw natural gas containing hydrogen sulfide and/or carbon dioxide can be used, the raw gas must be treated to reduce impurities to acceptable levels and this is commonly done with an

WSA Process
unit.

Processes within oil refineries or

mercaptans
and/or hydrogen sulfide are commonly referred to as 'sweetening' processes because they result in products which no longer have the sour, foul odors of mercaptans and hydrogen sulfide.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Acidic Gases Examples and List | Gaseous Acids".
  2. ^ "Acid Rain | Adirondack Council".
  3. ^ a b "Safety Data Sheet: Whiting Acid Gas" (PDF). Whiting. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-05-21. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  4. ^
    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: "Carbon Dioxide as a Fire Suppressant: Examining the Risks"
  5. ^ NaturalGas.org website page Archived 2011-01-01 at the Wayback Machine Processing Natural Gas
  6. ^ Energy Information Agency website page Archived 2011-03-04 at the Wayback Machine Natural Gas Processing: The Crucial Link Between Natural Gas Production and Its Transportation to Market
  7. ^ "6.2.1. Acid Gas Removal (AGR)".
  8. ^ "6.2.1. Acid Gas Removal (AGR)".


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