Acid gas
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Acid gas, sour gas, sour acid gas or acid sour gas, is natural gas which contains up to 20% hydrogen sulfide (H2S) contaminant by weight. According to this reference [1], natural gas is usually considered sour if there are more than 5.7 milligrams of H2S per cubic meter of natural gas. It may also contain the aromatic hydrocarbons benzene, toluene, mixed xylenes and ethylbenzene. See natural gas condensate.
Due to the presence of hydrogen sulfide, acid gas is toxic. Before this type of natural gas can be used, the acid gas is sweetened, i. e. treated to remove the hydrogen sulfide and/or carbon dioxide (CO2), commonly by an amine gas treating process.[1] Tail gas treatment may also be involved. From the removed H2S, elemental sulfur is commonly produced as a by-product in a Claus process. Natural gas can also contain mercury.
The presence of hydrogen sulfide also brings special demands on the materials for the installations handling sour gas, as many metals are sensitive to sulfide stress cracking.
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