Sweetening of sour crudes

Elemental sulfur and sulfur compounds are naturally present in many petroleum crude oils. The amount of sulfur varies over a wide range; for example, crude petroleum from West Texas contains about 0.2 weight percent sulfur whereas crude petroleum from Saudi Arabia contains about 5.0 weight percent sulfur. There is also a wide variety of sulfur containing compounds present in the crude. These compounds range from hydrogen sulfide, which is a gas at room temperature, to heavy sulfur compounds that are released at over 1000° F. (538° C.). The general object of this invention is to provide an improved process for sweetening and desulfurizing sulfur-containing crude oil streams. Heating the sulfur-containing crude oil stream to an elevated temperature for an extended period of time while stirring and bubbling an inert gas into the crude accelerates the removal of sulfur containing gases from the crude oil stream. Furthermore, the addition of a polyalkylamine to the stirred crude oil can also greatly assist in the expulsion of sulfur containing gases. After processing under these conditions, the hydrogen sulfide producing capacity of the crude oil is reduced significantly, thus making the crude safer for transportation and handling by reducing the health and environmental risks.