ELEMENT 2 HYDROGEN SULFIDE TECHNICIAN & INSTRUCTOR COURSE HSI002

ELEMENT TWO

What is H2S?

Total Safety

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ELEMENT 2 HYDROGEN SULFIDE TECHNICIAN & INSTRUCTOR COURSE HSI002

INSTRUCTOR SHOW H2S SAFETY VIDEO:

2.1 WHAT IS H2S?

• Hydrogen Sulfide is a highly toxic and colorless gas.
H2S belongs to the inorganic sulfide family
H2S consists of 2 Hydrogen atoms and 1 Sulphur atom

Hydrogen

Hydrogen

Sulphur

• H2S is a poison gas that can paralyze your breathing system in a matter of
minutes, even in small amounts. It is very dangerous.
• Hydrogen Sulfide is formed by the decomposition of organic animal and/or
vegetable materials by bacteria.

2.2 WHAT ARE SOME OF THE NAMES USED TO REFER TO

HYDROGEN SULFIDE?
Stink Damp
• Rotten-egg Gas
• Sulphurated Hydrogen
• Hydrosulphuric Acid
• Sour Crude / Sour Gas
• Sulphur Hydride
• Swamp Gas
• Sewer Gas
• Dihydrogen Sulfide
• Dihydrogen Monosulfide
• Acide Sulfhdrique
• Hepatic Gas
• UN 1053
• RCRA Waste Number U135
• Acide Sulfhydrique
• Zwavelwaterstof
• Schwefelwasserstoff

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ELEMENT 2 HYDROGEN SULFIDE TECHNICIAN & INSTRUCTOR COURSE HSI002

2.3 YOU CANNOT DEPEND ON YOUR SENSE OF SMELL TO DETECT

H2S.

• H2S has poor warning properties. It has a strong rotten egg odor at extremely low
concentrations (around .005 ppm to 13 ppm).
• As the concentration increases it may have a sick, sweet odor.
• At high concentrations it has no odor at all. H2S has a paralyzing affect on the
olfactory nerve and rapidly deadens your sense of smell.
• Cut-off of your sense of smell varies from person to person and depends on the
length of exposure; it happens in 2 -15 minutes at 100 ppm H2S, quicker at
concentrations of 150 – 250 ppm.
• This temporary loss of the sense of smell can be instantaneous, so the person
suddenly exposed to hydrogen sulfide concentrations above 150 to 250 ppm may
not be aware Hydrogen Sulfide is present; this effect is called “olfactory fatigue.”
• Some people feel sick (nausea) in response to really bad smells such as Hydrogen
Sulfide.
• If a sudden exposure to a high concentration is possible, you cannot rely on smell
to warn you. You must use an instrument such as a portable H2S monitor to
provide a warning.

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ELEMENT 2 HYDROGEN SULFIDE TECHNICIAN & INSTRUCTOR COURSE HSI002

2.4 SOURCES OF HYDROGEN SULFIDE

2.4.1 Natural Sources:

• H2S is produced in nature by the decomposition of organic materials by bacteria.

• H2S may develop in low oxygen areas or low-lying areas such as BOGS,
SWAMPS, AND POLLUTED WATER.
• H2S is found with NATURAL GAS, PETROLEUM, SULPHUS DEPOSITS,
VOLCANIC GASES AND SULPHUS SPRINGS.
• Unstabilised crude oil and gas streams.

2.4.2 Industrial Sources:

• In industrial operations H2S is either a product or by-product of waste material.

• As a by-product it is often recovered and converted to elemental sulphur or
sulphuric acid.
• As a waste material, H2S is often flared or disposed of by burning.
• Natural gas processing plants: Raw natural gas from nearly all fields contains
undesirable amounts of water and hydrogen sulfide.. Gases with high
concentrations of H2S are called sour gas because of the offensive odor. Processes
that are primarily concerned with the elimination of H2S and mercaptans are
known as sweetening processes.

• Sulfides are removed from gas at its source to eliminate corrosion problems in
transmission systems and because the oxides of sulphur formed during

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ELEMENT 2 HYDROGEN SULFIDE TECHNICIAN & INSTRUCTOR COURSE HSI002

combustion present an air pollution problem. Fortunately, sulphur and H2S have
commercial value and are employed as a source of sulphur-dioxide for sulphuric
acid plants.
• There are several gas sweetening processes in use. The choice is independent
upon the quality of the raw gas and operating costs. Most gas treating plants
utilize modern control instrumentation and H2S monitoring systems to provide
early warning in the event of a leak.
• Petroleum refining: Refineries are faced with the problems similar to raw gas
treating plants. Treating processes are employed not only to finish products for
the market, but also to prepare feed stocks for other processes (catalytic
polymerisation and reforming) where catalysts would be harmed by the sulphur
compounds. H2S may leak in treating and sulphur recovery areas.
• Leather tanning: Hides are dry, salted and covered with dirt, dried blood and
manure when they enter the tannery. The first steps in processing are washing and
cleaning to restore the hides to natural soft hydrated state.
• The most common cleaning processes pass the hides through a series of vats
containing lime water. Sodium Sulfide and Sodium sulfahydrate are added as
accelerating agents. The alkali softens the hair and removes the epidermis. It also
releases H2S gases.
• Pulp Mills: There are three chemical processes: Soda, sulphate (kraft), and
sulfide. The logs are first chipped by rotating knives. In the soda and sulphate
processes, the chips are fed into a digester tank. Steam, H2S, mercaptans, and
other objectionable gases evolve and build up pressure in the tank. The possibility
of gas leakage is ever present around the digester and in the vicinity of pumps.
• Iron and Steel Mills: Sulphur compounds are one of the impurities found in iron
ore. The iron ore is melted in a blast furnace where some of the impurities are
driven off in a gaseous form. H2S is also encountered in converter areas.
Sulphuric acid and H2S are used in steel mills to remove rust and scale.
The affinity of sulphur compounds is not limited to iron. It is frequently
encountered in combination with other metals. H2S is a common hazard in
lead, zinc, nickel, and copper smelters.
• Viscose Rayon: Rayon is a synthetic fiber utilizing mitro-cellulose. The main
raw material of the rayon industry is wood pulp. The viscose process is based on
sulfide and sulphate pulp. H2S is evolved at some of the processing stages.
• Construction Work: It is not unusual to encounter H2S when tunneling in
swampy areas under lakes and rivers and in caisson work.
• Sewage Treatment: A sewerage system gathers domestic and industrial wastes
and transports them in water through a network of underground pipes, to a
treatment plant. The treatment removes as much of the wastes as possible and
discharges the effluent into a river, lake or the sea.

• The water in some cities contains more sulphates than other cities, depending
upon local soil conditions. However, animal and vegetable wastes contain
sufficient sulphates to always generate H2S in any sewage system. The degree of

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ELEMENT 2 HYDROGEN SULFIDE TECHNICIAN & INSTRUCTOR COURSE HSI002

the problem can fluctuate in time, relative to the volume of wastes discharged into
the system and changes in the water flow velocity. With low velocity, the wastes
take longer to get to the treatment plants and have more time to decompose.
• In any type of sewerage treatment system, the greatest H2S in the screen room
where the outfall sewers discharge. H2S can also escape from leaks in a raw
sewerage pump rooms and sludge pump rooms. Leaks are particularly bad when
pumps are low grade.

2.5 CAN H2S BE BENEFICIAL TO YOU?

• Hydrogen Sulfide can be a source of elemental Sulphur.
• The largest use of elemental sulphur is in the manufacturing of fertilizer.
• The second largest use of elemental sulfur is to produce sulfuric acid which is then
used in large quantities in the chemical and mining industries.
• Sulphur can be used in medicines, in the production of cement, asphalt, animal
feed, glass, matches, rubber, steel, food preservatives, wine production, plant
fungicide and sugar refining.

2.6 WHERE CAN H2S ACCUMULATE?

• H2S is a heavy gas, heavier than air. Wind can be your best friend as it will
disperse H2S rapidly.
• In the absence of wind, H2S can accumulate in low-lying areas, such as open tanks
or the ocean surface.
• Personnel can prevent exposure by moving upwind or to higher elevations.
• H2S can accumulate in recycled drilling mud, the water portion of sour crude, or
in low areas following releases or blowouts.
• H2S can accumulate in tanks where sour fluids have been processed.
• Confined spaces: Trenches, pits, processing vessels, tanks.
• Tank locations: Tank gauging, which requires opening of a hatch to measure the
liquid level can expose individuals to accumulated H2S, run-down tanks, storage
tanks at pipeline stations, crude oil storage tanks in refineries, storage tanks for
intermediate and finished products.
• During field maintenance of wells: Replacement of packing, pulling of pump rods,
etc.
• During equipment maintenance on equipment that contained sour fluids: Leaks in
pumps, liner replacements.
• Cleaning operations: Acid cleaning of well and processing units.
• As mentioned before, refineries and production operations where sour gas is
injected back into the formation to stimulate production.
• Production operations where water flooding has been done for extended periods of
time, and once sweet formations have turned sour.

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