On Reaction Kinetics for the Thermal Decomposition of Hydrogen Sulfide

This study presents new kinetic data for the thermal decomposition reaction of hydrogen sulfide obtained from quartz tubular reactors, covering a temperature range of 800 to 1,500 °C. The objective is to analyze the reaction kinetics and provide a cohesive understanding of the decomposition mechanism. The methodology involves experimental data regression to derive a rate constant for the overall decomposition reaction that exhibits a first-order dependency on hydrogen sulfide concentrations at varying temperatures. Notably, the derived rate constant satisfies both high-temperature shock-tube studies as well as lower-temperature flow reactor observations, indicating the robustness of the findings. A singular decomposition rate constant of k = 1.12 × 10^(-6) exp(-28,360/T) was found to effectively represent the thermal decomposition across the extensive temperature range. These findings reconcile existing kinetic data and deepen our understanding of hydrogen sulfide behavior in industrial processes, particularly in petroleum refining and natural gas industries.