The effect of spray nozzles failure on SO₂ removal efficiency

ABSTRACT

This study was carried out on an absorber in the body of flue gas desulphurization system (FGD) of a coal-fired power plant. In this study, efficiency losses caused by the clogging or breaking of the spray nozzles were examined. These abovementioned problems of spray nozzles are the most common among the many factors affecting the sulfur retention efficiency. Although energy and exergy analysis is very common to optimize the system efficiency of FGD units, failure of spray nozzles in absorbers might be the main reason in terms of low FGD units efficiency and low SO₂ removal rates. In this study, firstly locations of clogged or damaged nozzles are determined by examining a total of 240 nozzles (3 × 80). After the replacement of the broken spray nozzles, increase in the efficiency of A-B, B-C, A-C and A-B-C spray lines were observed as 9.14%, 3.77%, 10.56%, 9.72%, respectively. Depending on the washing zone of the nozzles, if one nozzle is damaged, it causes the efficiency to decrease between 0.24% and 0.36%.

KEYWORDS:

• Absorber
• SO₂ removal rate
• spray nozzle
• wet flue gas desulfurization
• efficiency of FGD
• emissions from coal fired power plant

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Halil İ̇brahim Gonul

Halil İbrahim Gonul is working as Auxiliary Plants Manager at Eren Enerji Power Plant, Turkey. He graduated as a Chemical Engineer from Atatürk University. He has received his MSc and PhD in Mining Engineering from Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University. His research interests are fly ash, gypsum dewatering, hydrocyclone performance, combustion, coal characterization and optimization of wet flue gas desulfurization systems.

Mehmet Bilen

Mehmet Bilen is working as a Junior Lecturer in Engineering Faculty of Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Turkey. He graduated as a Chemical Engineer from Middle East Technical University (METU). He has received his MSc and PhD in Mining Engineering. His research interests are unburned carbon, combustion of solid fuels, thermal analysis, coal microscopy, coal grindability, leaching of gold ore, clean coal technologies, coal characterization and wet flue gas desulfurization systems. He has number of publications on his expertise.

Sait Kızgut

Sait Kizgut is working as a Senior Lecturer in the Engineering Faculty of Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Turkey. He is holding a PhD from the Nottingham University-Department of Mineral Resources and Environmental Engineering. He has been an MSc and a PhD supervisor for many students. He has studies within the research fields of ‘coal preparation and testing’, ‘Fine coal evaluation’, ‘coal microscopy’, ‘thermal analyses’, ‘coal combustion’, ‘clean coal technology’ and ‘leaching’. He has number of publications and he has supervised many students on the related field.