Numerical simulation of flow in wet scrubber for desulfurization

Ing. Gjemajl Maliqaj

Master's thesis

Numerical simulation of flow in the wet scrubber for desulfurization

Abstract:

The following thesis deals with wet flue-gas desulfurization (WFGD), which is a common industrial process applied mostly in fossil-fuel power plants. Due to emission of harmful pollutants such as SO2, power plant units are required to control the amount of gaseous pollutants emitted into the atmosphere. SO2 emissions are known to have detrimental impact on human health and the environment. The purpose of this thesis is to numerically simulate the flow in the absorber for desulfurization of flue-gas. The objective is to define material and physical model for numerical simulation of flow and chemical reactions in absorber, to perform numerical simulations and to compare the results with experiments or work of related other authors. Since the main objective of the thesis deals with numerical simulations, it was developed a 3D model and the flow was simulated through the model by taking into account the mechanical, thermal, and chemical interactions of the flue-gas with the droplets of limestone suspension. The two-phase flow model of flue-gas and limestone slurry was modeled within the commercial CFD code Ansys Fluent 16.2. The continuous gas phase has been modeled with the Eulerian approach, while the dispersed phase with Lagrangian approach by tracking a large number of particles through the computational domain.

Abstract:

The following thesis deals with wet flue-gas desulfurization (WFGD), which is a common industrial process applied mostly in fossil-fuel power plants. Due to emission of harmful pollutants such as SO2, power plant units are required to control the amount of gaseous pollutants emitted into the atmosphere. SO2 emissions are known to have detrimental impact on human health and the environment. The purpose of this thesis is to numerically simulate the flow in the absorber for desulfurization of flue-gas. The objective is to define material and physical model for numerical simulation of flow and chemical reactions in absorber, to perform numerical simulations and to compare the results with experiments or work of related other authors. Since the main objective of the thesis deals with numerical simulations, it was developed a 3D model and the flow was simulated through the model by taking into account the mechanical, thermal, and chemical interactions of the flue-gas with the droplets of limestone suspension. The two-phase flow model of flue-gas and limestone slurry was modeled within the commercial CFD code Ansys Fluent 16.2. The continuous gas phase has been modeled with the Eulerian approach, while the dispersed phase with Lagrangian approach by tracking a large number of particles through the computational domain.

Keywords

Wet flue-gas desulfurization, Wet scrubber, Two-phase flow, Numerical simulation

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 26. 5. 2016

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 16. 6. 2016
• Supervisor: prof. Ing. Tomáš Vít, Ph.D.

Technical University of Liberec

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

Master programme / field:
Mechanical Engineering / Machines and Equipment Design