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CFD Simulation of an Industrial Wet Flue Gas Desulfurization Spray Tower:

A Comprehensive Model with Special Attention Devoted to the Modeling of
Absorption and Chemical Reactions

Conference Paper · August 2016

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 CFD SIMULATION OF AN INDUSTRIAL WET FLUE GAS
DESULFURIZATION SPRAY TOWER: A COMPREHENSIVE MODEL
WITH SPECIAL ATTTENTION DEVOTED TO THE MODELING OF
ABSORPTION AND CHEMICAL REACTIONS

Raymond C Everson, Arif Arif, Hein WJP Neomagus and Dawie J Branken

Coal Research Group, School of Chemical and Minerals Engineering, North-West University,
Potchefstroom Campus, Private Bag X6001,
Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa

2016 International Pittsburgh Coal Conference

Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA
August 8 – 12, 2016
 Coal fired power plants in South Africa
Table 1: Status of coal fired power plants in South Africa
CFPPs Name Avg. remaining life Decom. date SO2 compliance
Kusile 50+ Y
New Build
Medupi 50+ Y/6y of commissioning
Majuba 33 2046-2051 N
Kendal 26 2048-2053 N
Matimba 24 2047-2051 N
Lethabo 22 2045-2050 N
Tutuka 22 2045-2050 N
Existing
Duvha 17 2040-2044 N
Matla 16 2039-2043 N
Kriel 13 2036-2039 N
Arnot 08 2031-2039 N
Hendrina 08 2030-2036 N
Grootvlei 07 2021-2023 N
Return to Service Camden 03 2025-2028 N
Komati -2 2024-2028 N
Source: Ebrahim M Patel (2012) Practical Considerations in the Implementation of Emissions Reduction Solutions at Eskom’s Coal
Fired Power Plant, 4th EU-SA Clean Coal Technologies Working Group Meeting Emperor’s Palace, Kempton Park, RSA.

2
 SO2 emissions regulations in South Africa
Table 2: SO2 emission regulations for new and existing plants in South Africa

70 – 90 %
SO2 removal

Fig. 1: SO2 emissions regulations in South Africa

3
 Flue gas desulphurization technologies

Table 3: Comparison of different FGD technologies

WFGD Dry FGD
Parameters Semi-Dry FGD (CSD)
(LSFO) (CFB)

DeSOX efficiency > 96 % 60-90 % 80-96 %

Reagent used Limestone Lime Lime

Size constraints (single

1000 MWe 300 MWe 400 MWe
unit)

Absorber/unit (>400 MWe) Single Multiple Multiple

Power consumption 1-2 % 0.5-1 % 0.5-2 %

Water consumption 0.21 l/kWh 0.14 l/kWh 0.14 l/kWh

Construction cost (₵/kWh) 0.91-1.07 0.82-1.07 0.84-1.12

Source: Andreas Poullikkas (2015) Review of Design, Operating, and Financial Considerations in Flue Gas Desulfurization Systems,
Energy Technology & Policy, 2:1, 92-103, DOI: 10.1080/23317000.2015.1064794

4
 Process description

Furnace

WFGD

ESP
Inlet Duct

© ALSTOM
Fig. 2: Process description of WFGD

Source: Retrieved from internet on 24/11/2015.

5
Wet Flue Gas desulphurization

Fig. 3: Block diagram of WFGD absorber

© Eskom & ALSTOM

6
Scope of presentation

• A complete CFD (computational fluid dynamics) model for an

industrial scale flue gas desulphurisation (WFGD) spray tower
was developed and validated which included the hydrodynamics
of the gas and droplet phases as well as the mass and heat
transfer between the phases and the chemical reactions inside the
slurry droplets.

• The model is capable of estimating the desulfurization

efficiency, pH, enhancement factor and the concentration of
chemical species in the slurry droplets.

• The mass transfer is based on the two film theory and the
reactions in the droplets are assumed all to be at equilibrium.

7
Scope of presentation

• A non-isothermal operation was modeled with all parameters

adjusted accordingly.

• The model was validated against plant results obtained from an

industrial WFGD absorber which included the prediction of flue
gas velocity, temperature and desulfurization efficiency.

• The dependence of the desulfurization efficiency on the

enhancement factor and slurry pH obtained from the chemical
model was found to be well aligned with the plant tests and
literature results.

8
Model description: Spray Tower

Fig. 4: Model description of WFGD spray tower

9
Model description: Continuous gas phase
and droplet phase
Table 4:Brief
Table 4: Briefoverview
overviewof of modeling
modeling equations
equations

Parameters Equations
Continuous phase (flue gas)
Mass  f   / t   .  v   S
f f m

Momentum  f vf   / t   .   v  v   p  .       g  S
f f f f f
R
f f v

Energy  fU f   / t   .   v U    p.v  .  k T    v g  S
f f f f f f f U

Species  f A   / t   .    v   .   D    S
f A f f AB A A, m

Dispersed phase (slurry droplets)

Droplet position dx / dt 
d vd  vG
Mass dmd / dt  md
Momentum md  dvd / dt   FD  Fp  Fvm  Fg  FOthers
Energy md cd  dTd / dt   Qconv  Qrad  Qother
Species md  mH 2O  mSO2  mOthers
Drag force FD  0.5CD  f Ad , p vd , slip vd , slip
Drag coefficient  24 / Re d  1  1/ 6  Re d  Re d  1000
 2/3

CD , Sphere   CD  CSphere (1  2.632 y)


 0.424 Re d  1000
,
Evaporation mH 2O   g As ln 1  B 
*

Droplet wall interaction (vd  vw )  et (vd  vw )tI  en (vd  vw )nI

Droplet distortion y  2 X /  Cb d d 
Droplet size distribution
F  dd   1  exp    d d  
q
/ d ref 

Mist eliminator (ME):
Pressure drop

p    f  v f   v f 

10
Chemical reactions occurring in overall
process
Table 5: Chemical reactions occurring in WFGD (Marocco & Inzoli 2009)

12
Full Spray Tower Dynamics

Fig. 5: Animation showing slurry-gas dynamics in the

spray tower
13
Droplets diameters

Fig. 6: Profile of slurry droplet distribution in the spray tower

14
..

Temperature prediction

Figure 7: Flue gas temperature axial profile, cross section profile at test Points 1o, 70o, 130o,
190o, 250o and 310o at absorber’s outlet and comparison of results with plant tests

15
 Velocity prediction

Figure 8: Flue gas velocity magnitude axial profile, cross section profile at test Points 10o, 70o, 130o,
190o, 250o and 310o at absorber’s outlet and comparison of results with plant tests

16
 DeSOx Efficiency

Figure 9: Desulfurization efficiency axial profile, cross section profile at test Points 10o, 70o, 130o,
190o, 250o and 310o at absorber’s outlet and comparison of results with plant tests

17
Enhancement Factor and pH inside tower

Fig. 10: Profiles of enhancement factor and slurry pH in the spray tower

18
Evaporation

Fig. 11: Moisture profile in the spray tower

19
Evaporation

Fig. 12: Temperature profile in the spray tower

20
L/G (dm3 of slurry / m3 of gas) across absorber

Fig. 13: L/G profile in the spray tower

21
 Conclusions

 A diffusion-reaction model for SO2 diffusion and reaction inside a slurry droplet
was successfully coupled with the hydrodynamics of a wet desulphurization
spray tower to provide an overall model. This was accomplished with a CFD
code with user coding using C language.
 The slurry pH and enhancement studies can also be estimated with the
developed model.
 The desulfurization efficiency was successfully estimated by the development of
chemical rate model and its introduction into STAR-CCM+ with the help of user
coding which was compiled in C language.
 The slurry profile obtained from the model can directly be used as inlet
boundary conditions to model Reaction Tank of WFGD.
 The developed model can easily be modified for any type of gas liquid
absorption process with Euler-Lagrange multiphase assumption.

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 Conclusions

 The velocity profile at outlet of flue gas duct, and desulfurization efficiency, flue
gas temperature and flue gas velocity at outlet of absorber were in good agreement
with plant test with an approximate deviation of up to ±5-8 %.
 With the inclusion of evaporation for the operating used it was found that the flue
gas is rapidly cooled at the inlet and that saturation was observed almost over the
entire the column. Thus isothermal conditions were established which agrees with
published results.
 It is recommended that the results from this study be used for limestone dissolution
kinetics in the absorber zone, absorption-desorption equilibrium of CO2 in addition
to that of only SO2, natural oxidation of sulfite to sulfate due to oxygen present in
the flue gas, reaction tank CFD modeling for both hydrodynamics and interphase
mass transfer, coupling of reaction tank model with absorber model, modeling and
simulations of flue gas inlet duct, reaction tank, absorber and flue gas stack in a
single model to represent the actual operation.

23
Thank you
Modeling of Hydrodynamics (Results later)
Table 6: Model development of WFGD spray tower
Parameters Modeling Method
Modeling approach Euler-Lagrange (gas and droplet phases)
Phase interaction Two way coupling
Turbulence model k-ε turbulence model
Nozzles Dual flow hollow cone point injectors
Drag force Liu dynamic drag coefficient model
Droplet distortion & breakup TAB distortion and breakup model
Droplet Coalescence No Time Counter (NTC) and O'Rourke algorithm
Mist eliminator Porous media with suitable pressure drop
Droplet-wall interaction Bai-Gosman wall impingement model
Droplet size distribution Rosin Rammler particle size distribution model
Domain discretization Polyhedral/prism layer/surface re-mesher
Evaporation Quasi - steady state droplet evaporation model

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