Desulfurization characteristics of slaked lime and regulation optimization of circulating fluidized bed flue gas desulfurization process--A combined experimental and numerical simulation study

Circulating fluidized bed flue gas desulfurization(CFB-FGD) process has been widely applied in recent years. However, high cost caused by the use of high-quality slaked lime and difficult operation due to the complex flow field are two issues which have received great attention. Accordingly, a laboratory-scale fluidized bed reactor was constructed to investigate the effects of physical properties and external conditions on desulfurization performance of slaked lime, and the conclusions were tried out in an industrial-scale CFB-FGD tower. After that, a numerical model of the tower was established based on computational particle fluid dynamics(CPFD) and two-film theory. After comparison and validation with actual operation data, the effects of operating parameters on gas-solid distribution and desulfurization characteristics were investigated. The results of experiments and industrial trials showed that the use of slaked lime with a calcium hydroxide content of approximately 80% and particle size greater than 40 μm could significantly reduce the cost of desulfurizer. Simulation results showed that the flow field in the desulfurization tower was skewed under the influence of circulating ash. We obtained optimal operating conditions of 7.5 kg·s^(-1)for the atomized water flow, 70 kg·s^(-1)for circulating ash flow, and 0.56 kg·s^(-1)for slaked lime flow, with desulfurization efficiency reaching 98.19% and the exit flue gas meeting the ultraclean emission and safety requirements. All parameters selected in the simulation were based on engineering examples and had certain application reference significance.

Uncertainty and disturbance estimator-based model predictive control for wet flue gas desulphurization system

Wet flue gas desulphurization technology is widely used in the industrial process for its capability of efficient pollution removal.The desulphurization control system,however,is subjected to complex reaction mechanisms and severe disturbances,which make for it difficult to achieve certain practically relevant control goals including emission and economic performances as well as system robustness.To address these challenges,a new robust control scheme based on uncertainty and disturbance estimator(UDE)and model predictive control(MPC)is proposed in this paper.The UDE is used to estimate and dynamically compensate acting disturbances,whereas MPC is deployed for optimal feedback regulation of the resultant dynamics.By viewing the system nonlinearities and unknown dynamics as disturbances,the proposed control framework allows to locally treat the considered nonlinear plant as a linear one.The obtained simulation results confirm that the utilization of UDE makes the tracking error negligibly small,even in the presence of unmodeled dynamics.In the conducted comparison study,the introduced control scheme outperforms both the standard MPC and PID(proportional-integral-derivative)control strategies in terms of transient performance and robustness.Furthermore,the results reveal that a lowpass-filter time constant has a significant effect on the robustness and the convergence range of the tracking error.

Simultaneous desulfurization and denitrification of sintering flue gas via composite absorbent

Experiments on simultaneous absorption of SO_2 and NO_X from sintering flue gas via a composite absorbent NaClO_2/NaClO were carried out. The effects of various operating parameters such as NaClO_2 concentration(ms), NaClO concentration(mp), molar ratio of NaClO_2/NaClO(M), solution temperature(TR), initial solution pH, gas flow(Vg) and inlet concentration of SO_2(CS) and NO(CN) on the removal efficiencies of SO_2 and NO were discussed. The optimal experimental conditions were determined to be initial solution pH = 6, TR=55 °C and M = 1.3 under which the average efficiencies of desulfurization and denitrification could reach99.7% and 90.8%, respectively. Moreover, according to the analysis of reaction products, it was found that adding NaClO to NaClO_2 aqueous solution is favorable for the generation of ClO_2 and Cl_2 which have significant effect on desulfurization and denitrification. Finally, engineering experiments were performed and obtained good results demonstrating that this method is practicable and promising.

Co-firing of coal and biomass in oxy-fuel fluidized bed for CO2 capture: A review of recent advances

The co-firing of coal and biomass in oxy-fuel fluidized beds is one of the most promising technologies for capturing CO2.This technology has attracted wide attention from academia and industry in recent years as a negative emission method to capture CO2 produced by carbon contained in biomass.In the past decades,many studies have been carried out regarding experiments and numerical simulations under oxy-fuel combustion conditions.This paper firstly briefly discusses the techno-economic viability of the biomass and coal co-firing with oxycombustion and then presents a review of recent advancements involving experimental research and computational fluid dynamics(CFD)simulations in this field.Experimental studies on mechanism research,such as thermogravimetric analysis and tube furnace experiments,and fluidized bed experiments based on oxy-fuel fluidized beds with different sizes as well as the main findings,are summarized as a part of this review.It has been recognized that CFD is a useful approach for understanding the behaviors of the co-firing of coal and biomass in oxyfuel fluidized beds.We summarize a recent survey of published CFD research on oxy-fuel fluidized bed combustion,which categorized into Eulerian and Lagrangian methods.Finally,we discuss the challenges and interests for future research.

Study on the emission characteristics of nitrogen oxides with coal combustion in pressurized fluidized bed

Nitrogen oxides are one of the most significant pollution sources during coal combustion. This experimental study was conducted in a 15 kWth lab-scale pressurized fluidized bed (inner diameter = 81-100 mm, H = 2100 mm) firing with bituminous coals. The effects of operating parameters, including bed temperature (800℃-900℃), operating pressure (0.1-0.4 MPa), excess air level (16%-30%) and flow pattern on NOX and N2O emissions were systematically studied during the tests. During each test the interaction effects of all the operating parameters were properly controlled. The results show that most operating parameters have an opposite effect on NOX and N2O emissions, and the N2O emissions mainly depend on the bed temperature. Increasing the operating pressure can significantly suppress the fuel-N conversion to NOX but enhance its conversion to N2O. With the rise of the excess air level and fluidization number, NOX emissions grow distinctly while N2O emissions remain almost unchanged. Total nitrogen oxide emissions increase with the bed temperature while decrease with the operating pressure.

Experiments on particle cluster behaviors in a fast fluidized bed

A three-dimensional(3D) fast fluidized bed with the riser of 3.0 m in height and 0.1 m in inner diameter was established to experimentally study the cluster behaviors of Geldart B particles. Five kinds of quartz sand particles(dp= 0.100, 0.139, 0.177, 0.250 and 0.375 mm and ρp= 2480 kg·m^(-3)) were respectively investigated, with the total mass of the bed material kept as 10 kg. The superficial gas velocity in the riser ranges from 2.486 to 5.594 m·s^(-1) and the solid mass flux alters from 30 to 70 kg·((m^(-2)·s))^(-1). Cluster characteristics and evolutionary processes in the different positions of the riser were captured by the cluster visualization systems and analyzed by the self-developed binary image processing. The results found four typical cluster structures in the riser,i.e., the macro stripe-shaped cluster, saddle-shaped cluster, U-shaped cluster and the micro cluster. The increasing superficial gas velocity and particle sizes result in the increasing average cluster size and the decreasing cluster time fraction, while the solid mass flux in the riser have the reverse influences on the cluster size and time fraction. Additionally, clusters in the upper region of the riser often have the larger size and time fraction than that in the lower region. All these effects of operating conditions on clusters become less obvious when particle size is less than 0.100 mm.

Dynamic optimization oriented modeling and nonlinear model predictive control of the wet limestone FGD system

Nonlinear model predictive control(NMPC)scheme is an effective method of multi-objective optimization control in complex industrial systems.In this paper,a NMPC scheme for the wet limestone flue gas desulphurization(WFGD)system is proposed which provides a more flexible framework of optimal control and decision-making compared with PID scheme.At first,a mathematical model of the FGD process is deduced which is suitable for NMPC structure.To equipoise the model’s accuracy and conciseness,the wet limestone FGD system is separated into several modules.Based on the conservation laws,a model with reasonable simplification is developed to describe dynamics of different modules for the purpose of controller design.Then,by addressing economic objectives directly into the NMPC scheme,the NMPC controller can minimize economic cost and track the set-point simultaneously.The accuracy of model is validated by the field data of a 1000 MW thermal power plant in Henan Province,China.The simulation results show that the NMPC strategy improves the economic performance and ensures the emission requirement at the same time.In the meantime,the control scheme satisfies the multiobjective control requirements under complex operation conditions(e.g.,boiler load fluctuation and set point variation).The mathematical model and NMPC structure provides the basic work for the future development of advanced optimized control algorithms in the wet limestone FGD systems.

Multiobjective economic model predictive control using utopia-tracking for the wet flue gas desulphurization system

Efficient control of the desulphurization system is challenging in maximizing the economic objective while reducing the SO_(2) emission concentration. The conventional optimization method is generally based on a hierarchical structure in which the upper optimization layer calculates the steady-state results and the lower control layer is responsible to drive the process to the target point. However, the conventional hierarchical structure does not take the economic performance of the dynamic tracking process into account. To this end, multi-objective economic model predictive control(MOEMPC) is introduced in this paper, which unifies the optimization and control layers in a single stage. The objective functions are formulated in terms of a dynamic horizon and to balance the stability and economic performance. In the MOEMPC scheme, economic performance and SO_(2) emission performance are guaranteed by tracking a set of utopia points during dynamic transitions. The terminal penalty function and stabilizing constraint conditions are designed to ensure the stability of the system. Finally, an optimized control method for the stable operation of the complex desulfurization system has been established. Simulation results demonstrate that MOEMPC is superior over another control strategy in terms of economic performance and emission reduction, especially when the desulphurization system suffers from frequent flue gas disturbances.

CFD-DEM simulation of spouting of corn-shaped particles

Three dimensionally coupled computational fluid dynamics （CFD） and discrete element method （DEM） were used to investigate the flow of corn-shaped particles in a cylindrical spouted bed with a conical base. The particle motion was modeled by the DEM, and the gas motion by the k-ε two-equation turbulent model. A two-way coupling numerical iterative scheme was used to incorporate the effects of gas-particle interactions in terms of momentum exchange. The corn-shaped particles were constructed by a multisphere method. Drag force, contact force, Saffman lift force, Magnus lift force, and gravitational force acting on each individual particle were considered in establishing the mathematical modeling. Calculations were carried out in a cylindrical spouted bed with an inside diameter of 200 mm, a height of 700 mm, and a conical base of 60°. Comparison of simulations with experiments showed the availability of the multi-sphere method in simulating spouting action with corn-shaped particles, but it depended strongly on the number and the arrangement of the spherical elements. Gas-solid flow patterns, pressure drop, particle velocity and particle concentration at various spouting gas velocity were discussed. The results showed that particle velocity reaches a maximum at the axis and then decreases gradually along the radial direction in the whole bed. Particle concentration increases along the radial direction in the spout region but decreases in the fountain region, while it is nearly constant in the annulus region. Increasing spouting gas velocity leads to larger pressure drop, remarkably increased speed of particle moving upward or downward, but decreased particle concentration.

Flow behavior of non-spherical particle flowing in hopper

Ellipsoidal particles flowing in the hopper were simulated by using the discrete element method （DEM）, and described by the multi-element method. The contact detection algorithm and equations for ellipsoidal particle motion in hopper were developed. And the simulation results were confirmed by experiment. Additionally, the mass flow rate, pressure distribution and velocity distribu- tion of two kinds of particles were examined. The results show that the mass flow rate of ellipsoidal particles is smaller than that of spherical particles. There is a maximum value of pressure drop at the top of the junction. Besides, the pressure drop decreases with the discharging time increasing. The velocity of spherical particle is larger than that of ellipsoidal.

Experimental-computational study of fibrous particle transport and deposition in a bifurcating lung model

Experiments carried out using a lung model with a single horizontal bifurcation under different steady inhalation conditions explored the orientation of depositing carbon fibers, and particle deposition frac- tions. The orientations of deposited fibers were obtained from micrographs. Specifically, the effects of the sedimentation parameter （γ）, fiber length, and flow rate on orientations were analyzed. Our results indicate that gravitational effect on deposition cannot be neglected for 0.0228 〈 γ 〈 0.247. The absolute orientation angle of depositing fibers decreased linearly with increasing y for values 0.0228 〈 γ 〈 0.15. Correspondence between Stokes numbers and y suggests these characteristics can be used to estimate fiber deposition in the lower airways. Computer simulations with sphere-equivalent diameter models for the fibers explored deposition efficiency vs. Stokes number. Using the volume-equivalent diameter model, our experimental data for the horizontal bifurcation were replicated. Results for particle deposition using a lung model with a vertical bifurcation indicate that body position also affects deposition.

Discrete element method modeling of corn-shaped particle flow in rectangular hopper

Discrete element method(DEM)was developed to simulate the corn-shaped particles flow in the hopper.The corn-shaped particle was described by four overlapping spheres.Contact force and gravity force were considered when establishing the model.In addition,flowing characteristic of particles in the hopper was studied.The effect of friction coefficient on the wall pressure,voidage and velocity distribution was analyzed.The results show that the discharge rate decreases with the friction coefficient increasing;and the"over-pressure"phenomenon occurs in the discharging process for two different friction coefficients.The voidage also increases as the friction coefficient increasing.And the velocity distribution is more uniformity and is closer to the mass flow with the friction coefficient deceasing.