FEASIBILITY STUDY OF A PULSE COMBUSTOR COMBINED NOX AND SO2 CONTROL TECHNIQUE

EFFECTIVE, LOW-COST AND RETROFITTABLE COMBINED NOX AND SO2 EMISSION CONTROLS ARE NEEDED TO ALLOW THE WIDESPREAD USE OF COAL WHILE NOT ADVERSELY IMPACTING THE ENVIRONMENT. REBURNING OR IN-FURNACE NOX REDUCTION (IFNR) AND DRY SORBENTINJECTION (DSI) ARE RELATIVELY ECONOMICAL AND RETROFITTABLE NOX AND SO2 CONTROL TECHNIQUES. HOWEVER, THESE TECHNIQUES ARE RESTRICTED IN APPLICATION BY THE LIMITED TIME WITHIN THEFURNACE FOR INJECTANT PROCESSING, DISPERSION AND REACTION. THE PROPOSED PULSE COMBUSTOR NOX AND SO2 REDUCTION (PCNSR) TECHNIQUE OVERCOMES THESE LIMITATIONS, BY UTILIZING PULSATING FLOW TO OPTIMALLY CALCINE THE SORBENT AND GASIFY THE COAL PRIOR TO RAPIDLY DISPERSING THE SORBENT AND FUEL INTHE FURNACE GASES. PCNSR SYSTEM, VERY GOOD NOX AND SO2 CONTROL AND BURNOUT CAN BE ACHIEVED FOR INEXPENSIVE LIMESTONE SORBENT AND COAL REBURNING FUEL. BECAUSE THE DEVICE IS SIMPLE AND CONVERTS COMBUSTION ENERGY DIRECTLY TO FLOW MOMENTUM, SYSTEMS COSTS ARE LOW. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PHASE I PROGRAM IS TO DEMONSTRATE, BY EXPERIMENTAL AND ANALYTICAL MEANS, COMBINED NOX AND SO2 REDUCTION AT LOWER COSTS USING THE PCNSR TECHNIQUE. IN THE PHASE I EFFORT, AN EXISTING PULSE COMBUSTOR TEST FACILITY AND SORBENT CAPTURE AND COMBUSTION COMPUTER MODELS WILL BE USED TO ASSESS PCNSR SYSTEM SO2 CONTROL, NOX REDUCTION AND BURNOUT PERFORMANCE. THE PERFORMANCE RESULTS WILL BE COMBINED WITH PRELIMINARY ECONOMIC ANALYSES TO SHOW THE FEASIBILITY OF THE CONCEPT.