A FEASIBILITY STUDY OF A PULSE COMBUSTOR SORBENT TREATMENT AND INJECTION TECHNIQUE FOR SULFUR DIOXIDE CONTROL

EFFECTIVE, LOW-COST SULFUR DIOXIDE (SO(2)) EMISSION CONTROLSTHAT ARE RETROFITTABLE ARE NEEDED TO ALLOW THE WIDESPREAD USE OF COAL WHILE NOT ADVERSELY IMPACTING THE ENVIRONMENT. DIRECT SORBENT INJECTION IS A RELATIVELY ECONOMICAL RETROFITTABLE SO(2) CAPTURE TECHNIQUE. HOWEVER, SO(2) SORBENT CAPTURE EFFECTIVENESS FOR THIS TECHNIQUE IS LIMITED BY NON-OPTIMAL SORBENT ACTIVE SURFACE AREA DEVELOPMENT, SO(2) TRANSPORT TO THE ACTIVE SURFACE AREA, FURNACE DISPERSION OF SORBENT, AND DEPOSITION OF THE HEAT TRANSFER SURFACE PARTICULATES. THE NOVEL PULSE COMBUSTOR SORBENT TREATMENT AND INJECTION (PCSTI) TECHNIQUE TO BE EVALUATED DURING THIS PROJECT OVERCOMES THESE LIMITATIONS BY USING PULSATING FLOW TO OPTIMALLY CALCINE SORBENTS, ENHANCE SO(2) TRANSPORT, RAPIDLY DISPERSE SORBENTS IN THE FURNACE GASES, AND PREVENT TUBE DEPOSITS. IN ADDITION, BECAUSE THE DEVICE IS SIMPLE AND CONVERTS COMBUSTION ENERGY DIRECTLY TO FLOW MOMENTUM, SYSTEM EQUIPMENT AND OPERATING COSTS ARE LOW. THEPCSTI TECHNIQUE CAN ALSO BE EXTENDED TO SIMULTANEOUSLY CONTROL BOTH NO(X) AND SO(2). THE PURPOSE OF PHASE I IS TO DEMONSTRATE, BY EXPERIMENTAL AND ANALYTICAL MEANS, IMPROVED SORBENT SO(2) CAPTURE AT LOWER COSTS USING THE NOVEL PCSTI TECHNIQUE. IN PHASE I, AN EXISTING PULSE COMBUSTOR AND A SORBENT SO(2) CAPTURE COMPUTER MODEL WILL BE USED TO PREDICT THE PCSTI SYSTEM SO(2) CAPTURE PERFORMANCE. THE SO(2) CAPTURE MODEL RESULTS WILL BE COMBINED WITH PRELIMINARY ECONOMIC ANALYSES TO SHOW THE FEASIBILITY OF THECONCEPT. THE RESULTS OF PHASE I WILL FORM THE BASIS FOR DEFINING A PHASE II TEST PROGRAM TO DEMONSTRATE PCSTI CONCEPT PERFORMANCE, AND DEVELOP MORE DETAILED CONCEPT COSTS. AT THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF PHASE II, A PCSTI CONCEPT COMMERCIALIZATION PROGRAM WILL BE INITIATED.