Pilot study of the moving-bed copper oxide process for SO{sub 2} and NO{sub x} control

Conference · Tue Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1997

OSTI ID:490345

Hoffman, J S; Yeh, J T; Pennline, H W ^[1]; Resnik, K P ^[2]

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1. Department of Energy, Pittsburgh, PA (United States)
2. Parsons Power Group, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

The Moving-Bed Copper Oxide Process is a dry, regenerable sorbent technique that uses supported copper oxide sorbent to simultaneously remove SO{sub 2} and NO{sub x} emissions from flue gas generated by coal combustion. This process can meet the goals of a Department of Energy (DOE) initiative to develop flue gas control technologies to remove 99% and 95% of SO{sub 2} and NO{sub x}, respectively, at a low cost for emission control. The process can be integrated into the design of advanced power systems, such as the Low-Emission Boiler System (LEBS) or the High-Performance Power System (HIPPS). This flue gas cleanup technique is currently being evaluated in a life-cycle tea system (LCTS) with a moving-bed flue gas contractor at DOE`s Federal Energy Technology Center. An experimental data base being established will be used to verify reported technical and economic advantages, optimize process conditions, provide scaleup information, and validate absorber and regenerator mathematical models. The chemistry of the process is relatively straightforward. In the absorption step, SO{sub 2} in the flue gas reacts with copper oxide, supported on small spheres of alumina, to form copper sulfate. Ammonia is injected into the flue gas before the absorption reactor and a selective catalytic reduction-type reaction occurs that reduces the nitric oxides in the flue gas. In the regeneration step, the copper sulfate is reduced in a regenerator with a reducing agent, such as natural gas, producing a concentrated stream of SO{sub 2}. Another advantage of the process is that the lower pressure drop across the moving-bed configuration as compared to other designs reduces power consumption and thus influences the overall economic costs. LCTS results are discussed from several proms parametric test series (MBCuO-11 through MBCuO-14). The effects of various absorber and regenerator parameters on sorbent performance (e.g., SO{sub 2} and NO{sub x} removal) were investigated.

• OSTI ID: 490345
• Report Number(s): CONF-970310--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
ABSORPTION
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
COAL
COMBUSTION
COPPER OXIDES
DESULFURIZATION
FLUE GAS
HEAT TRANSFER
NITROGEN OXIDES
PRESSURE DROP
SORPTIVE PROPERTIES
SULFUR DIOXIDE