ENHANCED CONTROL OF MERCURY BY WET FLUE GAS DESULFURIZATION SYSTEMS--SITE 2 RESULTS
The U.S. Department of Energy and EPRI are co-funding this project to improve the control of mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants equipped with wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems. The project is investigating catalytic oxidation of vapor-phase elemental mercury to a form that is more effectively captured in wet FGD systems. If successfully developed, the process could be applicable to over 90,000 MW of utility generating capacity with existing FGD systems, and to future FGD installations. Field tests are being conducted to determine whether candidate catalyst materials remain active towards mercury oxidation after extended flue gas exposure. Catalyst life will have a large impact on the cost effectiveness of this potential process. A mobile catalyst test unit is being used to test the activity of four different catalysts for a period of up to six months at each of three utility sites. Catalyst testing at the first site, which fires Texas lignite, was completed in December 1998. Testing at the second test site, which fires a Powder River Basin subbituminous coal, was completed in the fall of 1999, and testing at the third site, which fires a high-sulfur bituminous coal, will begin in 2000. This technical note reports results from Site 2; results from Site 1 were reported in a previous technical note. At Site 2, catalysts were tested in several forms, including powders dispersed in sand bed reactors and in commercial forms such as extruded beads and coated honeycomb structures. This technical note presents results from Site 2 for both the sand bed reactors and commercial catalyst forms. Field testing is being supported by laboratory tests to screen catalysts for activity at specific flue gas compositions, to investigate catalyst deactivation mechanisms and to investigate methods for regenerating spent catalysts. Laboratory results related to the Site 2 field effort are also included and discussed in this technical note. Preliminary economics, based on Site 2 results, are also presented for a catalyst-based mercury removal process for a plant with an existing FGD system.
- Research Organization:
- Urs Group Inc. (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC22-95PC95260
- OSTI ID:
- 829670
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 1 Jun 2000
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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