Reducing fine particle emissions by heterogeneous vapor condensation after wet desulfurization process

BACKGROUND: The fine particles emitted from coal-fired power plants has caused many health and environmental problems. Reducing the fine particle emissions from coal-fired power plants is of great significance. In this work, a novel process of heterogeneous vapor condensation after wet desulfurization was investigated to reduce the emission of fine particles. RESULTS: The proposed novel process was realized via three different methods, and numerical calculation indicated that it was feasible. The experimental results showed that the temperature drop of desulfurized flue gas due to the added steam and cold air had a positive effect on the improvement in reduction of fine particles. The experimental results also showed that the heat exchange method was applicable to desulfurized flue gas at different temperatures. However, the steam addition method was more suitable for original desulfurized flue gas at lower temperatures while the cold air addition method has more advantages in the case of original desulfurized flue gas at higher temperatures. CONCLUSION: The novel process proposed in this paper was feasible for industrial application. Under typical conditions, the fine particle emissions in the final discharged flue gas were reduced by 30-40% using this process. (C) 2017 Society of Chemical Industry