Title
Effect of a gas-gas-heater on H2SO4 aerosol formation: Implications for mist formation in amine based carbon capture
Author
Mertens, J.
Bruns, R.
Schallert, B.
Faniel, N.
Khakharia, P.M.
Albrecht, W.
Goetheer, E.L.V.
Blondeau, J.
Schaber, K.
Publication year
2015
Abstract
This study is to our knowledge the first to describe the effect of a Gas-Gas Heater (GGH) of a coal fired power plant's has on (i) the H2SO4 concentration and (ii) the particle/aerosol number concentration and particle size distribution present in the flue gas. In the absence of a GGH, homogenous nucleation takes places inside the Wet Flue Gas Desulphurisation (WFGD) converting the gaseous H2SO4 into aerosol H2SO4. This leads to a high aerosol number concentration behind the WFGD with 80% of the aerosols being smaller than 0.02 μm. This implies that an amine based carbon capture (CC) installation treating this flue gas can suffer from amine mist formation due to the high amount of available nuclei (i.e., H2SO4 aerosols) resulting in high amine emissions. In contrast, in the presence of a GGH not only 70% of the H2SO4 is removed from the flue gas (measured at the Nijmegen powerplant), but also homogenous nucleation in the WFGD is prevented resulting in low particle number concentrations. The flue gas leaving the GGH will not create any mist formation issues in an amine based CC installation due to the low amount of nuclei present in the flue gas. It is not the reduction in H2SO4 concentration by 70% inside the GGH as such that prevents mist formation but absence of H2SO4 in its aerosol form. These results are most likely quite widely transformable to other power plants that burn low sulfur coal i.e., around 0.7 weight%. This information will serve future pilot and demo CC installation around the world; in particular when retrofitted on power plants that have a GGH.
Subject
Fluid & Solid Mechanics
PID - Process & Instrumentation Development
TS - Technical Sciences
High Tech Systems & Materials
Industrial Innovation
Monoethanolamine
ELPI+
Gas–gas heater
Emission measurement
Aerosols
Mist
Post Combustion carbon capture
Sulphuric acid (H2SO4)
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http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:0cd792f2-a8bd-4c8b-9ebb-aefe179c2650
TNO identifier
527066
Publisher
Elsevier, Amsterdam
ISSN
1750-5836
Source
International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 39, 470-477
Document type
article