Gas Purification via Pressure-Enhanced Salt Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for removing SOx and NOx from gas streams in power stations and other large furnaces often result in the production of corrosive acids, leading to handling and disposal issues, and require additional oxidizing agents or catalytic stages, which are costly and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A process that increases the pressure of the gas stream to convert SOx and NOx into dissolved salts using basic washing agents like ammonia or sodium hydroxide, allowing for their removal without producing acids, and integrates this scrubbing with a direct cooler in the waste gas train.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If conventional scrubbing methods are used to remove SOx and NOx, then impurity removal is achieved, but corrosive acids are produced leading to handling and disposal issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful formation of corrosive acids during scrubbing into a beneficial process by using selective catalytic reduction to convert NOx into nitrogen gas, which is harmless. This eliminates the acid production issue while maintaining effective impurity removal
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes NOx from the gas stream through selective catalytic reduction before the scrubbing process, separating this function from the acid-producing scrubbing operation. This allows the scrubbing to focus solely on SOx removal without generating corrosive acids
2Productivity
If additional oxidizing agents or catalytic stages are used, then oxidation and scrubbing are accelerated, but process complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs the gas stream's own oxygen content to facilitate the oxidation and scrubbing processes, eliminating the need for external oxidizing agents. The system uses its inherent resources to achieve efficient impurity removal without adding complex additional components
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This process effectively removes SOx and NOx as salts, reducing corrosion risks, eliminating acid handling issues, and improving efficiency by accelerating oxidation and scrubbing, while allowing for the reuse or disposal of the salt-laden washing agent, thus enhancing the overall purification efficiency and reducing material requirements.
Implementation Method 1
convert SOx and NOx into dissolved salts using basic washing agents like ammonia or sodium hydroxide
Implementation Method 2
accelerating oxidation and scrubbing
Data Source
AI summary
A process for removing impurities, in particular oxides of sulphur (SOx) and/or oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from oxygen-containing gas streams by scrubbing with at least one washing agent is described. In order to achieve effective gas purification in an economical manner even in the case of so-called large “oxyfuel” furnaces which operate with oxygen as fuel gas, it is proposed to convert the impurities at an elevated pressure of at least 2 bar with at least one basic constituent of the washing agent into salts and to wash out said impurities as dissolved salts.