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EMISSIONS OF SULFUR TRIOXIDE FROM COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS
Citation:
Srivastava*, R K., C A. Miller*, C. Erickson, AND R. Jambhekar. EMISSIONS OF SULFUR TRIOXIDE FROM COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS. Presented at Power-Gen Conference; Mercury, Trace Elements, and Particulate Matter, Orlando, FL, December 10-12, 2002.
Description:
Emissions of sulfur trioxide (SO3) are a key component of plume opacity and acid deposition. Consequently, these emissions need to be low enough not to cause opacity violations and acid deposition. Generally, a small fraction of sulfur in coal is converted to SO3 in coal-fired combustion devices such as electric utility boilers. The emissions Of SO3 from such a boiler depend on coal sulfur content, combustion conditions, flue gas characteristics, and air pollution devices being used. It is well known that the catalyst used in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology for nitrogen oxides (NOX) control oxidizes a small fraction of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the flue gas to SO3. The extent of this oxidation depends on the catalyst formulation and SCR operating conditions. Gas-phase SO3 and sulfuric acid (H2SO4), on being quenched in plant equipment (e.g., air preheater and wet scrubber), result in fine acidic mist which can cause increased plume opacity and undesirable emissions. Recently, such effects have been observed at plants firing high-sulfur coal and equipped with SCR systems and wet scrubbers. This paper investigates the factors that affect acidic mist production in coal-fired electric utility boilers and discusses approaches for mitigating emission of this mist.