Air Pollution Control Innovations

A common wet scrubber air pollution control application is the removal of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and related compounds from combustion processes. This class of compounds is often referred to as SOx. The formation of SOx and SO2 occurs from sulfur bearing fuels or materials oxidizing to SO2 upon combustion. SO2 has negative health effects and can contribute to respiratory illness, especially in children, the elderly, and individuals with pre-existing conditions.   In addition to health effects, SO2 contributes to acid rain which can harm plants, trees, rivers, streams, and lakes. SO2 also reacts with other compounds in the atmosphere to form small particles that contribute to particulate matter (PM) pollution and regional haze otherwise known as smog. Regulatory agencies often control SO2 not only to minimize harmful health affects but to reduce regional haze.

Packed bed scrubbers are often considered the best available control technology (BACT) for SO2 removal. Below is a summary of SO2 exhaust streams Envitech has treated using packed bed scrubbers.

• Waste oil refinery waste gas thermal oxidizer and direct fired heater
• Refinery sulfur recovery unit (SRU) thermal oxidizer
• Geothermal power generation regenerative thermal oxidizer
• Secondary lead smelter furnace
• Mineral processing furnace
• Catalyst regeneration kiln
• Ceramic tile kiln
• Hazardous waste combustor
• Medical waste incinerator
• Marine diesel engine

In these applications Envitech has treated SO2 loads as high as 48 tons per day and achieved efficiencies exceeding 99.9% removal. Gas flow rates can vary from < 500 cfm to more than several hundred thousand cfm.

HOW DOES THE TECHNOLOGY WORK?

An example of a large refinery/petrochemical thermal oxidizer SO2 scrubber application illustrates the technology. Below is a summary of design conditions. Liquid discharge limits for chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) require oxidation of the blow

down.

Design Conditions

• Flow rate: 300,000 acfm
• Temperature: 1560^oF
• SO2: 300 lb/hr
• Chemical oxygen demand (COD): < 200 mg/l
• Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD: < 50 mg/l
• SO2 removal > 99%

The above figure shows the scrubber equipment arrangement. Waste gas, fuel, and air are fed into the thermal oxidizer. Combustion in the thermal oxidizer generates exhaust gas of 300,000 acfm @ 1,560^oF with 300 lb/hr of SO2. The first step of the scrubbing process cools the gas to saturation using adiabatic cooling through evaporation of water. Excess water flows into the packed bed absorber sump.

The next step is SO2 absorption via mass transfer promoted by high efficiency packing media. The gas flows vertically upward, counter-current to downward flowing recirculation water. Neutralization via caustic addition improves the SO2 absorption rate. An entrainment separator at the top of the packed bed absorber removes water droplets in the gas before exiting the system. Water from the absorber sump is recirculated to the quencher and to the top of the packed bed. Make-up water replaces evaporation and blowdown losses.

The SO2 load is low enough that the scrubber absorber sump can serve as an oxidation tank. Air is sparged into the sump to oxidize sulfites (SO^-2₃) to sulfates (SO^-2₄) in order to meet COD and BOD limits. Caustic addition ensures sulfate formation and minimizes sulfur dioxide off-gassing. Larger SO2 loads may require external oxidation tanks.

The adjacent figure shows a typical arrangement to handle 300,000 acfm of gas flow. The system is modularized with 12 feet diameter shop fabricated vessels. Recirculation pump skids and aeration pump skids are pre-assembled in the shop. Instruments are pre-mounted in the piping assembly where possible and pre-wired to a junction box on board the skid. Shop fabrication and assembly minimizes installation time and cost.

Advantages of a packed bed scrubber includes:

• High removal efficiency
• Proven technology
• Low capital cost
• Automatic operation
• High reliability, low maintenance

Click on the link below to download literature about SO2 scrubbing.

A refinery is upgrading an SO2 quencher-scrubber treating incinerator exhaust from a thermal oxidizer of a sulfur recovery unit (SRU).   The quencher is a re-purposed eductor type Venturi that is at end of life and will be replaced.  Scrubber recirculation water passes through a heat exchanger to subcool the gas, eliminating make-up water.  Upstream heat recovery is removed which increases the gas flow rate to the scrubber.

The customer selected Envitech to provide a replacement quencher and to make scrubber modifications to accommodate higher gas flow.  The new quencher is an Envitech design sized to fit into existing footprint, platforms, and flange connections.  Water injection through open ports in the quencher throat eliminates a spray nozzle to improve reliability and maintenance.  Recirculated water to the quencher is significantly reduced. Existing pumps are oversized but reused by recirculating excess water from the discharge to the pump return.  Scrubber packing and mist eliminator are redesigned using high performance components for larger gas flow and reduced pressure drop.

Envitech performed a thermal study using Solidworks^TM modeling on the flange connection between the ductwork and mating quencher inlet flange.  Study results were used to ensure proper material selection.  Scope of supply includes two 90^o refractory lined duct elbows connecting to the quencher.

The elbows are insulated with a rain shield. The connecting 90^o elbow to the quencher is mitered with a flange and transition section using high temperature alloy.  All supplied equipment is compliant with refinery quality and design specifications.  Coordination with the end-user and 3^rd party engineering firm ensures fit-up and proper mechanical design for interconnecting ductwork and connections.

The scrubber upgrade meets the below design parameters and allows the plant to safely to operate with higher flow while re-using a substantial amount of existing equipment.

Click on the link below to download literature about this application.

HCl emissions are encountered in a wide range of applications including hazardous waste combustors (HWC), medical waste incinerators, pharmaceutical production, and ceramic tile manufacturing. There is a wide range of performance requirements depending on the application and applicable state or US EPA standard. Below is a summary of performance requirements for some of these applications.

• Hospital, medical, and infectious waste incinerator (HMIWI) MACT standard: 5.1 to 15 ppmv depending on the size of the incinerator and whether it is an existing or new incinerator.
• Hazardous waste combustor (HWC) MACT standard: 32 ppmv for existing incinerators and 21 ppmv for new incinerators; adjusted to 7% O2.
• Ceramic tile kiln scrubber: > 97% removal
• Pharmaceutical manufacturing RTO scrubber: > 99% removal

Secondary lead smelters recycle lead bearing scrap metal, primarily lead acid car batteries, into elemental lead or lead alloys.  Metal from the batteries are remelted in blast or reverb furnaces and then refined in secondary smelters. The batteries contain high amounts of sulfur which oxidizes to SO2 in the furnaces.

An unutilized secondary lead smelting facility was retrofitted with new process equipment to restart operations. Air pollution control equipment was needed to achieve greater than 96% removal of peak loads of up to 4,500 lb/hr of SO2 from the furnace exhaust. 

The customer selected an Envitech packed bed scrubber to meet emission requirements.  Three combustion sources are combined in a duct header into a forced draft fan. The fan provides motive force through the scrubber.

The first scrubber step  is an evaporative quencher to cool the gas to saturation. The quencher is constructed from T316SS and is a low pressure drop Venturi to provide turbulence for rapid quenching with a wide turn-down ratio. A fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) elbow connects the quencher to a 10 foot diameter FRP absorber vessel.

Gas from the quencher passes vertically upward through a packed bed, counter-current to downward flowing recirculated water.  Scrubbing water and excess quench water are collected in a common sump and is recirculated to the top of the packed bed and quencher. 

A pre-assembled recirculation pump skid with redundant pumps was supplied with the scrubber.  Instruments were pre-mounted and pre-wired to a control box on the skid.

A dilute solution of plant-supplied sodium hydroxide is metered into the scrubber recirculation line to neutralize acid gases and is controlled by the recirculation liquid pH.  A blowdown stream purges the system of reaction products and is controlled by conductivity.  Blowdown liquid is treated by separate oxidation tanks to convert sulfite reaction products to sulfates.

After the packed bed, the gas passes through a chevron style mist eliminator above the packing material to remove water droplets.  A wash header below the mist eliminator provides a periodic wash to keep the chevrons clean.  Finally, the gas exits the system and is exhausted through a stack.

The scrubber has been operational since 2010 with good result.  Below is a summary of design and performance results.

Click on the link below to download literature about this application.

Regenerative thermal oxidizer’s (RTO’s) are thermally efficient devices used to destroy low concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s). Chlorinated compounds, if present, oxidize into hydrochloric acid (HCl) which must be removed after the RTO.

Two examples are Carestream Health in Rochester, NY, a health care products supplier, and Illumina in San Diego, CA, a biotechnology provider.  Facilities at both companies generate low concentrations of chlorinated VOC’s.  Control devices are needed to remove HCl emissions downstream of RTO’s used to meet VOC emissions.

Envitech packed bed absorbers were selected to treat the RTO exhaust gases.  The first step in the scrubbing process is an evaporative quencher to cool the gas to saturation.  A horizontal quencher simplifies ductwork and installation cost.  Al6XN construction provides corrosion resistance.es are Carestream Health in Rochester, NY, a health care products supplier, and Illumina in San Diego, CA, a biotechnology provider.  Facilities at both companies generate low concentrations of chlorinated VOC’s.  Control devices are needed to remove HCl emissions downstream of RTO’s used to meet VOC emissions.Envitech packed bed absorbers were selected to treat the RTO exhaust gases.  The first step in the scrubbing process is an evaporative quencher to cool the gas to saturation.  A horizontal quencher simplifies ductwork and installation cost.  Al6XN construction provides corrosion resistance.  

The quencher is followed by a fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) vertical packed bed absorber with gas flowing vertically upward, counter current to downward flowing water.  Excess water from the quencher and packed bed collects in the absorber sump and recirculates to the quencher and packed bed.  A dilute caustic solution (NaOH) is injected into the discharge side of the recirculation pump to neutralize HCl.  A blowdown stream purges the system of reaction products.   Caustic injection and blowdown are controlled by pH and oxidation reduction potential (ORP).

Gaseous HCl readily absorbs into the scrubber recirculation liquid.  A fraction of the HCl forms a submicron aerosol as gas contacts water in the quencher to cool the gas.  The aerosol is removed by a properly designed mist eliminator.  Gas calculations are used to estimate the fraction of acid aerosol based on gas dew point and partial pressures of water and acid.  The mist eliminator must be capable of removing aerosol at the expected concentration and droplet size distribution. This  impacts the mist eliminator selection, vessel size, and pressure drop of the system.

The scrubbers were put into service and effectively operate on a continuous basis with minimal operator management. Operating parameters and performances are summarized below.

Click on the link below to download literature about this application.

Vintage Petroleum, LLC, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Corporation operates oil and gas fields in Lost Hills, California, northwest of Bakersfield. The fields operate steam boilers that use nearby canal water. High concentrations of dissolved oxygen in the canal water caused excessive corrosion in the boilers.

Vintage was looking for an effective means to reduce oxygen content in the canal water to prolong boiler life and reduce maintenance costs.

The customer selected Envitech to design and build two stripper towers. The towers use high pressure natural gas to strip oxygen from the canal water. The water is pumped 1,000 feet from the canal to the tower locations. After stripping to remove oxygen, the water is pumped to an existing fresh water tank.

The vessels are constructed of carbon steel with a 3/16 inch corrosion allowance and painted internally and externally. The
vessels are fabricated in accordance with ASME Code Section VIII Division I requirements and stamped. The maximum vessel design working pressure is 100 psig at a maximum design temperature of 300 °F and also designed for half vacuum.

The lower vessels are 6 feet in diameter. The upper packed bed sections are 4 feet in diameter. The overall vessel height is 27 feet.

The first system was installed in 2013. The second system was installed in 2014. Both systems are operational and the facility reports success in prolonging boiler life. Designed to the parameters summarized in the adjacent table, the stripping towers resulted in an innovative process solution to solve a unique operational problem.

• Gas flow rate, mscfd: 328
• Water flow rate, gpm: 450
• Operating temperature, oF: 60 to 120
• Operating pressure, psig: 40
• Oxygen content of in stripping gas, ppm: 70
• Dissolved oxygen content in canal water, mg/L: 9
• Dissolved oxygen removal: > 90%

Click on the link below to download literature about this application.

The metal recycling industry provides tremendous societal benefit by preserving natural resources and reducing greenhouse gases. Metal recycling entails pulverizing and shredding vehicles and appliances into smaller pieces to facilitate melting processes. Large mega shredders are often enclosed to capture process emissions. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) are released during shredding, including small amounts of halogenated compounds.

In recent years, some state and regional regulatory agencies have begun requiring Best Available Control Technology (BACT) to treat shredder exhaust gases for VOCs and other HAPs. One facility had a need to treat a large volumetric flow rate from their shredder enclosure. The equipment must meet stringent performance limits, be reliable, and capable of 24/7 operation.

Envitech partnered with Process Combustion Corporation (PCC) to provide a comprehensive BACT solution. The partnership leverages PCC’s 50 years of experience engineering thermal systems for air pollution control with Envitech’s wet scrubber expertise. PCC provided a regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) for VOC control and interconnect ductwork and incorporated an Envitech packed bed acid gas scrubber system. The scrubber scope of supply includes two (2) equal trains consisting of a horizontal Hastelloy C276 quencher, 13 foot diameter fiberglass packed bed absorber, instruments, pre-assembled recirculation pump skid with redundant pumps, and stack.

The horizontal quenchers ensure the gas is fully saturated across all operating conditions and simplifies ductwork between the RTO and scrubber.

CFD modeling minimizes pressure drop and prevents re-entrainment.

The system will be installed and operational in 2021. Guarantees are provided to meet the below design conditions. The combined PCC/Envitech process provides a reliable, comprehensive solution to meet the demands of a more stringent regulatory environment.

• Gas flow rate: 140,000 acfm
• VOC destruction: > 98%
• Acid gas removal (HF and HCl): > 99.5%

A pharmaceutical company, Roche Carolina, operates a thermal oxidizer (TO) that treats a rich stream of chlorinated compounds and an organic silicon compound. HCl and silicon dioxide (SiO2) particulate are formed during combustion. The exhaust is treated by a Hastelloy evaporative quencher followed by a caustic scrubber.

The quencher utilizes spray pig tailed nozzles, some of which are orientated upward into the gas to prevent fouling from SiO2 accumulation on the spray headers. The pigtails gradually plug both inside and outside as SiO2 particulate collect outside the nozzles.

The stainless inlet duct flange connection frequently springs leaks, causing shutdowns for repairs. It was thought that the upward pointed nozzles wetted the welded flange surfaces resulting in acid gas corrosion from HCl and possible stress from thermal expansion differences between the two metals.

An improved design was sought to increase reliability and eliminate operational and maintenance problems. The design needed to address the potential for:

• • Spray nozzle plugging from SiO2 particulate.
  • SiO2 accumulation on the quencher walls.
  • Acid gas corrosion.
  • Weld leakage and failure.

Tangential pipes with large orifices at the top of the quencher keeps the walls fully wetted and prevents SiO2 particulate build-up.

A barrel at the inlet flange extends into the quencher with the same diameter as the inlet duct. The tangential nozzles are placed behind the barrel wall to protect injected water from traveling up into the duct.

Elimination of the pigtail nozzles prevents associated gradual nozzle plugging.

Because water is not put into the quencher-inlet duct interface, the possibility of leaking from this connection is eliminated. Risk of corrosion attack is also minimized.
Weld leakage and failure.

The bottom section is the same as the original design to facilitate integration.

The quencher has been operational since 2008 to the below design conditions. The facility reports good results and significantly improved reliability and lower maintenance costs.

• Max flow rate, acfm: 6,700 acfm
• Nominal flow rate: acfm 3,000 acfm
• Max inlet temperature, ^oF: 850
• SiO2 particulate, gr/dscf: up to 0.1
• HCl, ppmv: 31
• Saturation temperature, ^oF: 145

Click on the link below to download a case study and related quencher and wet scrubber literature.

BP Amoco was engaged in expanding production capacity for purified terephthalic acid (PTA) at the CAPCO 6 and Zhuhai 1 petrochemical plants in China. PTA is used in the manufacture of polyester resin and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles. It is also widely used in the pharmaceutical, food, textile and packaging industries. The expansion projects were part of efforts to achieve process simplifications and lower capital costs. Project goals were to reduce plot area and the number of equipment pieces by 40%

The process includes up to 530,000 acfm of corrosive exhaust gases that are cooled to the adiabatic saturation temperature. Cooling large flow rate gases is challenging due to potential void spaces in the water spray system. Splitting flows into smaller exhaust trains is a common method to overcome this challenge. However, this adds ductwork and installation cost. For capital cost reductions, the customer wanted to saturate the gas in a single train in a horizontal arrangement to conserve space and to minimize ductwork.

The customer selected a custom engineered Envitech horizonal quencher. The material of construction is Hastelloy C276 to provide corrosion resistance at high inlet temperatures. A proprietary internal water injection and throat design splits the stream inside the vessel to ensure turbulence for mixing gases and water. Gases accelerate through the throat areas in combination with a recirculated water spray system. A small pressure drop cools gases over a wide flow rate operating range and minimizes the number of nozzles. The water spray header is removable to facilitate nozzle replacement and maintenance. The vessel is 13 feet in diameter in a horizontal arrangement. This allows the quencher to be shop fabricated so that inspection and quality assurance are done in a controlled environment. The unit is shipped as one piece.

The Envitech quenchers were installed in 2001 and operate to the design parameters summarized below. The proprietary design contributed to BP Amoco’s goals to reduce footprint area, process equipment pieces, and capital cost.

DESIGN PARAMETER

• Max flow rate: 530,000 acfm
• Inlet temperature: 560^oF
• Inlet pressure: 518 In. W.C. 
• Guarantee: Cooling to +/- 40^oF of the saturation temperature

Click on the link below to download a case study and related wet scrubber literature.

PROBLEM:

A Midwestern ceramic tile manufacturer needed an acid gas scrubber to treat the off gas from 3 kilns being installed at a new manufacturing plant. Each kiln was equal in size and emits HF, HCl, and SO₂. The scrubber needed to remove > 98.5% of acid gases. The scope of supply included an ID Fan, interconnect duct, stack, control system, and pump skid. The facility was faced with the additional challenge of less than 22 ft of overhead space inside the building. A tight schedule required receipt of equipment in 16 weeks, including engineering. The customer operated other scrubbers at different facilities and reported difficulty in controlling the spray quenchers to cool and saturate the gas.

SOLUTION:

The customer selected an Envitech quencher/packed bed scrubber to meet their requirements. To eliminate difficulty in controlling gas cooling the scrubber used a proprietary, low pressure drop Venturi quencher. This provided a means to saturate the gas over a wide range of operating conditions and flow rates. The scrubber used a proprietary internal duct design with an outlet and entrainment separator at the bottom of the scrubber. This allowed the scrubber to fit in the low overhead space with no roof penetrations to minimize installation cost and time. Other equipment features included:

•  Quencher design to capture > 90% of particulate > 3 microns.
• Skid mounted dual pumps (1 opr/1 spare) with pre-piped and valved instruments.
• Hydro-testing of piping assemblies.
• Instruments pre-wired to a junction box.
• Control System Factory Acceptance Test (FAT).
• High efficiency, low pressure drop packing with high void spaces to prevent material accumulation and fouling.

 RESULTS:

The customer placed the order in June, 2015. The equipment shipped on time in October 2015 and arrived on site one week early, 15 weeks from order placement. The system will be operational in early 2016. Stack testing will confirm compliance with the performance guarantee summarized in the table below.

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