Mathematical Modeling of Wet Magnesia Flue Gas Desulphurization Process

Desulphurization of flue gases from various chemical industries in a techno-econo-enviro manner is a demanding technology. The concentrations of sulphur dioxide in and around these plants overshoot the danger point. In recent years, the process analysis of chemical absorption in a slurry has become important in rational design and development of wet scrubbing processes for the removal of SO2 from flue gases. The elementary steps encountered in wet scrubbing by slurries are diffusion and reaction of gaseous species and solid dissolution in liquid film. In the present work, the process of the absorption of sulphur dioxide into wet magnesia slurry was theoretically analyzed according to the two-reaction plane model incorporating the solid dissolution promoted by the reactions with absorbed sulphur dioxide in the liquid film. A model based on Fick's second law has been developed to calculate enhancement factor for absorption of Sulphur dioxide into Mg(OH)2 slurry. The concentration of accumulated species in the bulk of the liquid phase (sulphite ions for this case) which substantially control the absorption rates was included in the model for the prediction of theoretical enhancement factor. The values of theoretical enhancement factors obtained from model were compared with experimental enhancement factors available in literature. The model values of enhancement factors agreed well with the values of experimental enhancement factor available in literature. Copyright (C) 2008 M.K.Mondal.