Numerical Study on the Homogeneous Reactions of Mercury in a 600 MW Coal-Fired Utility Boiler

oleh: Qiang Lyu, Chang’an Wang, Xuan Liu, Defu Che

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2022-01-01

Deskripsi

The homogeneous oxidation of elemental mercury (Hg<sup>0</sup>) can promote Hg pollution control in coal-fired power plants, while the mechanisms and quantitative contributions of homogeneous reactions in Hg<sup>0</sup> oxidation, especially the reactions between Hg and chlorine (Cl), are still unclear. Here, a numerical study on the homogeneous reactions of Hg was conducted within a 600 MW tangentially fired boiler for the first time. A novel Hg sub-model was established by coupling the thermodynamics, reaction kinetics and fluid dynamics. The results showed that the higher Cl content in coal was beneficial to the oxidation of Hg<sup>0</sup>. The homogeneous reactions of Hg mainly occurred in the vertical flue pass at low temperature. Hg<sup>0</sup> was still the dominant Hg-containing species at the boiler exit, and the concentration of mercury chloride (HgCl<sub>2</sub>) was the highest among the oxidized mercury. When low-Cl coal was fired, the addition of a small amount of chlorine species into the boiler at the burnout area increased the ratio of HgCl<sub>2</sub> by over 16 times without causing serious chlorine corrosion problems.