BioMatNet Item: JOULE JOR3-CT97-0157 - Development of selective oxidation technology for NOx emission reduction in gasification power plants

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JOULE JOR3-CT97-0157
Development of selective oxidation technology for NOx emission reduction in gasification power plants

Contacts

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Electricity : JOULE/THERMIE Programme : Solid Biofuels : Thermochemical Conversion

	Type of Project	Shared Cost
	Contract No	JOR3-CT97-0157
	EC Contribution	846,374 ECU
	Start Date	01/06/1997
	Duration	30 Months

Development of selective oxidation technology for NO_x emission reduction in gasification power plants

Objectives

The objective of this research project is to further develop new methods, that can be used to reduce substantially NO_x emission originating from fuel bound fixed nitrogen in gasification power plants. The central part of this project is the development of the new SCO (Selective Catalytic Oxidation) technology. In the project new information will be obtained concerning the following aspects:

How and to what extent the formation of nitrogen compounds can be minimised by gasifier design and by choosing operational conditions such that most of the fuel nitrogen is oxidised to N₂
Development of SCO technology for hot gas cleaning
The effect of SCO on gas combustion and the integration of SCO to the IGCC process

Technical Approach

Identification of gasification and gas cleaning conditions under which the nitrogen compounds would react to form N₂ in the gasifier and/or in the hot gas cleaning equipment before gas combustion, would offer new and efficient technology for the reduction of NO_x in gasification power plants. Together with efficient burners this technology could eliminate the need for costly post combustion flue gas cleaning technologies such as SCR. An extensive research programme has been carried out previously at VTT Energy in co-operation with Åbo Akademi University, during which the nitrogen chemistry of gasification was studied in order to find means and conditions to enhance the rate of decomposition of NH_3. In these laboratory experiments a significant reduction in NH₃was achieved in simulations in which synthetic gasification gas flowed through an aluminium oxide bed in the temperature range of 350-600^oC. Selective NH₃ removal reactions were initiated by the addition of small amounts of reactive oxidisers to the hot gas. A new, simple and economic NH₃ removal method could be based on these results. This method could be called Selective Catalytic Oxidation of NH₃ (SCO). However, several questions concerning the feasibility of SCO process are still open.

Expected Results and Exploitation

The new technologies studied in this project are based on characteristic features of gasification power plants and hence help to improve the economy and environmental acceptability of these advanced biomass using energy production systems. Participating companies can directly use the results of this project in their development work. The results connected to the operational conditions of the CFB gasifier and their effect on the behaviour of nitrogen compounds can be utilised in the operation of the Värnamo plant. VTT is developing the patented SCO process and will use the results of this study to guide the further development work of the process. If an effective process to decompose nitrogen compounds could be developed, over 90 % NO_x emission reduction might be achieved in many gasification applications. Depending on the nature of the chemical information gathered from this project, the process will either be ready for the bench/pilot scale studies or the laboratory studies may have to be continued to solve the any problems, which have been identified.

Contacts

Coordinator

Jukka LEPPAELAHTI / Technical Research Centre of Finland VTT Energy Production Technology / FINLAND

Participant