UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES, DILIMAN

College of Engineering
Department of Chemical Engineering

CASE STUDY:
The Use of Limestone Slurry Scrubbing
to Remove Sulfur Dioxide from Power
Plant Flue Gases
In partial fulfillment of the requirements of ChE 132: Stagewise Operations

Submitted by:
Kimberly A. Gines
SN 2011-47993

Submitted to Dr. Richard Chu

Submitted on November 24, 2014, First Semester, AY 2014-2015

 ChE 132 CASE STUDY - GINES 2014

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Five hundred megawatts of electrical power is to be generated in the present facility. Coal with
properties shown in Table 1 is fed at 25°C to a furnace where it is burned with 15% excess air.
During combustion of the coal, sulfur reacts to form SO2 and a negligible amount of sulfur trioxide
(SO3), while carbon and hydrogen are oxidized completely to CO2 and H2O. Essentially all of the
nitrogen in the coal leaves the furnace as N2. The ash in the coal leaves the furnace in two streams:
80% leaves as fly ash in the furnace flue gas, and the remainder leaves the furnace as bottom ash at
900°C.

Combustion air is brought into the process at 25°C and 50% relative humidity and sent to a heat
exchanger, where its temperature is increased to 315°C by exchanging heat with the furnace flue
gas. It is then fed to the boiler, where it reacts with coal. The flue gas leaves the furnace at 330°C,
goes to an electrostatic precipitator where 99.9% of the particulate material is removed, and then
to the air preheater where it exchanges heat with the combustion air. The flue gas leaves the air
preheater and is split into two equal streams, with each being the feed stream to one of two
identical scrubber trains.

In each of the scrubber trains, the divided off-gas stream is fed to a scrubber, where it contacts
aqueous slurry of limestone and undergoes adiabatic cooling to 53°C. Sulfur dioxide is absorbed in
the slurry and reacts with the limestone:

The solid-liquid limestone slurry enters the scrubber at 50°C; the liquid portion of the slurry slows
at a rate of 15.2 kg liquid/kg inlet gas and the solid to liquid ratio in the slurry is 1:9 by weight. The
cleaned glue gas meets the EPA standard on SO2 emissions; it leaves the scrubber saturated with
water at 53°C, containing the carbon dioxide generated in the scrubbing but none of the entering fly
ash. The fresh ground limestone is fed to the blending tank at a rate that is 5.2% in excess of that
required to react with the sulfur dioxide absorbed from the flue gas. The limestone material fed
consists of 92.1% CaCO3 and the remainder is inert insoluble material.

The generation of steam and its utilization in the production of electricity in this facility are typical
of many power cycles. The boiler used in the present situation generates steam at supercritical
conditions: 540°C and 24.1 MPa absolute. The low pressure steam extracted from the power system
contains 27.5% liquid water at 6.55 kPa absolute. Heat is removed from the wet low-pressure
steam in a condenser by cooling water that enters the condenser at 25°C and leaves at 28°C.
Saturated condensate at 38°C is produced by the condenser and pumped back into the boiler.

1. Construct a flowchart of the process and completely label the streams. Show the details of
only one train in the SO2 scrubber operation.

2. Estimate the molar flow rate (kmol/min) of each element in the coal (other than those in
the ash).

3. Determine the feed rate (kmol/min) of O2 required for complete combustion of the coal.

Page 2 of 20
 ChE 132 CASE STUDY - GINES 2014

4. If 15% excess O2 is fed to the combustion furnace, estimate the following:

a. The oxygen and nitrogen feed rates (kmol/min).
b. The mole fraction of water in the wet air, the average molecular weight, the dew
point and degrees of superheat of the wet air, and the molar flow rate (kmol/min) of
water in the air stream.
c. The air feed rate (kmol/min, standard cubic meters/min, cubic meters/min).

5. Estimate the flow rate (kg/min and kmol/min) of each component and the composition
(mole fractions) of the furnace flue gas. (Ignore the fly ash in calculating mole fractions.) At
what rate (kg/min) is fly ash removed from the flue gas by the electrostatic precipitator?

6. The system may be assumed to meet the standard of 90% removal of the SO 2 released upon
combustion.
a. Determine the flow rate (kg/min and kmol/min) of each component in the cleaned
flue gas leaving the scrubber.
b. Determine the flow rate (kg/min) of slurry entering the scrubber.
c. Estimate the solid-to-liquid mass ratio in the slurry leaving the scrubber.
d. Estimate the feed rate (kg/min) of fresh ground limestone to the blending tank.
e. What are the flow rates (kg/min) of inerts, CaSO3, CaCO3, fly ash, and water in the
wet solids removed from the filter? What fractions of the CaSO3 and CaCO3 are
dissolved in the liquid portion of the wet solids?
f. Estimate the rate (kg/min, L/min) at which the filtrate is recycled to the blending
tank. At what rate (kg/min, L/min) is makeup water added to the blending tank?

7. At what rate is heat removed from the furnace? Assuming that all of the heat removed from
the furnace is used to generate steam (i.e., none is lost to the surroundings), estimate the
rate of steam generation in the power cycle.

8. Determine the effect of the percent excess air fed to the boiler furnace by calculating the
rate of steam generation (kg/min) for air flow rates that are 5% and 25% in excess of that
theoretically required. Speculate on the reason for choosing 15% excess air in the
prescribed process by giving one possible reason for not using less air and one for not using
more.

9. Determine the temperature of the flue gas as it leaves the heat exchanger (air preheater)
following the boiler. Estimate this value for the two alternative air flow rates corresponding
to 5% and 25% excess oxygen.

10. Compare the release of SO2 in the scrubbed flue gas from Problem 6 with the EPA limit of no
more than 520 nanograms SO2 per joule of heat input to the boiler.

11. Power plants of the type described here operate with an efficiency of about 39%; that is, for
each unit of heat released with the combustion of coal, 0.39 unit is converted to electrical
energy. From this efficiency and the specified power output of 500 MWe, determine the
following:
a. The coal feed rate (kg/h).
b. The air feed rate (kmol/min, standard cubic meters/min, cubic meters/min).
c. The flow rate of each component in the gas leaving the furnace (kmol/min, kg/min).
d. The rate of steam generation (kg/h).

Page 3 of 20
 ChE 132 CASE STUDY - GINES 2014

12. For the required coal feed rate, scale the results from Problem 6 to determine for each
scrubber train the actual flow rates (kg/h) of wet solids and filtrate from the filter, the
slurry flow rates entering and leaving the scrubber, the flow rates of gas (kg/h and m3/min)
entering and leaving the scrubber, and the flow rates (kg/h) of fresh water and limestone
fed to each blending tank.

13. Why is the scrubbed flue gas reheated before it is sent to the stack?

14. The following are alternatives by which the scrubbed flue gas can be reheated: (1)
bypassing the scrubber with a fraction of the glue gas leaving the air preheater and mixing
this stream with cleaned flue gas; (2) burning natural gas and blending the combustion
products with the scrubbed flue gas; and (3) using steam from the power cycle either to
heat air that is blended with the scrubbed flue gas or to heat the flue gas in a heat
exchanger.
a. Give a reason for rejecting Alternative 1.
b. In evaluating Alternative 2, assume that the natural gas consists entirely of methane
at 25°C and that it is burned adiabatically with 10% excess air that has the same
conditions as the air fed to the furnace. If the combustion products are blended with
the cleaned flue gas, at what rate would methane would have to be burned to raise
the stack-gas temperature to the desired value?
c. How much more coal (kg dry coal/h) would have to be burned for Alternative 3 if
the amount of heat released by burning coal (kJ/kg dry coal) is the same as
determined in Problem 7? Suggest two process alternatives by which the heat can
be transferred to the flue gas.

Page 4 of 20
 ChE 132 CASE STUDY - GINES 2014

GIVEN DATA
Table 1. Average properties of coal.
Composition (Ultimate Analysis)
Component Dry weight %
Carbon 75.2
Hydrogen 5.0
Nitrogen 1.6
Sulfur 3.5
Oxygen 7.5
Ash 7.2
Moisture: 4.80 kg/100 kg dry coal
HHV: 30,780 kJ/kg dry coal
Dry coal: Cp = 1.046 kJ/(kg °C)
Ash: Cp = 0.921 kJ/(kg °C)

OTHER DATA AND SOURCE

Table 2. Antoine constants for water (SVA, 2011).
Antoine Equation and Constants for Water
A 16.3872
B 3885.7
C -42.98
ln (Psat) = A – [B/(T + C)]
Psat in kPa and T in K

Table 3. Superheated steam table in kJ/kg (Felder, 2005).

Pressure, bar 50°C 75°C 500°C 550°C
221.2 228.2 331.7 3210 3370
250 230.7 334 3166 3337

Table 4. Heats of formation of components (Perry’s 8th edition)

Component Temperature kJ/mol Component Temperature kJ/mol
HsO(v) 25 54078 N2 25 8571
53 -240885 53 815
80 -239969 80 1602
330 54623 330 9024
CO2 53 -392444 O2 25 8950
80 -391396 53 827
330 12982 80 1633
SO2 53 -392369 330 9434
80 391252 Ash 330 281
330 13635 900 806

Page 5 of 20
 ChE 132 CASE STUDY - GINES 2014

PROBLEM 1: Construct a flowchart of the process and completely label the streams. Show the
details of only one train in the SO2 scrubber operation.

Figure 1. A schematic diagram of the problem statement (Felder, 2005).

Figure 1 shows the schematic diagram of the problem statement. A similar figure can be found in
Felder (2005) where in this particular case study was obtained.

Page 6 of 20
 ChE 132 CASE STUDY - GINES 2014

PROBLEM 2: Estimate the molar flow rate (kmol/min) of each element in the coal (other than
those in the ash).

A basis of 100 kg dry coal/min, along with the given ultimate analysis (Table 1) and the
components’ corresponding molecular weights were used to obtain the molar flow rates of each
component in the coal feed. Table 5 shows the molar flow rates of C, H, N, S, and O of dry coal, as
well as that of wet coal (which includes the moisture content).

Table 5. Analysis of coal feed.

Component Molecular Weight Dry Coal Wet Coal
Weight % kg/min kmol/min kg/min kmol/min
C 12.0 75.2 75.2 6.26144879 75.2 6.26144879
H 1.0 5.0 5.0 4.95049505 5.0 4.95049505
N 14.0 1.6 1.6 0.11420414 1.6 0.11420414
S 32.1 3.5 3.5 0.10913626 3.5 0.10913626
O 16.0 7.5 7.5 0.46875000 7.5 0.46875000
Ash 0.0 7.2 7.2 (-) 7.2 (-)
Water 18.0 0.0 0.0 (-) 4.8 0.26637070
Total 100.0 100.0

Table 6. The molar flow rates of the base

components in the coal feed.
Component Molar Flow Rate (kmol/min)
C 6.26144879
H 4.95049505
N 0.11420414
S 0.10913626
O 0.46875000
Total 11.90403425

PROBLEM 3: Determine the feed rate (kmol/min) of O2 required for complete combustion of the
coal.

The oxygen required for complete combustion of coal is determined by using the molar flow rates
obtained in Problem 2 and the following reactions:

Page 7 of 20
 ChE 132 CASE STUDY - GINES 2014

The stoichiometric amount of oxygen to each component is as follows:

Table 6. Reaction coefficients for oxygen.

Stoichiometric Coefficient to
Component Molar Flow Rate (kmol/min)
Oxygen

C 6.26144879 1.00
H 4.95049505 0.25
S 0.10913626 1.00
O 0.46875000 0.50

The amount of oxygen required is given by the following equation:

O2 required = (6.2614 kmol C/min)*(1 kmol O2/ 1 kmol C)

+ (4.950495 kmol H/min)*(1 kmol H2/ 2 kmol H)*(0.5 kmol O2/ 1 kmol H2)
+ (0.109136 kmol S/min)*(1 kmol O2/ 1 kmol S)
– (0.46875 kmol O/min) *(1 kmol O2 / 2 kmol O)

O2 required = 7.378 kmol O2/min

PROBLEM 4: If 15% excess O2 is fed to the combustion furnace, estimate the following:
a. The oxygen and nitrogen feed rates (kmol/min).
b. The mole fraction of water in the wet air, the average molecular weight, the dew point
and degrees of superheat of the wet air, and the molar flow rate (kmol/min) of water in
the air stream.
c. The air feed rate (kmol/min, standard cubic meters/min, cubic meters/min).

a) If 15% excess O2 is fed, then:

amount of O2 fed = (1 + 0.15) * (amount O2 required)

= (1.15)*(7.378 kmol O2/min)
amount of O2 fed = 8.485 kmol O2/min

amount of N2 fed = (79 kmol N2 / 21 kmol O2)*(amount O2 fed)

= (79kmol N2/21 kmol O2)*(8.485 kmol O2/min)
amount of N2 fed = 31.918 kmol N2/min

b.1) The mole fraction of water in the wet air can be calculated using the definition for the mole
fraction in terms of pressures:

The partial pressure of water in the given system can be obtained using the definition of the relative
humidity (RH):

Page 8 of 20
 ChE 132 CASE STUDY - GINES 2014

The vapor pressure of water (Psat) can be calculated using the Antoine relation given in Table 2. The
table below summarizes the vales calculated using the equations aforementioned:

Table 7. Summary of values to obtain the mole fraction of water in

the wet air.
25 Celcius
Temperature
298.15 K
1 atm
Pressure
101.325 kPa
RH 50 percentage
Psat, H2O 3.187741617 kPa
PH2O 1.593870809 kPa
yH2O 0.015730282

From the table, the mole fraction of water in the wet air is 0.01573.

b.2) To get the average molecular weight of the air feed, the dry basis of air is first used and then
corrected to include the amount of water in the wet air.

Table 8. Summary of values for the average molecular weight.

Mole
Mole fraction
Component Molecular Weight fraction
(dry)
(wet)
N2 28.00 0.79 0.777765529
O2 32.00 0.21 0.206747799
Water 18.02 0.015730282 0.015486672
Total 1.015730282 1

The average molecular weight is computed using the following equation:

Average MW = (0.7778)(28) + (0.2067)(32) + (0.01549)(18.02)

= 28.672 kg/kmol

Therefore, Average Molecular Weight = 28.672 kg/kmol.

b.3) The dew point is the temperature at which water has a vapor pressure equal to its partial
pressure. That is, Psat = PH2O. This can be calculated by using the Antoine relation but this time
solving for the temperature (T) when Psat = 1.59387 (See Table 7):

ln (1.59387081 kPa) = 16.3872 – [3885.7/ (Tdew – 42.98)]

Solving for T gives, Tdew = 13.89°C or 287.040774 K

b.4) The degrees of superheat is the number of temperature degrees through which air has been
heated above the saturation temperature. Therefore:

Page 9 of 20
 ChE 132 CASE STUDY - GINES 2014

Degrees of Superheat = Tfeed - Tdew

= 25°C – 13.89°C
Degrees of Superheat = 11.109226 °C

b.5) The molar flow rate (kmol/min) of water in the air stream is calculated using the amount of
oxygen fed and the (wet) molar fractions of water and oxygen from Table 8:

Amount of water in air = (amount O2 fed)*(mole fraction of H2O/mole fraction of O2)

= (8.47990899 kmol O2/min)*(0.015486672/0.206747799)

Amount of water in air = 0.63519694 kmol H2O/min

c) The air rate is simply the sum of the flow rates of nitrogen, oxygen and water fed into the system.
Table 9 summarizes these values.

Table 9. Analysis of air fed into the system.

Component Flow rate (kmol/min)
N2 31.90060964
O2 8.479908892
Water 0.635196938
Total 41.01571547

Table 10. Summary of feed air flow rates.

Flow rates
41.01571547 kmol/min
855.9560138 scfm
922.0796639 m3/min

PROBLEM 5. Estimate the flow rate (kg/min and kmol/min) of each component and the
composition (mole fractions) of the furnace flue gas. (Ignore the fly ash in calculating mole fractions.)
At what rate (kg/min) is fly ash removed from the flue gas by the electrostatic precipitator?

The flow rates of each component and the composition of the furnace flue gas are shown in the
following tables:

Table 11. Analysis of the flue gas.

Component kmol/min Mole Fraction MW kg/min Composition
CO2 6.261448793 0.147173013 44.01 275.5663614 C in coal
H2O in air + H in
H2O 3.110444463 0.073109834 18.02 56.05020922
coal
N2 in air + N in
N2 31.95771171 0.751154065 28.02 895.4550822
coal
SO2 0.109136264 0.002565207 64.07 6.992360461 S in coal
O2 fed - O2
O2 1.106075073 0.025997881 32 35.39440233
required
Total 42.54481631 1 1269.458416

Page 10 of 20
 ChE 132 CASE STUDY - GINES 2014

Table 12. Compositionof the Flue Gas.

Mole
Component kmol/min kg/min
Fraction
CO2 6.261448793 0.147173013 275.5663614
H2O 3.110444463 0.073109834 56.05020922

N2 31.95771171 0.751154065 895.4550822

SO2 0.109136264 0.002565207 6.992360461
O2 1.106075073 0.025997881 35.39440233
Total 42.54481631 1 1269.458416

The fly ash removed by the electrostatic precipitator (EP) is determined by:

Fly ash before EP = (0.8)*(7.2 kg/min) = 5.76 kg/min

Fly ash removed by EP = (0.999)*(5.76 kg/min) = 5.75424 kg/min

Therefore the fly ash removed by the electrostatic precipitator is 5.754 kg/min.

PROBLEM 6: The system may be assumed to meet the standard of 90% removal of the SO2
released upon combustion.
a. Determine the flow rate (kg/min and kmol/min) of each component in the cleaned flue gas
leaving the scrubber.
b. Determine the flow rate (kg/min) of slurry entering the scrubber.
c. Estimate the solid-to-liquid mass ratio in the slurry leaving the scrubber.
d. Estimate the feed rate (kg/min) of fresh ground limestone to the blending tank.
e. What are the flow rates (kg/min) of inerts, CaSO3, CaCO3, fly ash, and water in the wet solids
removed from the filter? What fractions of the CaSO3 and CaCO3 are dissolved in the liquid
portion of the wet solids?
f. Estimate the rate (kg/min, L/min) at which the filtrate is recycled to the blending tank. At
what rate (kg/min, L/min) is makeup water added to the blending tank?

The feed to each scrubber (which comes from the electrostatic precipitator) is half of the total flue
gas flow rate since they are equally divided into the scrubber. Table 13 summarizes the analysis of
the gas entering the scrubbers.

Table 13. Analysis of the gas entering the scrubber.

Mole
Component kmol/min MW kg/min
Fraction
CO2 3.130724396 0.147173013 44.01 137.783181
H2O 1.555222231 0.073109834 18.02 28.0251046
N2 15.97885586 0.751154065 28.02 447.727541
SO2 0.054568132 0.002565207 64.07 3.49618023
O2 0.553037536 0.025997881 32 17.6972012
Fly Ash - - - 0.00288
Total 21.27240815 1 634.732088

Page 11 of 20
 ChE 132 CASE STUDY - GINES 2014

Among the components in the flue gas leaving the scrubber, only nitrogen and oxygen will remain
constant. Sulfur dioxide and Carbon dioxide are both consumed and used in another reaction or
generated. 90% of the sulfur dioxide is absorbed and reacted with calcium carbonate forming the
added carbon dioxide (1:1 ratio). All of the fly ash is also removed here. Meanwhile, the amount of
water in the stream leaving the scrubber is adjusted so that the water mole fraction is the one
calculated from the vapor pressure.

Table 14. Analysis of the gas leaving the scrubber.

Mole
Component kmol/min MW kg/min
Fraction
CO2 3.179835715 0.139872701 44.01 139.94457
H2O 3.01659766 0.141808336 18.02 54.3590898
N2 15.97885586 0.702868302 28.02 447.727541
SO2 0.005456813 0.000240031 64.07 0.34961802
O2 0.553037536 0.024326683 32 17.6972012
Fly Ash 0 0 (-) 0
Total 22.73378358 660.07802

The amount of slurry fed into the scrubber is calculated as follows:

Amount of liquid in slurry = (15.2 kg liquid/kg inlet gas)*(634.732088 kg gas/min)

= 9,647.93 kg/min

Amount of solids in the slurry = (9,647.93 kg/min)*(1 solid/9 liquid in slurry)

= 1,071.99 kg/min

Total amount of slurry = 9,647.93 kg/min + 1,071.99 kg/min

= 10,719.92 kg/min

Therefore, the total amount of slurry in the scrubber is 10,719.92 kg/min.

To get the solid-to-liquid mass ratio of the slurry leaving the scrubber:

Table 15. Analysis of the Reaction of Sulfur dioxide and Calcium Sulfite.
kmol/min MW kg/min
SO2 absorbed 0.049111319 64.07 3.14656221
CaSO3 formed 0.049111319 120.17 5.9017072
CaCO3
consumed 0.049111319 100.09 4.91555192

Added solids 0.986155285

Amount of liquid in the slurry = 9,647.93 kg/min

CaCO3 in liquid = 0.002 kg/100 kg water
CaSO3 in liquid = 0.003 kg/100 kg water

The water in the liquid is determined using the following equation (x = amount of water):

Page 12 of 20
 ChE 132 CASE STUDY - GINES 2014

X + 0.002X/100 + 0.003X/100 = 9647.93

Solving for X: X = 9647.517624 kg/min

Therefore, the amount of added liquid due to calcium carbonate and calcium sulfite are:

Amount of CaCO3 dissolved in liquid = 0.002*9647.52/100 = 0.1929503652 kg/min

Amount of CaSO3 dissolved in liquid = 0.003*9647.52/100 = 0.289425529 kg/min

Therefore, the mass ratio of solid-to-liquid slurry leaving the scrubber is:

Solid-to-Liquid Ratio = (1071.99197 + 0.986155)/(9647.517624 + 0.19295903652 + 0.289425529)

= 0.111207765

The solid-to-liquid mass ratio of the slurry leaving the scrubber is 0.111207765.

Since there is 5.2% excess CaCO3 required to react with the absorbed SO2, the feed rate of freshly
ground limestone is given by:

Amount of limestone = 0.9*(0.0546 kmol SO2)&(1.052 kmol CaCO3/ 1 kmol SO2)

*(1 kg limestone / 0.921 kg CaCO3)*(100.09 kg CaCO3/mol)
= 0.56147238 kg

Therefore, the amount of limestone feed is 5.6147 kg/min.

Since inerts leave the system only in the wet solids:

Mass of inerts in the wet solids = 5.6147 kg limestone/min*(0.079 kg inerts/0.921 kg CaCO3)

=0.4816104 kg inerts/min

Therefore, the amount of inerts is 0.482 kg/min.

Table 16. Analysis of wet solids obtained from the filter.

Mass
Component kg/min
Fraction
Inerts 0.481610402 0.040558352
CaCO3 solids 0.2556087 0.021525838
CaCO3 liquid 0.0001 8.4214E-06
CaSO3 solids 5.901707203 0.497006532
CaSO3 liquid 0.0002 1.68428E-05
Fly Ash 0.00288 0.000242536
H2O 5.2324 0.440641477
Total 11.8745063 1

From the solid-to-liquid ratio calculated earlier, the slurry leaving the absorber is 11 wt% solids.
Therefore, the total solids sent to the filter is given by Table 16. The mass of liquid in that slurry is:

Mass of liquid in slurry to filter = 50.9 kg/min.

Page 13 of 20
 ChE 132 CASE STUDY - GINES 2014

The recycle flow rate is the flow rate of liquid in the slurry minus the flow rate of liquid in the wet
solids.

Mass of recycle = 45.6 kg/min

Volume of recycle = 45.1 L/min

The make-up water is computed as follows:

Mass of make-up water = liquid water leaving with wet solids + water leaving as CaSO3 hemihydrate
+ water leaving with cleaned off gas – water entering absorber
Mass of make-up water = 33.52 kg/min
Volume of make-up water = 33.52 L/min

PROBLEM 7: At what rate is heat removed from the furnace? Assuming that all of the heat
removed from the furnace is used to generate steam (i.e., none is lost to the surroundings), estimate
the rate of steam generation in the power cycle.

Using the energy balance around the furnace and assuming that no heat is lost to the surroundings,
the rate at which heat is removed can be determined. Table 17 shows the analysis of the steam
coming in and out of the furnace, whose values are used for the terms in the energy balance.

Table 17. Analysis of steam in and out of the furnace.

IN OUT
Component kmol/min kJ/mol kJ/min kmol/min kJ/mol kJ/min
Coal 100 0 0 0 0 0
CO2 0 0 0 6.359671431 12982 82561.2545
H2O vapor 0.635196938 54078 34350.18001 3.01659766 54623 164775.614
H2O liquid 0.279069832 0 0 0 0 0
N2 31.90060964 8571 273420.1252 31.95771171 9024 288386.39
SO2 0 0 0 0.010913626 13635 148.807297
O2 8.479908892 8950 75895.18459 1.106075073 9434 10434.7122
Ash (-) (-) (-) 5.76 281 1618.56
Bottom Ash (-) (-) (-) 1.44 806 1160.64
Total 383665.4898 549085.979

From this, using the energy balance:

Table 18. Summary for the rate of heat removal.

Kmol or kg H (kJ/min)
Coal 100 30780
In 41.2947853 383665.4898
Out 42.4509695 549085.9785

From here, using the energy balance equation, Q = -4,387,848.097 kJ/min.

Page 14 of 20
 ChE 132 CASE STUDY - GINES 2014

To get the mass of steam generated:

Table 19. Data for interpolation.

T (°C) 38 50 75 500 540 550
221.2 bar 175.928 228.2 331.7 3210 3338 3370
250 bar 181.116 230.7 334 3166 3302.8 3337
241 bar 179.4948 3313.8

Table 20. Summary of interpolation.

T (°C) P (bar) H (kJ/kg)
Out 540 241 3313.8
In 38 241 183.2

The mass of steam generated is calculated using the following equation:

From Table 20, ΔHsteam = 3313.8 kJ/kg – 183.2 kJ/kg = 3130.6 kJ/kg

Therefore, the mass of steam generated = 4387848.097 kJ/min / 3130.6 kJ/kg = 1401.60 kg/min.

The mass of steam generated is 1401.60 kg/min.

Page 15 of 20
 ChE 132 CASE STUDY - GINES 2014

PROBLEM 8: Determine the effect of the percent excess air fed to the boiler furnace by calculating
the rate of steam generation (kg/min) for air flow rates that are 5% and 25% in excess of that
theoretically required. Speculate on the reason for choosing 15% excess air in the prescribed process
by giving one possible reason for not using less air and one for not using more.

The effect of the percent excess air fed to the boiler furnace is determined by calculating the rate of
steam generation for air flow rates that are 5% and 25% in excess, as done in Problem 7.

For 5% and 25% excess air, the same calculations were done until solving for the heat evolved.

Table 21. Analysis of steam coming in and out of the furnace (5% excess air).
IN OUT
Component kmol/min kJ/mol kJ/min kmol/min kJ/mol kJ/min
Coal 100 0 0 0 0 0
CO2 0 0 0 6.359671431 12982 82561.2545
H2O vapor 0.579962422 54078 31363.20783 3.01659766 54623 164775.614
H2O liquid 0.279069832 0 0 0 0 0
N2 29.12664359 8571 249644.4622 29.18374566 9024 263354.121
SO2 0 0 0 0.010913626 13635 148.807297
O2 7.74252551 8950 69295.60332 0.368691691 9434 3478.23741
Ash (-) (-) (-) 5.76 281 1618.56
Bottom Ash (-) (-) (-) 1.44 806 1160.64
Total 350303.2733 517097.234

Table 22. Summary of HHV values and the amount of heat evolved (5% excess air).
Kmol H
Coal 100 30780
In 37.72820135 350303.2733
Out 38.93962006 517097.234

Using the same equation in solving for Q, the Q here is equal to -3,841,257.40 kJ/min.

Table 23. Analysis of steam coming in and out of the furnace (25% excess air).
IN OUT
Component kmol/min kJ/mol kJ/min kmol/min kJ/mol kJ/min
Coal 100 0 0 0 0 0
CO2 0 0 0 6.359671431 12982 82561.2545
H2O vapor 0.690431454 54078 37337.15218 3.01659766 54623 164775.614
H2O liquid 0.279069832 0 0 0 0 0
N2 34.6745757 8571 297195.7883 34.73167777 9024 313418.66
SO2 0 0 0 0.010913626 13635 148.807297
O2 9.217292274 8950 82494.76586 1.843458455 9434 17391.1871
Ash (-) (-) (-) 5.76 281 1618.56
Bottom Ash (-) (-) (-) 1.44 806 1160.64
Total 417027.7064 581074.723

Page 16 of 20
 ChE 132 CASE STUDY - GINES 2014

Table 24. Summary of HHV values and the amount of heat evolved (25% excess air).
Kmol H
Coal 100 30780
In 44.86136926 417027.7064
Out 45.96231894 581074.723

From the values in the table above, Q = -4,921,107.823 kJ/min.

The table below summarizes the heat evolved as well as the mass of steam generated for each
percentage of excess air.

Table 25. Summary of comparison.

Q (kJ/min) Mass of steam generated (kg/min)
5% excess air -3841257.399 1227.003577
15% excess air -4387848.097 1401.599724
25% excess air -4921107.823 1571.937591

The 15% excess air is chosen in the prescribed process because the excess air affects the amount of
unburned carbon or soot that is formed in the process, which should be avoided.

PROBLEM 9: Determine the temperature of the flue gas as it leaves the heat exchanger (air
preheater) following the boiler. Estimate this value for the two alternative air flow rates
corresponding to 5% and 25% excess oxygen.

PROBLEM 10: Compare the release of SO2 in the scrubbed flue gas from Problem 6 with the EPA
limit of no more than 520 nanograms SO2 per joule of heat input to the boiler.

The release of SO2 in the scrubbed flue has can be compared to the EPA standard by simply
converting the values obtained in Problem 6 into the desired units (ng/J):

Table 26. Summary of conversions for SO2 in the scrubbers.

SO2
Scrubber 1 0.005456813 kmol/min
Scrubber 2 0.005456813 kmol/min
0.010913626 kmol/min
Total 0.699236046 kg/min
6.99236E+11 ng/min

Q 4387848.097 kJ/min
159357.3959 ng/kJ
SO2 from scrubbers/Q
159.3573959 ng/J

From the table, it can be seen that there is 159.36 ng SO2/J in the scrubber flue gases. Since it is
less than 520 ng SO2/J, the flue gas for this system has met the standard EPA limit.

Page 17 of 20
 ChE 132 CASE STUDY - GINES 2014

PROBLEM 11: Power plants of the type described here operate with an efficiency of about 39%;
that is, for each unit of heat released with the combustion of coal, 0.39 unit is converted to electrical
energy. From this efficiency and the specified power output of 500 MWe, determine the following:
a. The coal feed rate (kg/h).
b. The air feed rate (kmol/min, standard cubic meters/min, cubic meters/min).
c. The flow rate of each component in the gas leaving the furnace (kmol/min, kg/min).
d. The rate of steam generation (kg/h).

With an efficiency of about 39% and a specified power output of 500 MWe, the scale factor is first
determined in order to solve for the desired feed rates:

Table 27. Determining the scale factor for the scale-up calculations.
Power output
500
(MWe)
Efficiency 0.39

Q 4387848.097 kJ/min
Qactual 4615384615 kJ/hr
Scale Factor 1051.856061 min/hr

Using this value of the scale factor, all computed flow rates are then scaled up into the actual flow
rates for the system.

Table 28. Summary of the Actual Flow Rates for the System.
Flow Rates Basis Actual
Dry Coal 100 105185.6061 kg/hr
Wet Coal 104.8 110234.5152 kg/hr
Air 41.01571547 43142.62892 kmol/hr
855.9560138 900342.521 scfh
922.0796639 969895.0833 m3/hr
Flue gas* 42.4509695 44652.30957 kmol/hr
1271.55695 1337494.885 kg/hr
Steam 1401.599724 1474281.165 kg/hr

*Flue Gas Composition Basis Actual

Component MW kmol/min kmol/hr kg/min
CO2 44.01 6.359671431 6689.45894 294403.088
H2O 18.02 3.01659766 3173.026532 57177.93811
N2 28.02 31.95771171 33614.91276 941889.8556
SO2 64.07 0.010913626 11.47956412 735.4956732
O2 32 1.106075073 1163.431769 37229.81662
Ash - 5.76 6058.690912
Total 42.4509695 44652.30957 1337494.885

Page 18 of 20
 ChE 132 CASE STUDY - GINES 2014

PROBLEM 12: For the required coal feed rate, scale the results from Problem 6 to determine for
each scrubber train the actual flow rates (kg/h) of wet solids and filtrate from the filter, the slurry
flow rates entering and leaving the scrubber, the flow rates of gas (kg/h and m3/min) entering and
leaving the scrubber, and the flow rates (kg/h) of fresh water and limestone fed to each blending tank.

The calculations for Problem 6 were used again using the values obtained in Problem 11. The table
below summarizes the actual flow rates of the gas entering and leaving the scrubbers.

Table 29. Actual Flow Rates for the Flue Gases entering and leaving the scrubbers.
Component kmol/min Mole Fraction MW kg/min
CO2 3344.72947 0.14981216 44.01 147201.544
H2O 1586.513266 0.071060748 18.02 28588.9691
Gas entering the N2 16807.45638 0.752814649 28.02 470944.928
scrubber SO2 5.73978206 0.000257088 64.07 367.747837
O2 581.7158847 0.026055355 32 18614.9083
Fly Ash 0 0 (-) 3.02934546
Total 22326.15478 1 665721.126
Component kmol/min Mole Fraction MW kg/min
CO2 3349.895274 0.138653856 44.01 147428.891
H2O 3420.48918 0.141575773 18.02 61637.215
Gas leaving the N2 16807.45638 0.6956691 28.02 470944.928
scrubber SO2 0.573978206 2.37572E-05 64.07 36.7747837
O2 581.7158847 0.024077514 32 18614.9083
Fly Ash 0 0 (-) 0
Total 24160.1307 1 0 698662.717

Basis Actual
Slurry feed to
10719.9197 11275812.52 kg/hr
each scrubber
Slurry exit from
10731.79421 11288302.79 kg/hr
each scrubber
Limestone to
5.614723797 5905.881257 kg/hr
blending tank

Flue Gas feed to 21.27240815 22375.51145 kmol/h

each scrubber
935.3557 983859.5623 m3/hr

Flue Gas exit from 22.73378358 23912.66805 kmol/h

each scrubber
1079.582 1135564.87 m3/hr

PROBLEM 13: Why is the scrubbed flue gas reheated before it is sent to the stack?
Heating the scrubbed gas before sending it to the stack allows it density to reduce allowing the
scrubbed gas to rise through the stack more easily and consequently out into the atmosphere.

Page 19 of 20
 ChE 132 CASE STUDY - GINES 2014

PROBLEM 14: The following are alternatives by which the scrubbed flue gas can be reheated: (1)
bypassing the scrubber with a fraction of the glue gas leaving the air preheater and mixing this stream
with cleaned flue gas; (2) burning natural gas and blending the combustion products with the
scrubbed flue gas; and (3) using steam from the power cycle either to heat air that is blended with the
scrubbed flue gas or to heat the flue gas in a heat exchanger.
a. Give a reason for rejecting Alternative 1.
b. In evaluating Alternative 2, assume that the natural gas consists entirely of methane
at 25°C and that it is burned adiabatically with 10% excess air that has the same
conditions as the air fed to the furnace. If the combustion products are blended with
the cleaned flue gas, at what rate would methane would have to be burned to raise the
stack-gas temperature to the desired value?
c. How much more coal (kg dry coal/h) would have to be burned for Alternative 3 if the
amount of heat released by burning coal (kJ/kg dry coal) is the same as determined in
Problem 7? Suggest two process alternatives by which the heat can be transferred to
the flue gas.

The first alternative to reheat the scrubbed flue gas makes controlling the temperature of the
bypassed gas more difficult. It can also directly release particulates as well as sulfur dioxide which
is being prevented. Moreover, this requires a more accurate analysis of sulfur dioxide which is not
found in this study. Therefore, the first alternative is rejected.

The heat from the scrubbed flue gas and the stack gas are determined using the actual flow rates
from Problem 12 and the heats of formation at 53°C for the flue gas and 80°C for the stack gas.

Table 30. Analysis of the scrubbed flue gas and stack gas.
Scrubbed Flue Gas Stack Gas
Component kmol/hr kJ/mol kJ/h kmol/h kJ/mol kJ/hr
CO2 3349.895274 -392444 -1314646301 3349.895274 -391396 -1311135611
H2O 3420.48918 -240855 -823841921.4 3420.48918 -239969 -820811368
N2 16807.45638 815 13698076.95 16807.45638 1602 26925545.12
SO2 0.573978206 -392369 -225211.2547 0.573978206 -391252 -224570.121
O2 581.7158847 827 481079.0366 581.7158847 1633 949942.0397
Total 24160.1307 -2124534278 24160.1307 -2104296062

Q 20238215.97 kJ/hr

From the calculations, the heat evolved is much greater than the value calculated beforehand.
Therefore, an added amount of coal is needed to reach this amount of heat.

Mass of additional coal = (20,238,215.97 kJ/hr) / (43,878.481 kg coal/hr) = 461.233 kg/hr

Therefore, an additional 461.233 kg of coal per hour is needed to satisfy the heat evolution
solved.

Page 20 of 20