Numerical simulation research of flow field in ammonia-based wet flue gas desulfurization tower

• Numerical simulation research for a full-scale ammonia-based wet flue gas desulfurization tower in sintering plant.
• The demist area was modeled as a porous medium regions.
• The mesh independence confirmation was took into consideration.
• Comparing the flow field distribution under different spray levels.
• Quantitatively describe the velocity distribution unevenness of the absorption tower.

With the increasingly strict requirements of environmental protection, the removal of sulfur dioxide from a desulfurization tower has been a major target in China. Aimed at sintering flue gas desulfurization tower, ANSYS CFX software was used to simulate gas–liquid two-phase flow field in full-scale, in which the demist area was modeled as a porous medium regions, and the mesh independence confirmation was took into consideration. Comparing the flow field distribution under different spray levels, the flow field of the combination model of 2nd and 3rd spray level was relatively uniform, gas–liquid contact time was longer, which was beneficial to heat transfer; And the flow field distributions in tower for 3 layouts were not yet perfect for desulfurization; the pressure drop took place mainly in the absorber zone. This research could provide reference for the optimization and the select of spray levels with high desulfurization efficiency later.