System and method for reducing liquid discharge from one or more devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10589226-B2
Application number	US-201515313222-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2015
Priority date	May 23, 2014
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to the field of emission control equipment for boilers, heaters, kilns, or other flue gas-, or combustion gas-, generating devices (e.g., those located at power plants, processing plants, etc.) and, in particular to a new and useful method and apparatus for reducing and/or eliminating various liquid discharges from one or more emission control equipment devices (e.g., one or more wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) units). In another embodiment, the method and apparatus of the present invention is designed to reduce and/or eliminate the amount of liquid waste that is discharged from a WFGD unit by subjecting the WFGD liquid waste to one or more drying processes, one or more spray dryer (or spray dry) absorber processes, and/or one or more spray dryer (or spray dry) evaporation processes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for controlling, reducing and/or mitigating the amount of liquid waste from, or derived from, a fuel-fired furnace and/or boiler, the system comprising:
a fuel-fired furnace and/or boiler that burns at least one fuel to generate heat and flue, or combustion, gases;
at least one particulate control device, wherein the particulate control device is located downstream of the furnace and/or boiler and is operatively connected to same via a main flue gas stream;
one or more wet flue gas desulfurization units, wherein at least one of the one or more wet flue gas desulfurization units is located downstream of the at least one particulate control device and is operatively connected to same via the main flue gas stream; and
at least one spray drying device that receives and dries a liquid waste and/or liquid waste stream containing a level of total suspended solids content in the range of about 1 percent by weight to about 60 percent by weight and a total dissolved content of about 2,500 ppm to about 250,000 ppm, wherein the at least one spray drying device is located in a flue gas slipstream and wherein the flue gas slipstream is separate and apart from the main flue gas stream and where the flue gas slipstream receives a portion of the heat-laden flue, or combustion, gases from the main flue gas stream connected to the fuel-fired furnace and/or boiler,
wherein the at least one spray drying device located in the flu gas slipstream is operatively connected at a first upstream end to at least one of the one or more wet flue gas desulfurization units and receives either the complete liquid waste and/or liquid waste stream, or at least a portion of the liquid waste and/or liquid waste stream, from at least one of the one or more wet flue gas desulfurization units, and is further operatively connected at a second downstream end to one or more injection points in the main flue gas stream generated by the fuel-fired furnace and/or boiler and provides either a complete dried waste and/or dried waste stream, or at least a portion of the dried waste and/or dried waste stream to the main flue gas stream,
wherein the complete liquid waste and/or liquid waste stream, or a portion of the liquid waste and/or liquid waste stream is designed to be supplied to the at least one spray drying device without any pre-treatment process or step to remove any portion of the suspended solids contained therein, and
wherein the at least one spray drying device controls, reduces and/or mitigates the volume of liquid waste and/or liquid waste stream from at least one of the one or more wet flue gas desulfurization units via the use of at least a portion of the flue, or combustion, gases generated from the furnace and/or boiler and to provide the dried waste and/or dried waste stream to one or more injection points in the main flue gas stream.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises an air heater, wherein the air heater is located downstream of the fuel-fired furnace and/or boiler and is operatively connected to same.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the liquid waste and/or liquid waste stream is supplied from the absorber recirculation tank of the one or more wet flue gas desulfurization.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one spray drying device is designed to dry a liquid waste and/or liquid waste stream which has a total suspended solids content of between about 5 percent by weight and about 60 percent by weight.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises at least one NO x control system or device.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the system further comprises at least one selective non-catalytic reduction system.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the system further comprises at least one hot-side selective catalytic reduction device located between the fuel-fired furnace and/or boiler and an air heater.

8. The system of claim 5 , wherein the system further comprises at least one cold-side selective catalytic reduction device between an air heater and the particulate control device.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises at least one secondary particulate control device located between particulate control device and the wet flue gas desulfurization.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises at least one wet flue gas desulfurization recirculation loop, wherein the liquid waste and/or liquid waste stream supplied to the at least one spray drying device that is supplied from the at least one wet flue gas desulfurization recirculation loop is supplied to a spray dryer evaporator, spray dryer absorber, or any other type of specific spray drying device.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises at least one additive injection device for injecting at least one additive.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one spray drying device is designed to dry a liquid waste and/or liquid waste stream which has a total dissolved solids content of between about 5,000 ppm and about 200,000 ppm.

13. A method for controlling, reducing and/or mitigating the amount of liquid waste from, or derived from, a fuel-fired furnace and/or boiler, the method comprising the steps of:
supplying a fuel-fired furnace and/or boiler designed to burn at least one fuel to generate heat and flue, or combustion, gases;
supplying at least one particulate control device, wherein the particulate control device is located downstream of the furnace and/or boiler and is operatively connected to same via a main flue gas stream;
supplying one or more wet flue gas desulfurization units, wherein at least one of the one or more wet flue gas desulfurization units is located downstream of the at least one particulate control device and is operatively connected to same via the main flue gas stream; and
supplying at least one spray drying device, wherein the at least one spray drying device is located in a flue gas slipstream and wherein the flue gas slipstream is separate and apart from the main flue gas stream and where the flue gas slipstream receives a portion of the heat-laden flue, or combustion, gases from the main flue gas stream connected to the fuel-fired furnace and/or boiler,
wherein the at least one spray drying device located in the flu gas slipstream is operatively connected at a first upstream end to at least one of the one or more wet flue gas desulfurization units and receives either the complete liquid waste and/or liquid waste stream, or at least a portion of the liquid waste and/or liquid waste stream, from at least one of the one or more wet flue gas desulfurization units, and is further operatively connected at a second downstream end to one or more injection points in a main flue gas stream generated by the fuel-fired furnace and/or boiler and provides either a complete dried waste and/or dried waste stream, or at least a portion of the dried waste and/or dried waste stream to the main flue gas stream,
wherein the complete liquid waste and/or liquid waste stream, or a portion of the liquid waste and/or liquid waste stream is supplied to the at least one spray drying device without any pre-treatment process or step to remove any portion of the suspended solids contained therein,
wherein the at least one spray drying device controls, reduces and/or mitigates the volume of liquid waste and/or liquid waste stream from the wet flue gas desulfurization units via the use of at least a portion of the flue, or combustion, gases generated from the furnace and/or boiler, and provides the dried waste and/or waste stream to one or more injection points in the main flue

Assignees

• Babcock & Wilcox Co
• Gea Process Engineering As

Inventors

• KLIDAS Michael G
• Redinger Kevin E
• Mitchell Iii Joseph M
• Feeney Steven
• Jacobsen Niels
• Boilesen Claus Erik

Classifications

• B01D53/73 Primary

  After-treatment of removed components · CPC title

• F23J15/022

  for removing solid particulate material from the gasflow · CPC title

• B01D2259/126

  Semi-solid reactants, e.g. slurries · CPC title

• B01D53/501

  by treating the gases with a solution or a suspension of an alkali or earth-alkali or ammonium compound · CPC title

• B01D2258/0283

  Flue gases · CPC title