Scrubber tower of a flue gas purification device

Abstract

A scrubber tower of a flue gas purification device, comprising: a flue gas entrance and a flue gas exit, a liquid entrance and a liquid exit, a contact area for said flue gas and said liquid between said flue gas entrance and said liquid entrance, at least one tray installation positioned within said contact area and across at least 50% of a horizontal extension of said contact area. The tray installation provides a multiplicity of through openings for said flue gas and said liquid respectively, which through openings being adjustable individually, in groups or all together in their respective cross sections.

Claims

1. A scrubber tower of a flue gas purification device, the scrubber tower comprising: a flue gas entrance and a flue gas exit, a liquid entrance and a liquid exit, a contact area for a flue gas and a liquid between said flue gas entrance and said liquid entrance, and at least one tray installation positioned within said contact area and across at least 50% of a horizontal extension of said contact area, wherein said tray installation comprises a first layer with a multiplicity of through openings for said flue gas and said liquid respectively, and at least one further layer with a multiplicity of through openings for said flue gas and said liquid respectively, said at least one further layer being arranged vertically offset to any adjacent layer, wherein said through openings are adjustable individually, in groups, or all together in their respective cross sections, and wherein said tray installation or at least one of the layers of said tray installation or at least one part of said tray installation is rotatable.

2. The scrubber tower according to claim 1, wherein said tray installation or at least one of the layers of said tray installation is shaped according to any of the following designs: grid, slatted frame, punched plate, perforated sheet, egg box, slotted plate, and sphere packing.

3. The scrubber tower according to claim 1, wherein said tray installation, at least one of the layers of said tray installation, at least one part of one of the layers of said tray installation, or at least one part of said tray installation is variable in its size by infilling a fluid or extracting a fluid.

4. The scrubber tower according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the through openings of the tray installation is equipped with inserts variable in size by infilling a fluid or extracting a fluid.

5. A scrubber tower of a flue gas purification device, the scrubber tower comprising: a flue gas entrance and a flue gas exit, a liquid entrance and a liquid exit, a contact area for a flue gas and a liquid between said flue gas entrance and said liquid entrance, and at least one tray installation positioned within said contact area and across at least 50% of a horizontal extension of said contact area, wherein said tray installation comprises: a first layer with a multiplicity of through openings for said flue gas and said liquid respectively, and at least one further layer with a multiplicity of through openings for said flue gas and said liquid respectively, said at least one further layer being arranged vertically offset to any adjacent layer, wherein said through openings are adjustable individually, in groups, or all together in their respective cross sections, and wherein at least one of the layers of said tray installation is equipped with discrete male sections for covering corresponding through openings of an adjacent layer and varying the cross section of the corresponding through openings when any of said layers is displaced.

6. The scrubber tower according to claim 5, wherein said tray installation or at least one of the layers of said tray installation is shaped according to any of the following designs: grid, slatted frame, punched plate, perforated sheet, egg box, slotted plate, and sphere packing.

7. The scrubber tower according to claim 5, wherein said tray installation, at least one of the layers of said tray installation, at least one part of one layer of said tray installation, or at least one part of one of said layers of said tray installation is variable in its size by infilling a fluid or extracting a fluid.

8. The scrubber tower according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the through openings of the tray installation is equipped with inserts variable in size by infilling a fluid or extracting a fluid.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will now be described with respect to the attached schematic drawing, disclosing in:

(2) FIG. 1: A general overview of a scrubber tower of a flue gas purification device.

(3) FIG. 2: A first embodiment of a tray installation.

(4) FIG. 3: A cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a tray installation with two layers.

(5) FIG. 4: A cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of a tray installation with two layers.

(6) FIG. 5: A cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of a tray installation with two layers.

(7) FIG. 6: A cross-sectional view of a bar as part of a tray (fifth embodiment).

(8) FIG. 7: Part of a sixth embodiment of a tray.

(9) FIG. 8: A cross-sectional view of a seventh embodiment of a tray.

(10) In the Figures parts having the identical or equivalent function are referenced by the same numeral.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(11) FIG. 1 represents the main features of a scrubber tower 10 by which a flue gas from an associated power station (not illustrated) will be purified.

(12) Scrubber tower 10 comprises a cylindrical outer wall 10w, a flue gas entrance 12 at a lower part 10l and a flue gas exit 14 at an upper part 10u, a liquid (seawater) entrance 18 at said upper part 10u and a liquid exit 20 at said lower part 10l. Said liquid exit 20 corresponds to a so called sump area beneath the lower part 10l of scrubber tower 10. The return line to the sea is marked by arrow M.

(13) The liquid is fed into the cylindrical space of scrubber tower 10 via nozzles 18n, attached to said liquid inlet pipe 18. The seawater absorbent further takes its way downwardly (arrow A) within scrubber tower 10 (following gravity), thereby getting in contact with said flue gas flowing upwardly (arrow G) in said scrubber tower 10 (the flue gas flow is generated by a—non-illustrated—fan).

(14) The corresponding counter flow area of liquid absorbent and flue gas is called the contact area (contact zone 10c). Within said contact zone 10c a tray installation 30 is mounted, which extends over the total horizontal cross-sectional area of said scrubber tower 10.

(15) This tray installation (packing) 30 urges the gas and the liquid respectively to penetrate (flow) through it. In the following, various embodiments of said packing 30 are further illustrated.

(16) FIG. 2 represents the simplest way to construct such packing 30, namely by one tray-like layer 32 with a multiplicity of evenly distributed through holes 34. The through holes 34 each have a circular cross-section with a diameter of about 4 cm.

(17) Typical values for their flow-through area of each opening are between 1 and 15 cm.sup.2, most typically between 2 and 10 cm.sup.2, often with lower values of 3, 4 or 5 cm.sup.2 and upper values of 7, 8, 9, 10 or 11 cm.sup.2.

(18) The flow through area of each opening 34 may be adjusted by a corresponding slider, symbolized by arrows S with the option to use one slider S as a control means for two or more of said openings 34. Said sliders S may be arranged on top or beneath said tray 32 and guided along corresponding rails (not illustrated), in an alternative the through-openings 34 are designed as valves with adjustable opening width.

(19) According to FIG. 3, said packing 30 comprises two layers, an upper layer 32.1 and a lower layer 32.2. Each layer/tray has a circular shape and extends all over the horizontal cross-section of the corresponding scrubber tower 10. Both of said trays 32.1, 32.2 are characterized by a multiplicity of discrete (individual) through holes 34, distributed along the corresponding tray 32.1, 32.2.

(20) While the upper tray 32.1 is fixed to the wall 10w of scrubber tower 10 the lower tray 32.2 may be rotated (arrow R). For this purpose lower tray 32.2 is guided circumferentially in a corresponding bearing, which bearing being mounted to wall 10w.

(21) Depending on the angle of rotation the overlap of openings 34 of upper tray 32.1 to openings 34 of lower tray 32.2 varies and may be adjusted between a “full opening” and a “full closure”, according to the size and distribution of the openings 34.

(22) While “full opening” describes the maximum flow through area for the liquid/gas and corresponds to the sum of the flow-through areas of all openings 34 of tray 32.1 the “fall closure” corresponds to a movement of lower tray 32.2 into a position when all solid bridges 36 between openings 34 of lower tray 32.2 are overlapping openings 34 in upper tray 32.1.

(23) Because of the limited flow through area in case of installing said packing 30 compared with a scrubber tower 10 without any such packing 30 a liquid bath may be provided on top of said trays 32.1, 32.2, through which the flue gas passes on its way to exit 14.

(24) The embodiment according to FIG. 4 differs from that of FIG. 3 by a different design of lower tray 32.2. Bridges 36 of lower tray 32.2 according to FIG. 3 are replaced by male sections 36.2 shaped as pyramids.

(25) These pyramids 36.2 are shaped in a way enabling the pyramids 36.2 to enter openings 34 of upper tray 32.1 when said upper tray 32.1 is moved towards lower tray 32.2 or vice versa (arrow M).

(26) Depending on the movement (approach) the flow-through area of said openings 34 may be controlled very precisely.

(27) The embodiment of FIG. 5 is based on the general concept of the embodiment according to FIG. 4 to arrange at least two tray-like layers 32.1, 32.2 adjustable in height (arrow M).

(28) The embodiment of FIG. 5 differs from that of FIG. 4 insofar as each of said layers 32.1, 32.2 is made of bars 36.2 arranged at a distance to each other thereby forming openings 34 of rectangular cross-section in between.

(29) Each of said bars 36.2 has a rhombic cross-sectional, profile.

(30) The bars of lower tray 32.2 are horizontally offset to those of upper layer/tray 32.1 such that the bars 36.2 of lower tray 32.2 are arranged below the respective openings 34 of upper tray 32.1.

(31) This design allows to vary the size of said openings 34 when said bars 36.2 are moved upwardly, thereby closing said openings 34 continuously up to a full closure.

(32) The bars 36.2 of each layer 32.1, 32.2 may be fixed in a common circumferential sheet (not illustrated), which sheet may be hingedly secured to a corresponding apparatus allowing the respective tray 32.1, 32.2 to be moved upwardly/downwardly.

(33) All of the packings 30 mentioned above may be made of different materials like metal (steamless steel), plastics or the like.

(34) The embodiment of FIG. 6 preferably uses a light plastic material to construct a bar 36.2 as represented.

(35) This hollow bar 36.2 is partially filled with water W. Depending of the amount of water the corresponding bar 36.2 may either float on top of the liquid bath B provided on top of said packing 30 or may be more or less immersed within said liquid bath B.

(36) This allows an amendment of the embodiment according to FIG. 5 as follows.

(37) While the lower tray 32.2 is fixedly secured to scrubber tower wall 10w, upper tray 32.1 is made of bars 36.2 according to FIG. 6. This allows the bars 36.2 according to FIG. 6 to move into the opening area around openings 34 of lower tray 32.2 in case of more water W being filled into said hollow bars 36.2 or, the other way around, to float up within said liquid bath B in case of emptying said bars 36.2 from water.

(38) The tray T7 of FIG. 7 is characterized by inserts 40 arranged within openings 34. These inserts 34 may be filled with air. Due to their flexible skin the inserts then increase their size (see dotted line). As a consequence the space between the respective insert and the outer rim of the corresponding opening 34 will be reduced and thus the flow-through area of the tray installation reduced. By evacuating the insert(s) 40 the flow-through area may be increased again.

(39) FIG. 8 represents an embodiment with a tray T8 made of bars 36.2, arranged at a distance to each other. Each bar 36.2 has a square cross section and is rotatable around a central axis A. By rotating the bars 36.2 the space (flow-through opening 34) between adjacent bars 36.2 may be adjusted as shown in the lower part of FIG. 8.

(40) In this context the following dimensions of a typical scrubbing tower should be noted: Height of the scrubbing tower 15-40 m. Inner diameter of the scrubbing tower up to 25 m. Flue gas flowing through the scrubbing tower 0.2-7.5 Mio. m.sup.3/h, Liquid (absorbent) flowing through the scrubbing tower: 5.000-60.000 m.sup.3/h.