A large smelter facility was searching for a solution to mitigate higher levels of acid gases in order to meet existing SO2 ground level concentration reduction goals. After extensive testing, SOLVAir® S350 was identified as the ideal technical and economical solution as it reached an average of 80% SO2 removal, even with highly variable gas content and significant site limitations.
Flue gas treatment alternatives are put to the test
A smelter facility in North America needed to install a new sulphur dioxide capture system as quickly and efficiently as possible to meet environmental regulation goals and adhere to local community concerns for health and sustainability. As an existing SOLVAir® customer with proven Dry Sorbent Injection (DSI) success, the facility management team was already familiar with the operational efficiency of SOLVAir® Solutions for metallurgy industry gas treatment, the easiness to install and adapt to a large range of temperatures, and the 100% safety of this non-hazardous product. Naturally, they considered DSI as an option, but first wanted to perform extensive testing, along with a technology comparison study, to prove it could be an economic fit.
SO2 mitigation expertise shared with our customer
The SOLVAir® team of international experts, with more than 30 years of experience supporting hundreds of clients worldwide, assisted both the customer and the engineering contractor in conducting all phases of the technology feasibility study, including technical testing, data analysis and fine-tuned design.
Testing to find the most cost-effective solution for flue gas cleaning
Extensive testing and a subsequent economic study were carried out to identify the solution best fit for the application. The customer employed a temporary injection system and tested multiple sorbent options in the test phase. SOLVAir® S350 performed the best with lowest consumption and highest performance in acid gas remediation. An economic assessment was also completed to assess the capital and operational cost for each of the sorbents tested.
The client tested the entire process from the beginning to obtain realistic forecast consumption that matched actual levels when the operation went online. Testing can save a lot of headaches and costs because it reduces the risk of oversizing or undersizing equipment, thus avoiding expensive retrofits to be compliant.
Clean air solutions optimized for the future
Once the ideal solution was identified, the engineering team continued to develop the project by implementing design safeguards to further optimize the system in the future. The optimization consisted of onsite milling capabilities and interchangeably working with both sodium bicarbonate and trona, as needed.
Dedicated technical support from start to finish
Typically, SOLVAir® Solutions are tailor-made for each facility. We not only provide full technical expertise but also ensure production and distribution reliability with our strong, dedicated supply chain team. Therefore, in the start-up phase of this project, the SOLVAir® team was involved in every aspect of the process until the customer confidently operated at steady state.
After a straightforward start-up, the system has been operating trouble-free and is meeting all of the requirements that were set out for it.
SOLVAir® Solutions complete with customized engineering
The testing and subsequent economic study identified SOLVAir® S350 (ready-to-use sodium bicarbonate) as the best technical and most economical solution for metallurgy industry gas mitigation in the short and long term.
SOLVAir® enabled the facility to meet its environmental goals by providing, on average, 70% SO2 removal (up to 80% at its peak). This is the equivalent of about 175kg/hr of SO2 removed (up to 300 kg/hr peak rates), even with highly variable gas content.
The customer also benefited from the support of SOLVAir®’s team of experts to optimize the existing injection system setup. As the DSI was an addition to an old installation, it required working with a less-than-desired residence time in flight, together with a nonuniform gas flow that varied throughout the process cycle. Therefore, the choice of the injection spot and the dispersion of the sorbent were highly customized in relation to the needs of the plant and required specialized engineering.
The truck unloading line, sorbent storage and the engineering of all new installation parts within and around existing structures were also optimized.
Finally, a feasibility study was performed, allowing the customer to transition from current bulk truck sorbent deliveries to a future railcar unloading system.
The SOLVAir® sodium bicarbonate solution used for dry sorbent injection in flue gas has been a critical and successful part of our efforts to meet air quality standards for sulphur dioxide.
