TROUBLE-SHOOTING AND RETROFIT OF A THERMAL OXIDIZER SYSTEM USING COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS

摘要

A natural gas plant in the southern United States was facing shutdown by consent decree to meet specified emissions requirements. Although the plant had originally met permitted emissions limits, process changes and equipment damage due to plant upsets and age had caused a significant decline in performance of the plant's thermal oxidizer system. A site visit was made to observe the equipment, evaluate destruction efficiency, take field data, and verify the operating conditions. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used to assess the cause of reduced performance and to examine potential solutions. As a result of the modeling, new burners were supplied for the system to modify flame characteristics, mixing and flow profiles. A choke ring was installed to further improve mixing and, consequently, destruction efficiency. These modifications resulted in the system easily meeting permitted emissions levels and operating at a significantly reduced fuel gas usage.