Mercury speciation and removal across full-scale wet FGD systems at coal-fired power plants

摘要

The Ontario Hydro Method (OHM) recommended by the United States EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) was used to determine mercury speciation in the combustionflue gas across wet FGD systems.Four coal-fired units with wet FGD systemswere chosen to evaluate mercury speciation and mercury removal efficiencies throughthese wet FGD systems.Chlorine content in coal had been suggested as a main factorthat affects mercury speciation in flue gas.It is shown that the higher the chlorine concentrationin coal is, the higher the percentage of oxidized mercury (Hg^(2+)) is removed in wetFGD systems, which can increase overall mercury removal efficiencies through wet FGDsystems.The selective catalyst reduction (SCR) system has a function of oxidizing elementalmercury (Hg^0) to oxidized mercury.A higher percentage of oxidized mercury in thetotal vapor mercury at the FGD inlet is observed when SCR is in service.Therefore, higheroverall mercury removal efficiencies through wet FGD are attained.Because of differentwet FGD operating conditions, there are different mercury removal efficiencies in differentunits.Elemental mercury reemission took place when a fraction of oxidized mercury absorbedin the slurry is reduced to elemental mercury, and Hg^0 is reemitted from stack,which results in decreases in mercury removal efficiencies through wet FGD systems.