Investigation of Parameters Affecting Gypsum Dewatering Properties in a Wet Flue Gas Desulphurization Pilot Plant

Wet flue gas desulphurization (FGD) plants with forced oxidation, installed at coal and oil fired power plants for removal of SO2(g), must produce gypsum of high quality. However, quality issues such as an excessive moisture content, due to poor gypsum dewatering properties, may occur from time to time.

In this work, the particle size distribution, morphology, and filtration rate of wet FGD gypsum formed in a pilot-scale experimental setup, operated in forced oxidation mode, have been studied. The influence of holding tank residence time (10–408 h), solids content (30–169 g/L), and the presence of impurities (0.002 M Al2F6; 50 g quartz/L; 0.02 M Al3+, and 0.040 M Mg2+) were investigated. In addition, slurry from a full-scale wet FGD plant, experiencing formation of flat shaped crystals and poor gypsum dewatering properties, was transferred to the pilot plant to test if the plant would now start to produce low quality gypsum.

The crystals formed in the pilot plant, on the basis of the full-scale slurry did, however, show acceptable filtration rates and crystal morphologies closer to the prismatic crystals from after pilot plant experiments with demineralized water. The gypsum slurry filtration rates were generally high, but a shorter residence time (10 h) and gypsum crystals experiencing breakage and/or attrition (408 h) showed slightly lower filtration rates.

Both these experiments contained a higher fraction of fines, which may explain the slightly lower filtration rates. Crystals formed at a higher solids concentration and longer residence time (169 g/L and 120 h) showed a higher proportion of flat crystals, and the XRD pattern contained strong peaks at 31.1° (as the full-scale gypsum) and 29.1°, but no change in the filtration rate was obtained.

It has not been possible in the pilot plant to form flat gypsum flakes with poor dewatering properties similar to those observed in full-scale plants.