Multi-scale experiments and simulation tools for optimisation of wet flue gas desulphurisation plants

The gypsum-producing wet FGD process is the most popular technology for removal of SO2 from power plant flue gases and it has held that position for two decades. New challenges for these plant types continue to appear, for instance with the emergence of oxy-fuel combustion. In the present article it has been demonstrated how a combination of laboratory-, pilot-, and full-scale investigations and mathematical modelling can be used to gain a deep insight in the chemistry and transport mechanisms prevailing and thereby establish a systematic understanding that can be exploited for practical use.