Numerical investigation on distribution characteristics of oxidation air in a lime slurry desulfurization system with rotary jet agitators

Abstract Rotary jet agitator is an effective device for mixing, dispersing, dissolving, and suspending dispersed phases in liquid, and is particularly advantageous to the homogenization of oxygen-enriched air within the lime slurry desulfurization system. The distribution of oxygen-enriched air in agitators is vital for the process of gypsum crystallization and the homogeneous and sufficient oxygen-enriched air can promote the formation of an economically useful by-product. The present study investigated the diffusion performance of oxygen-enriched air in a rotary jet agitator during the wet flue gas desulfurization process by utilizing computational fluid dynamics. The consistency of numerical and experimental results is validated under identical conditions. Investigation results show that the rotation velocities and the inlet velocities of rotary jet machines significantly affect the distribution and homogeneity of the oxygen-enriched air distribution. However, these effects deteriorate with increasing rotation angular and jet outlet velocities. Under the optimal condition, the oxygen-enriched air concentration, within the cross-sections, fluctuates by approximately 20%. The Rotary jet agitator appears to be a remarkable method for the homogenization of oxygen-enriched air in the lime slurry tank, and in other gas-liquid stirring tanks, due to its high efficacy and good stirring effect.