Combined effects of protective film and oxidant on the performance of the supercritical water oxidation system with a film protective reactor: A simulation study

Abstract Supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) is a promising technology for treating organic waste and recovering energy. Water film protective reactor (WFPR), which is also referred to as transpiring wall reactor, provides a solution to corrosion and salt plugging issues. Three novel film protective reactors (FPRs) using air, nitrogen, and hydrogen peroxide as protective fluids were proposed to improve the corrosion and cost issues in WFPRs. Detailed optimized process parameters and flow field characteristics within the FPRs were obtained using Aspen Plus and computational fluid dynamics, respectively. The anti-corrosion performance and prevention of salt plugging in the FPRs were analyzed, and economic analyses for SCWO systems with different FPRs were conducted. Results indicate that the WFPR and hydrogen peroxide FPR present good solubility for inorganic salts but a high probability of corrosion. An SCWO system with the WFPR or nitrogen FPR is more competitive for industrial plants compared with other SCWO systems.