CFD-based investigation of NOx removal from industrial waste gas by selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) process using NH3

The present study conducts a comparative analysis between selective catalytic reduction (SCR) using a Cu-zeolite catalyst and selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) for the removal of NO x from industrial waste gas. The primary objective of this investigation is to computationally explore the removal of NO x using NH3 at various reactor conditions, along with the study of different hydrodynamic aspects. The study revealed the impact of different porosity of the catalyst (in SCR) and the number of baffles (in SNCR) on the reaction and fluid flow profile. Distinct geometries were employed to model each process, incorporating a turbulent model and kinetic parameters with an eddy-dissipation model (EDM) for simulations. Analyzing the effect of the NH3/NO ratio on NO conversion efficiency is a crucial component of the study. With diminishing efficiency at higher ratios, the SCR process demonstrated nearly complete NO conversion at a certain NH3/NO ratio, and this value changes with the inlet gas temperature. In contrast, SNCR produced less favorable conversion rates than SCR, indicating that the amount of NH3 supply affects conversion efficiency. At the SCR system's optimum NH3/NO ratio, SNCR achieved an 83 % conversion, and the conversion rate remained relatively constant as the ratio was increased. The results highlight the various possibilities for optimization of the reactor systems in terms of efficiency and economic feasibility.