SULFUR REMOVAL FROM FLUE-GASES IN THE UTILITY SECTOR - PRACTICALITIESAND ECONOMICS

Sulphur dioxide control in the utility sector has come of age with est ablished technologies supplied by companies with international reputat ions and good track records now taking major contracts on a regular ba sis. Although not employed as extensively as originally anticipated in the United Kingdom, subject to gaining the necessary consents and aut horizations, a major contract may be placed for sulphur control on Ori mulsion fired plant. World-wide use of desulphurization technologies c ontinues to expand with many installations now under construction or i n operation in areas such as the Pacific Rim and Eastern Europe to mee t increasingly stringent environmental regulations aimed at controllin g unwanted environmental effects. Previous papers from suppliers and o perators have tended to concentrate on the theory of the process or th e practical engineering aspects of on-site installation and operation. This paper considers the overall impact and cost of various systems a nd reviews established and developing systems of flue gas desulphuriza tion processes. It focuses not only on the technology but also on the supply of raw materials, marketing and/or disposal of products, the ec onomics of such systems and some of their potential environmental impa cts both on and off site. In this respect the paper reviews all the ma jor areas to be considered in the selection of a process for a particu lar site.