Proceedings of POWER2009

ASME Power 2009

July 21-23, 2009, Albuquerque New Mexico, USA

POWER2009−81054
Spray Technology is Critical in Helping a Plant Achieve
Optimal Performance

Robert E. Van Durme, P.E.

Lechler Inc.
St. Charles, IL USA

ABSTRACT: recover heat, fuel sources, and financial gains/losses from the
required cap and trade programs. Since the advent of the
Spray nozzles are used in several locations inside a powerplant powerplant, great strides have been made in making electrical
and have intimate contact with the processes in the plant. power clean, reliable, and abundant. Several improvements
Nozzles are used for inlet fogging, humidification, Wet and have been made to continually improve the efficiency of the
Semi-Dry FGD (Flue Gas Desulphurization) applications process. These include improved control technology,
using open spray towers, CFB (Circulating Fluidized Bed) and engineered materials, streamlined processes, and years of
SDA (Spray Dry Absorber) scrubbers, NOx using SCR operator experience.
(Selective Catalytic Reduction) and SNCR (Selective Non- Nozzles play an integral part in the process of power
catalytic Reduction) technologies. As plants try to achieve generation, from when the coal is mined from the ground to
optimum efficiency, spray nozzles need to be designed, the final cleaning of the gas before it’s emitted into the
installed, and maintained properly. In addition, operators and atmosphere. Nozzle technology has contributed to the
designers need to be aware when a spray nozzle needs to be improved performance of plants and the reduction of harmful
cleaned or replaced. A defective spray nozzle will have an pollutants emitted into the atmosphere.
adverse affect on plant performance.
Several factors are to be considered in selecting the proper
nozzle. These include material of construction, flowrate,
spray angle, operating pressure, placement, droplet size,
maximum free passage, spray angle, and many more. New
developments in spray nozzle technology are allowing
powerplants to have better control and achieve/maintain the
tighter regulations on key emissions in the plants. Examples
of nozzle type, their application, and recent
installations/retrofits will be discussed.

OVERVIEW:

Powerplants (Graphic 1) are built for the sole purpose of

power generation. When plants were originally built and
operated, the plant’s efficiency was the primary measure of
how well the plant was run and maintained. Since that time,
we have become aware of the environmental impact
powerplants can have on the local environment and
population. Environmental issues such as acid rain, ozone, Graphic 11
water pollution, and opacity have been indentified and Basic Rankine Cycle
corrected to minimize its impact. Today, a plant’s efficiency
and effectiveness is determined by the political environment,
the required emission control devices it supports, the parasitic
loads to meet increased EPA requirements, its ability to
NOZZLE MATERIAL: Photo 2
No erosion of ceramic nozzle after
Nozzle material is very important as applications in the 24 weeks of service
powerplants have varying degrees of temperature, corrosion,
and erosion aspects of performance. In addition, the nozzle
material can not contaminate the process or process fluid
being atomized. Depending on the application (Chart 1),
nozzles can be made from relatively low cost brass, stainless
steel, or polymers (plastic) to exotic high cost materials such
as duplex stainless steels containing high levels of nickel and
chromium, as well as ceramics.

Nozzle Material(s) Price Application(s)

Vehicle Rinsing
Floor Wash
Brass, 303 SS, Plastics $ General Cleaning
Cooling Towers
Mist Eliminators
SCR/SNCR
Inlet Fogging
Dust Suppression
304SS, 316 SS $$
Fuel Injection
Steam Condensation
Evaporative Cooling NOZZLE SPRAY PATTERNS:
Emergency Quench
Duplex Stainless
$$$ Flue Gas Desulphurization The four primary spray patterns that are used in the industry
Ceramics
Coal Supply are the solid stream, flat fan, full cone, and hollowcone:
$ − Low Cost
$$ − Medium Cost The solid stream nozzle provides a solid column of water with
$$$ − High Cost no effective atomization of the fluid. This provides the largest
impact force of the different patterns. It is used for cleaning of
Chart 1 a small area. This pattern is seldomly used in the powerplants.
Typical Nozzle Materials Used at Powerplants
The flat fan nozzle distributes the water into a wide pattern
with a constant minimal spray thickness across the spray.
The nozzle material must be designed to withstand not only These nozzles create large droplets at high velocity and impact
the fluid being atomized but also the process it is placed into that are used for application of fluids on wide surfaces. This
service. Using an inferior nozzle material increases your spray pattern also creates a push-broom effect on a surface
overall operating costs due to shortened life, increased when oriented at an angle to the surface being sprayed.
maintenance, and unforeseen repairs. Nozzle erosion affects a Typical uses for these nozzles are for high pressure washing,
nozzle’s flowrate, spray pattern, and droplet size. (See Photo and spraying of a moving surface such as a conveyor belt.
1 & 2)
A full cone nozzle atomizes the droplets into a conical shape
Photo 1 from the nozzle orifice. The droplets are dispersed throughout
Erosion of stainless nozzle after 5 weeks of service the full cross section of the spray and tend to have smaller
droplet sizes and lower velocity in comparison to a similarly
sized flat fan nozzle. This distribution can be created from
twin-fluid and hydraulic nozzles. Typical uses for hydraulic
fullcones are mist eliminator panel washing, steam
condensing, inlet fogging, and packing rinsing. There are
several more. Twin-fluid fullcones are used in aqueous
ammonia injection for SCR as well as SNCR, and evaporative
cooling.

Last, the hollow cone nozzle atomizes the droplets into a

conical shape from the nozzle orifice as well. However, the
droplets are dispersed along the circumference of the spray
pattern with no droplets dispersed inside the cone of the spray.
The droplets have a higher velocity and smaller droplet size in
comparison to fullcone nozzle due to the reduced energy
losses in the atomization chamber. Hollowcone nozzles are
only able to be atomized hydraulically. Typical uses for these
nozzles is evaporative cooling and gas scrubbing for flue gas Typical Droplet Sizes
desulphurization.
Nozzle Type Droplet Range (µm)
Twin−fluid 25 − 100
NOZZLE TECHNOLOGY: Single−fluid (small) 50 − 500
Single−fluid (medium) 500 − 1,500
Single−fluid (large) 1,500 − 3,000
There are two nozzle types that are typically installed in
powerplants. They consist of the single-fluid (hydraulic)
nozzles and twin-fluid (air-atomizing) nozzles (See Photos 3 Chart 22
& 4). These nozzles come in various materials, sizes, spray Droplet size range (Sauter Mean Diameter) produced
patterns, and quantities to perform the intended design by different nozzles (Ref. 1 in. = 25,400 µm)
function. Twin-fluid nozzles create the smallest droplet sizes
(Chart 2) but require the highest amount of energy input in
creating these droplets. In certain cases, hydraulic nozzles can For most applications requiring relatively large droplets for
be operated at extremely high pressures to create droplets that surface cleaning, hydraulic nozzle technology utilizing feed
are comparable to twin-fluid droplet sizes. pressure to atomize the fluid sprayed is adequate. Control
technology to monitor the process is relatively straight-
forward with a pressure gauge and flowmeter to monitor
Photo 3 pressure and flowrate respectively and valves to adjust flow
Large Single−fluid Hollowcone Nozzle used for and pressure. Nozzles used in these applications require
Wet Flue Gas Desulphurization minimal maintenance. Typical issues with these nozzles are
pluggage caused by internal debris or particles in the supply
fluid that have not been properly filtered (See Photo 5). In
order to design a proper strainer system for your nozzle, the
mesh size of the strainer should be ⅓ to ½ of the free passage
of the nozzle in use. The free passage area is defined as the
largest particle that may pass through the nozzle without
clogging.

Twin-fluid nozzles are also heavily used in powerplants.

Their use is for the gas conditioning/cleaning of NOx,
SO2 (~ 100 MW or smaller plant), SO3, and mercury in the
flue gas. The nozzles and systems, their material, and spray
performance are critical in order to successfully remove the
pollutants in the flue gas. Control technology is more
complex as two fluids (typically the chemical solution and
compressed air) need to be monitored and adjusted and kept in
balance to maintain spray performance. Twin-fluid nozzles,
due to their critical function in a plant’s APC (Air Pollution
Control)

Photo 4
Twin−fluid Nozzle used for Semi−Dry Flue Gas Photo 5
Desulphurization OR Selective Catalytic Reduction Hydraulic spiral nozzle used in Wet Flue Gas
Desuphurization plugged with internal debris
system, require a high degree of reliability, maintenance, and to restrict air flow and affects nozzle performance and droplet
control. The process gas these nozzles get placed into service size. (See Photo 7).
is laden with moisture, dust, and ash which promote buildup
on the nozzle surface and walls. Nozzle spray degradation
(See Photo 6) increases droplet size, affects the spray pattern, Photo 7
and can vary the flowrate, thereby affecting the entire APC Fouling of twin−fluid nozzle spraying slurry
system of the plant. It can cause emissions from the plant to after 1 week of service
exceed limits. Poorly maintained nozzles cost the plant
money in increased maintenance, increased operating
expenses, and reduced income potential from the cap and trade
programs.

Photo 6
Buildup around nozzle orifice of twin−fluid nozzle

The continuous buildup of slurry required maintenance of

removing the lance, removing the nozzle, cleaning the nozzle
in a solution to dissolve the lime and re-assembling the nozzle
and lance to put back into service. Several of these lances are
typically required to achieve the required emission targets
which creates a high degree of maintenance time and cost.

Two steps were taken to decrease the maintenance frequency

on these nozzles. The first improvement was a redesign of the
air inlet holes. The air inlet holes were modified to create a
SPRAY TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS: larger pressure drop between the air supply and the mixing
chamber. This created a larger resistance to backflow of
Nozzle designs and their applications have continuously slurry into the air holes. The second modification consisted of
evolved to help powerplants meet increasingly stringent a flushing sequence that injected an acid solution into the air
emission requirements. New nozzle designs have helped supply and through the air inlet holes to dissolve any lime
improve spray performance through better atomization buildup. This created a more dependable, low maintenance
(smaller droplet size), reduced energy requirements, improved solution for the powerplant (See Photo 8).
spray patterns, and less maintenance costs. New corrosion and
erosion resistant materials are now in the marketplace to Photo 8
withstand the extreme environments nozzles are placed into. Modification of twin−fluid nozzle after 1 week of
In most cases, the payback period for improved nozzle service and cleaning cycle.
technology is quite short. The savings they generate over their
24 hour, 365 day typical service time quickly pays for their
initial cost outlay.

One application of nozzles is the atomization of lime slurry

into the flue gas for semi-dry flue gas desulphurization.
During this process, compressed air atomizes pump-fed lime
slurry into small droplets. The small droplets create a large
surface area for the flue gas to interact with and maximize
mass transfer of the SO2 and SO3 out of the flue gas. Inside
the nozzle chamber, the pressure differential between the
compressed air supply and slurry supply is in constant flux.
This allows for temporary penetration of lime slurry into the
air supply. The water in the slurry quickly evaporates leaving
a deposit of slurry on the holes. Over time this buildup begins
SPRAY TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS (CON’T): angular momentum as it leaves the nozzle (See Photo 10).
This angular momentum is then transferred to the gas.
Another issue facing twin-fluid nozzle lances operating in the
powerplant is buildup on the exterior surfaces (See Photo 6).
The causes for this include flue gas flow around the nozzle Photo 10
creating eddies, bad design of the nozzle orifice, Droplets exiting from hollow cone nozzle orifice
erosion/corrosion of the nozzle material, and condensation on
the nozzle lance. The twin-fluid lance has two fluids that have
a lower temperature relative to the flue gas and can be below
saturation temperature of the flue gas. The velocities in the
lance are high, which create a high heat transfer coefficient of
the outer surface of the lance exposed to the flue gas. To help
alleviate this problem, the two fluids could be heated to above
saturation temperature. This creates additional energy input
into the system and can create more problems than it solves.
A solution to this problem is the addition of a second annulus
around the lance and pipe. (See Photo 9). The annulus
between the lance and the outer pipe is fed with low pressure
(less than 1 psig) blower air that allows the outer skin surface
of the outer pipe to remain closer to the flue gas temperature.

Photo 93
Cross section cutout of Twin−fluid lance with outer To increase the residence time of the droplet in the flue gas
barrier pipe to minimize material buildup on lance and to counteract this angular momentum, a new nozzle was
designed with separate spray chambers that are located on
opposite sides of the nozzle supply inlet. This nozzle is
typically described as a dual hollowcone nozzle (See Photo
11). It can be designed to have a fullcone or hollowcone spray
pattern. The benefits of this technology when compared to
single orifice nozzles include: smaller droplet sizes as the fluid
is being atomized into two sprays, increased mass transfer
with flue gas due to increased residence time and larger
surface area, and counter-acting angular momentum
transferred to the gas. This nozzle design is widely used in
Europe and is installed in several coal fired powerplants in the
United States.

Photo 11
Dual hollowcone nozzle spraying

Wet flue gas desulphurization technology was introduced into

the United States in 1970s. These are commonly known as
WetFGD scrubbers. In their infancy, scrubbers were able to
achieve 70-80% removal of the sulfur in the flue gas.
Currently, scrubbers are now able to achieve 99%+ removal
with the proper design and L/G (Liquid to Gas) ratio. Nozzles
are a crucial part in achieving these levels while minimizing
limestone requirements and pumping power. The primary
nozzle that was utilized in the scrubbers is the single orifice
hollowcone nozzle (See Photo 3). These nozzles were placed
at several spray levels in the scrubber to help achieve a high
L/G ratio and maximize the surface area of the droplets for
mass transfer removal of pollutants in the flue gas.

One design aspect of these nozzles is that the fluid entering the
nozzle is tangentially fed. As the liquid leaves the orifice, the
rotational momentum of the spray is transferred into an
SPRAY TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS (CON’T):

Another nozzle development for WetFGD scrubbers is a dual

hollowcone nozzle that only sprays downward against the gas
flow. This nozzle is typically described as the dual-down
hollowcone (See Photo 12) and is designed to utilize all of the
design features of the dual orifice nozzle but could be placed
on the top level spray header inside a scrubber. This nozzle
can also be designed with a fullcone or hollowcone spray
pattern. Any slurry spraying upward into the mist eliminator
panels would cause fouling and plugging. These nozzles are
used in Europe and are installed in several coal fired
powerplants in the United States. The use of the dual orifice
technology has helped powerplants reach near 100% removal
of the sulfur in the flue gas.

Photo 12
Dualdown hollowcones spraying inside scrubber

CONCLUSION:

Nozzles play an integral part in a plant’s performance and

must be designed for their intended service and performance.
It has been demonstrated that keeping nozzles clean and
operating as designed has a direct effect on a plant’s
performance. As plants are required to emit less pollutants,
new nozzle technologies need to be developed to meet these
requirements.

REFERENCES:

1. Moran, Michael J. and Shapiro, Howard N.,

Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics © 1988
2. Environmental Engineering World – “Wet Scrubbers:
Match the Spray Nozzle to the Operation”, Lothar Bendig
3. Nasr, G.G., Yule, A.J., and Bendig, Lothar, Industrial
Sprays and Atomization © 2002
4. Photos courtesy of Lechler Inc.