Voc (Volatile Organic Chemicals) Emissions

A. High VOC Concentrations

Three types of treatment are generally used for streams with high concentrations of VOC: Refrigerated Vapour Condensation, Solvent Vapour Adsorption, and Flaring. The method chosen is dependent on allowable release concentrations and the cost of the solvent.

Refrigerated vapour condensation can mean condensation at temperatures as low as −80°C. Due to the high cost of refrigeration, this option is usually reserved for expensive solvents whose recovery can justify the high operating costs.

Solvent vapour adsorption is a more common application where the VOC containing gas is bubbled through an organic solvent which "accepts" the VOC in the gas stream. The VOC are then released from the solvent by heat and a partial vacuum.

B. Moderate VOC Concentrations

For moderate concentrations of VOC, incineration or regenerative carbon adsorption is utilized. At temperatures between 750-1000°C, VOC are typically destroyed by 99%. Usually, a heat exchanger is used to preheat the gas stream with the flue gas to save on fuel costs for the incinerator.

Regenerative carbon adsorption is where a gas stream passes through a bed of activated carbon. The VOC are adsorbed into the carbon. This method can achieve 99% effectiveness for VOC concentrations.

Exercise 4. Make up some questions of different types to cover the content of the text.

Exercise 5. Scan the text again and find the sentences, which mean:

1. Refrigerated vapour condensation demands expensive medium.

2. The main media in wet scrubber control device is liquid.

3. Incineration is the best method to destroy medium concentrations of VOC.

4. Electrostatic Precipitators must be cleaned from time to time.

5. Semidry systems are more expensive than wet systems.

6. Activated carbon adsorbs VOC during regenerative carbon adsorption.

7. A heat exchanger is utilized before the incinerator to reduce the cost of procedure.

8. Cyclonic separation doesn’t need any kind of filters.

9. Solvent vapour adsorption changes waste materials into heat.

10. Semidry scrubber may be more effective if they are used with fabric filters.

11. Cyclonic separator can be used to move away fine particles.

12. Semidry scrubber transforms waste into fine white solid.

Exercise 6. Read the following numerals in percentage terms and temperature characteristics.

Example:

5% five percent

25-30% from twenty-five to thirty percent

25°C twenty-five degrees Celsius

32°F thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit

−45°C minus forty-five degrees Celsius

+92°F plus ninety-two degrees Fahrenheit

27-30°C from twenty-seven to thirty degrees Celsius

a) 99%, 90%, 87%, 54%, 17%, 28%, 31%, 62%, 100%, 75%, 53%, 38%, 47%, 12%, 29%, 48%, 60%, 74%, 83%, 95%.

b) 5-10%, 90-95%, 10-15%, 75-80%, 60-65%, 40-45%, 20-30%, 80-85%, 50-60%, 30-35%, 50-70%, 5-20%, 15-30%.

c) 871°C, 1800°F, 981°C, 56°C, 35°F, 80°C, 1000°F, 250°C, 1500°F, 55°C, 100°F, 350°C, 500°F, 45°C, 75°F, 170°C, 90°F.

d) −80°C, +451°F, −123°C, +756°C, −52°F, +74°C, −95°F, +62°C, −240°F, +95°C, −358°F, +86°C, −176°F, +45°C, −543°F, +270°C, −658°F.

e) 750-1000°C, 100-600°F, 282-449°C, 1000-1600°F, 22-49°C, 50-65°F, 52-75°C, 400-550°F, 80-90°C, 2000-2500°F, 200-300°C, 563-748°F, 55-95°C, 350-450°F.

Exercise 7. Give Russian equivalents to the following phrases:

pollution control devices, to destroy contaminants, cyclonic separation, vortex separation, rotational effect, to separate mixtures of solids and fluids, furnace flue gas, wet scrubber, flue gas desulfurization, solvent liquid, semidry scrubber, to atomize the slurry into the gas, to evaporate water, alkali material, fine white solid, electrostatic precipitator, fabric filter, induced electrostatic charge, high VOC concentration, refrigerated vapour condensation, solvent vapour adsorption, allowable release concentration, regenerative carbon adsorption, is utilized, be destroyed by 99%, heat exchanger, bed of activated carbon.

Exercise 8. Find a synonym to an underlined word.

to destroy contaminant, to emit into the atmosphere, to remove particulates, variety of devices, contact method, advantage, solid waste, expensive, fine solid, gas stream, fabric filter, highly efficient, to clean, cost of the solvent, vapour adsorption, organic solvent, incineration, bed of activated carbon.

Exercise 9. Read the text without a dictionary and answer the questions:

1. What is the source of NOx?

2. Why ammonia was chosen for selective catalytic reduction?

3. What substances can be derived during selective catalytic reduction?

4. Does Exxon Thermal De-nitrification need any catalyst?

NOx Emissions

Nitrogen oxides are products of all conventional combustion processes. These abstract is devoted to some methods of NOx emissions control.

A. Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR)

In short, SCR is a process to reduce NOx to nitrogen and water with ammonia in the presence of a catalyst between 540-840°F (282-449°C). Ammonia is used due to its tendency to react only with the contaminants and not with the oxygen in the gas stream. Ammonia is injected by means of compressed gas or steam carriers. Efficiencies near 90% have been reported with SCR.

B. Exxon Thermal De-nitrification

Similar to SCR, the Exxon Thermal DeNOx process utilizes the NOx/ammonia reaction. However, this process does not use a catalyst to aid the reaction. Optimum reaction temperatures are found between 1600°F (871°C) and 1800°F (981°C).