Development of Analytical Model for SOx Removal by Marine SOx Scrubbers and of Small Scrubbers

Abstract

Sulfur oxide (SOx) affects environment, for example, in the form of acid rain. Marine SOx scrubbers are used to remove SOx in exhaust gas from ships when using fuels with high sulfur content. The SOx scrubbers require a relatively large space for installation and are difficult to apply to small vessels. In this study, we developed a simplified model applicable to calculating changes in SO2 concentrations in SOx scrubbers with the aim of developing smaller SOx scrubbers. Our model is based on the steady state one-dimensional equations in the flow direction. In order to simplify the complex physics, the model assumed a uniform flow for exhaust gas and spray droplets absorbing SO2. The performance of desulphurization of the prototype small scrubber was evaluated by comparing the results of desulfurization experiments using actual engine exhaust gases with those of model calculations. As a result, it was shown that the developed scrubber can achieve sufficiently high desulphurization performance to meet regulations.