Effect of ring baffles in simulated flue gas denitrification via NH₃-SCR in fluidized bed reactor: A CFD approach

Abstract An unsteady Eulerian-Eulerian CFD model was employed in ANSYS FLUENT 19.2 to assess the impact of ring baffles on the hydrodynamics and NO removal efficiency in a fluidized bed reactor using the NH3-SCR process and CuO/ɤ-Al 2 O 3 as catalyst. Initial simulations of the baffle-free (FFB) reactor were validated against experimental data focusing on bubble diameter and NO removal efficiency. Kinetic parameters were adjusted following mesh optimization to align with the experimental findings. Subsequently, simulations were conducted on baffled (BFB) reactors. The introduction of ring baffles markedly improved NO removal efficiency under identical operating conditions as the FFB. Notably, at 573.15 K, baffle configurations D7, T3, and T6 achieved removal efficiencies of 92.40%, 92.19%, and 92.36%, respectively. Even at a lower temperature of 523.15 K, these setups maintained high efficiencies indicating that baffled reactors could replicate FFB performance at reduced temperatures. The study highlights that ring baffles increase solid holdup and radial gas velocity, particularly beneath the baffles, fostering improved gas-solid interactions. Furthermore, the granular temperature was significantly enhanced by the presence of baffles.