Desulfurization of Flue Gases from Medium-Capacity Gas-Piston Power Plants Using Spiral-Vortex Equipment with Reduced Aerodynamic Resistance

The purpose of this study is to justify the design parameters of spiral-vortex equipment ensuring energy-efficient desulfurization of flue gases from autonomous medium-capacity gas-piston power plants (GPPPs). The study is driven by the necessity to reduce the aerodynamic resistance of gas cleaning systems to minimize the parasitic load on power units. To achieve this, the following tasks were addressed: developing a mathematical model of gas phase motion in a macro-scale curvilinear channel; conducting numerical modeling of the evolution of secondary macro-vortex structures; and determining the influence of the spiral inclination angle and velocity regimes on mass transfer intensity. The research methodology is based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approaches for analyzing turbulent flows under centrifugal forces acting on exhaust gases. The most significant result is establishing the possibility of stable liquid film formation and intense macro-vortices at low aerodynamic resistance (up to 400 Pa). It is demonstrated that at an optimal flow velocity of 6.0 m/s and a scrubber cross-sectional area of 0.9 m², a maximum SO2 absorption efficiency (above 96%) is achieved without auxiliary induced-draft fans. The scientific and practical significance lies in creating an engineering design methodology for compact gas cleaning equipment for distributed power generation. The proposed design solutions provide annual electricity savings of 65–95 thousand kWh per 2.6–3.0 MW power unit, significantly increasing the overall profitability and environmental safety of autonomous energy centers.