Nashville, Tennessee
June 22, 2003
June 22, 2003
June 25, 2003
2153-5965
13
8.1228.1 - 8.1228.13
10.18260/1-2--12072
https://peer.asee.org/12072
382
Optimal operation of a gas absorption column (scrubber) is based upon a favorable combination of operating conditions that will achieve the greatest reduction in contaminant removal at the lowest cost, while satisfying environmental regulations. Fine tuning and optimization of gas scrubbers are usually accomplished by operating personnel in the field once the equipment has been designed, constructed, and installed. Industrial supervisors do not encourage operating personnel to experiment with column operation by varying ranges of operating parameters. Inappropriate changes could cause upset conditions that might lead to release of contaminated gas streams and result in a violation of an approved environmental air permit. A simple introduction to use of the Evolutionary Operation (EVOP) statistical method is provided to demonstrate how it can be applied to the optimization of an air pollution scrubber. This exercise was organized to be used in an undergraduate chemical engineering laboratory. The aim of this work is not to specifically identify the overall optimum set of operating conditions for maximizing scrubber performance, but to demonstrate use of the EVOP method. Students gain experience in use of the method and can apply learned principles to optimize operation of other engineering equipment. Final results of this study does identify favored packing material and in what direction the optimum will reside for conditions of temperature and scrubber liquor caustic concentration.
Smart, J. (2003, June), Use Of An Applied Statistical Method To Optimize Efficiency Of An Air Pollution Scrubber Within An Undergraduate Laboratory Paper presented at 2003 Annual Conference, Nashville, Tennessee. 10.18260/1-2--12072
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