Project Title:

Selection of the Best Sulfur Removal Technology from

Iranian Steam Power Plants with Regard to Technical and
Economical Considerations
Department: Environment Protection Project Manager: P.Pourmoghaddam

Employer: IRAN Power Development  Project Code: CEVTB02

Company

Project Staff:Z. Delavar Moghaddam, S. Davari 

Project Summary:

Consumed fuel in most of the Iranian steam power plants, in more than half of the year
is fuel oil with a sulfur content of 2.5 to 3.5 weight percent. During the combustion
process, a high volume of SO2 discharges through chimney into the atmosphere which
causes acid rain and adverse effects on the environment. On the other hand, standards of
maximum allowable emission which can release from stack are developed
by International Environmental Organizations and Iranian environmental organization
which obliged industries to observe Permissible limit by installing desulfurization
systems.

In this project at the first stage of the project, all methods of removing sulfur from
fuel oil and Desulfurization of flue gas was studied and characteristics of each method
were determined.

In the second stage of the project, various methods of desulphurization from fuel oil
has been studied and optimum sulfur removal percentages of fuel in order to achieve
permissible limit of SO2 emissions from power plants flue gas, with respect to Iranian
environmental organization standard and also Europian standard, were determined.

Finally,  after preliminary design of  residual  fuel  oil  hydrotreating  process, 
Economic analysis of unit Construction  in  selected  power  plant  of  Shahzand  were 
determined.  

During the third stage, all various methods of desulfurization in three categories of 
wet,  dry  and  semi‐dry  and  byproduct  processes  were  studied.   In  these  studies, 
limestone forced oxidation process (LSFO) was suggested as an appropriate process for 
desulfurization of flue gas.  

In  the  fourth  stage  of  the  project,  economical  and  technical  aspects  of  fuel  oil 
hydrotreating process and wet scrubber of limestone forced oxidation, respectively as 
the  selected  technology  of  the  fuel  oil  desulphurization  and  flue  gas  desulfurization, 
were  compared.  During  this  investigation  it  was  determined  that  limestone  forced 
oxidation has the better advantages compared to hydrotreating process and hence this 
process as the selected process of desulphurization were proposed. 

Project Results:

 Investigation of all methods of desulphurization from fuel oil and flue gas.
 determined optimum sulfur removal percentages of fuel in order to achieve
permissible limit of SO2 emissions.
 simulation of fuel oil hydrotreating process and determination of operating
conditions
 Preliminary design and sizing of available equipments in hydrotreating Process,
and representing Preliminary layout
 Economic analysis of unit Construction in selected power plant of Shahzand
 Determination of all various methods of desulfurization in three categories of
wet, dry and semi-dry and byproduct processes
 Economical and technical comparision of fuel oil hydrotreating and LSFO wet
scrubber processes

Project Documentation:

 Environment Protection Department, "First stage report: Investigation of all

methods of desulphurization from fuel oil and flue gas and characteristic
determination of each method”, Energy and Environment Research Center,
NRI.
 Environment Protection Department,“Second stage report: Technical and
economic investigation of fuel oil desulfurization”, Energy and Environment
Research Center, NRI.
  Environment Protection Department,“Third stage report: Investigation of
technical and economical study of implementation Flue gas desulfurization
methods in both olds and new power plants”, Energy and Environment Research
Center, NRI.
 Environment Protection Department,“Fourth stage report: Technical
and economical evaluation and comparison of fuel oil hydrotreating and LSFO
wet scrubber processes”, Energy and Environment Research Center, NRI.

The resulted articles that were achieved in the research

 Pourmoghaddam, P., Davari, S., & Moghaddam, Z. (2016). A technical and economic
assessment of fuel oil hydrotreating technology for steam power plant SO2 and NOx
emissions control. Advances in Environmental Technology, 2(1), 45-54.
DOI:10.22104/AET.2016.362