MATHEMATICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON NOX RECOVERY IN FLUIDIZED BED ADSORBERS FOR EXHAUST GASES OF NITRIC ACID PLANTS

A mathematical model for sorption of NOx from exhaust gas of nitric acid plants by activated carbon (AC) in a fluidized bed is proposed based on two-phase flow theory of fluidization. To solve the proposed model a computer program has been developed. The output of this program reveals the effects of various parameters such as temperature, inlet gas velocity, particle diameter, and inlet gas concentration on the rate of adsorption. To evaluate the proposed model, a pilot-scale plant was erected and the obtained experimental data were compared with the values predicted by the model. A good agreement is observed between these values. Once the validity of the proposed model is checked, it could be used for obtaining the optimum operating condition for this type of bed.