Wet & Dry Scrubber Repair & Maintenance

Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) devices require many different components to run efficiently. At IA Mechanical, we work to repair all aspects of these FGD systems to ensure maximum efficiency. With recent growing federal regulations, scrubbers have become required more often than ever before. Exhaust gases can contain substances that are harmful to the environment, so scrubbers have become essential to meet regulations.

Scrubbers refer to the different types of air pollution control devices that work to remove particulates or gases from industrial exhaust streams. At a broad scope, there are two types of scrubbers: wet scrubbers and dry scrubbers, both are designed and used with the main goal of removing toxic, corrosive compounds in the exhaust gas.

Wet Scrubbers

Wet scrubber is the more popular option between the two and is used for cleaning air, fuel gas, or other gases. These scrubbers often use limestone solutions, but some situations may simply require water; it depends on the compounds being targeted. Corrosive gases such as hydrochloric acid (HCI) or ammonia (NH3) are removed well by wet scrubbers. This type of scrubber is also used for heat recovery from flue-gas condensation.

Dry Scrubbers

Dry or semi-dry scrubbers do not saturate flue gases, so they do not have a stack steam plume or wastewater maintenance aspect. Since these systems use no or little moisture, they are used for specific applications. This type of scrubber system is good to remove acid gases mainly from combustion sources. All dry scrubbing systems consist of a dry sorbent injection and a spray dryer absorber. These systems also often remove odorous or corrosive gases from wastewater treatment plants.

Upkeep Importance

One drawback of wet scrubbers, specifically, is the wastewater produced from expelling the unwanted contaminant from the gas and into water. This requires attention to detail when dealing with the wastewater to ensure no safety issues arise. Some byproducts can be repurposed into things such as the material used to manufacture drywall. This material is called gypsum and could be turned into different construction materials.

Additionally, if scrubbers are poorly maintained, there is a potential for extreme safety concerns. Inadequate cleaning or system neglect could lead to bacteria spread with health issues for surrounding communities. Given the nature of the pollutants being removed through the FGD process, it’s important to keep up with system maintenance and act on any issues that may arise as soon as possible. Scrubbers are also important for factories and plants to meet federal regulations, so operating at optimal performance is essential.

Remove the risk of running into issues and check that your scrubber system is operating efficiently regularly. For any operating or efficiency issues, call IA Mechanical. No job is too big or complex for us. We prioritize fast and quality service because we know that time means money for your business.