Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) plants were built installed at the end of the 80"s in Western Europe and at the beginning of the 90"s in Eastern Europe. The limestone process is the most common technology in these plants. More than 85% of these plants were protected with rubber linings either in the
absorber itself or/ and in the circulation pipes. These linings have been proven successfully over many years. The experiences gained from these plants now extend to more than 10 years in lignite power plants and 17 years in hard coal plants with rubber linings. This paper will give an overview of the lifetimes of such rubber linings in circulation pipes, the test procedures and the costs for relining.