Wet Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) is an effective way to remove sulfur dioxide from coal combustion processes and reduce the potential for acid rain. However, wet FGD processes often require highly corrosion resistant construction materials such as high alloys for adequate service life. An excellent material for wet FGD applications at about one half the cost of high alloys is fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) based on epoxy vinyl ester resin. This paper will discuss the background and improvements that have led to the use of some of the world’s largest composite structures in FGD service.
Keywords: corrosion, epoxy vinyl ester resin, desulfurization, fiberglass-reinforced, flue gas, high nickel alloy, plastic, polyester, reinforced thermoset plastic, resin, vinyl ester resin