Conversion equipment for flue gas desulfurization systems and methods of converting calcium-based flue gas desulfurization systems

A method of converting an existing calcium-based flue gas desulfurization (FGD) system to an ammonia-based FGD system, the existing calcium-based FGD system includes a reagent system for preparation of a calcium-based reagent, an absorber system that includes an absorber tower that uses a calcium-based slurry to remove sulfur dioxide from a flue gas and has an upper portion in which the calcium-based slurry is introduced into the absorber tower and has a reaction tank located at a lower end of the absorber tower and in which a reaction occurs between the calcium-based reagent and the sulfur dioxide absorbed by the calcium-based slurry to produce a calcium-based byproduct, and a dewatering system for drying the calcium-based slurry to isolate the calcium-based byproduct therefrom, the method comprising:

• modifying the reagent system to be capable of delivering an ammonia-based reagent to the absorber system rather than the calcium-based reagent, wherein the reagent system of the existing calcium-based FGD system comprises one or more equipment and piping connecting the one or more equipment, and the step of modifying the reagent system comprises replacing the one or more equipment with at least an ammonia storage tank;
• and
• modifying the absorber system while reusing the upper portion of the absorber tower thereof by replacing the reaction tank with a larger replacement reaction tank and/or fluidically coupling an external reaction tank to the reaction tank to equip the absorber system with an increased reactive capacity.