Sulfur dioxide scrubber with hydroclone separator

Claim 1

Apparatus for removing sulfur dioxide from flue gas comprising: a quencher-absorber tower; a flue gas quencher; and a flue gas scrubber serially mounted in said tower; a flue gas inlet for said tower in communication with said flue gas quencher; gas outlet means for said tower in communication with the flue gas scrubber; means for serially passing the flue gas first through the quencher and then through the scrubber; an alkali reagent water slurry; means for serially contacting the gas first in the quencher and then in the scrubber with the alkali/water slurry; dewatering means for a portion of the partially spent alkali reagent water slurry; said dewatering means comprising a hydroclone, a tangential inlet at the upper end of the hydroclone, a bottom outlet for discharging heavy particles from the hydroclone, a vortex finder mounted in the upper end of the hydroclone forming the light fraction discharge from the hydroclone, a slurry feed control valve for the tangential inlet, a heavy particle control valve for the bottom outlet and means for directing the lighter fraction discharged from the hydroclone into the alkali/water slurry for the gas quencher.