Simple Design of Monolith Reactor for Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO for Power Plant Emission Control

Theoretical and experimental results are presented for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO by NH₃in the monolithic honeycomb reactor under power plant conditions. Both unpoisoned V₂O₅/TiO₂and alkali poison-doped catalysts are used. A simple analytic solution is given that expresses the overall NO conversion as an explicit function of space velocity and other parameters. Explicit solutions are also given for the NO concentration profile within the honeycomb walls and for the effectiveness factor. A good agreement between experiment and theory is obtained. The theoretical solution also provides insight into the relative importance of the diffusion and reaction steps, as well as a guide for optimal monolith design for SCR.