BACKGROUNDWet flue gas desulfurization combined with ozone is a promising technology which could remove NOx effectively. However, there are few reports focusing on simulations of the absorption process of NO2 in a spray tower. A computational fluid dynamics model including chemical absorption was developed to simulate the absorption process of NO2. Simulations of different cases were executed to explore the influences of operating conditions. RESULTSThe errors between predicted and experimental values were less than 5% under different operating conditions and the model had depicted the tendency very well. For instance, an increase in L/G from 11 to 16 resulted in the growth of from 90.9% to 96.3%. When the solution concentration raised from 0.025molL(-1) to 0.0875molL(-1) could result in an increase of from 89.1% to 98.6%. CONCLUSIONThe model developed in the present work was effective in determining the operating parameters of the spray tower for NO2 absorption, which could be utilized for the design and optimization of industrial apparatus. Moreover, the model can also evaluate the best positions of the spraying nozzles, the distance between the spray levels and other parameters for industrial application. (c) 2015 Society of Chemical Industry