Patent ID: 7837962

Claim:
A method of reducing particulate matter and mercury emissions in a combustion flue gas emitted from a combustion unit, said method comprising: combusting a fuel resulting in generation of a flue gas flow, the flue gas flow comprising mercury and carbon-containing fly ash particles; cooling the flue gas flow within a duct; positioning a flow conditioning apparatus within the duct, wherein the flow conditioning apparatus includes a plurality of vanes within the duct; enhancing a reaction rate of the mercury and carbon-containing fly ash particles by directing the flue gas flow through the flow conditioning apparatus to mix the carbon-containing fly ash particles and mercury within the flue gas flow and facilitate at least one of oxidation of the mercury and binding the mercury to the carbon-containing fly ash particles; collecting a portion of the carbon-containing fly ash particles in the flow conditioning apparatus; and directing the flue gas flow to a particulate collection device to remove the remaining portion of the fly ash particles from flue gas flow.