Advanced Coal Combustion is Hot Topic Hour on April 29, 2010 at 10 a.m. CDT
Despite the best efforts of environmentalists, the push for renewable sources of energy and all of the increasingly onerous federal regulations, it is a relative certainty that coal will continue to provide about half of this countries power for the next 15 to 20 years. The challenge for the power generation industry will be to develop methods to continue burning coal while reducing emissions of sulfur, nitrogen, mercury and fine particulates. While there are technologies available or under development to reduce emissions of these pollutants, they are expensive and getting even more so as the allowable emissions levels continue to ratchet down. GHG regulations present an even greater challenge. The assumed solution for GHG regulation, carbon capture and sequestration is very expensive and poses all sorts of legal and technical problems so that it may be 20 years or more before it is broadly utilized.
The best solution to this problem may be to learn to combust coal cleanly without producing large amounts of pollutants that need to be removed from the stack gases and more efficiently so that the amount of CO2 emitted per kWh than under current conditions. Fortunately, there are technology developments in progress that will significantly improve the performance and economics of coal combustion in the relatively near future. Among these key technologies are:
· CFB technology which can provide very low emissions levels and the capability to burn a wide range of fuels;
· Oxy-Fuel coal combustion which provides near zero emissions of coal combustion products with improved efficiency;
· Ultra-Super Critical Combustion, Ultra-Supercritical PC Boiler, Advanced Ultra-Supercritical Compression Boiler and Ultra-Supercritical Circulating Fluid Bed Boiler technology all of which greatly improve the efficiency of coal combustion;
· Coal to gas or coal to hydrogen which many people believe will be the key technology for future generations of clean coal combustions plants;
· IGCC which is generally more expensive than other technologies but may be more competitive and the technology of choice if CCS is required; and
· Pre-Combustion Coal Cleaning and Upgrading Treatment Technologies which remove pollutants before combustion in most any type of boiler
The following speakers will discuss their experience with the clean coal technologies and equipment available now and the ongoing research, development and future commercialization of advanced coal combustion technology that will allow coal to provide a low-cost, widely available energy source to meet our nation’s needs for the next 20 years and beyond.
Keith Moore, President of Castle Light PR Corp - The Clean Combustion System (CCS) offered by Castle Light PR Corp. is a hybrid of coal-gasification and over-fire air integrated with the boiler furnace. The CCS is embodied as an entrained-flow coal-gasifier, firing pulverized coal with limestone added to provide calcium for sulfur capture (the only “chemical” required). The process also prevents formation of nitrogen-oxides (NOx) resulting in strong control of both SO2 and NOx right in the combustion step. The coal gasification products exit into the boiler furnace where combustion is completed at high efficiency with over-fire air.
Richard Axelbaum, Ph.D., Director of the Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization and Professor of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering at Washington University in Saint Louis will discuss oxy-coal combustion. Oxy-coal combustion holds promise for power generation with near-zero emissions. This technology involves removal of nitrogen from air and then combustion of coal in oxygen and recycled flue gas, leading to a concentrated stream of carbon dioxide that can be sequestered. His presentation will describe the technology, the international efforts that are underway to develop it, and how it compares to other approaches to carbon capture.
Sean Black, Business Development Director, Carbon Reduction at Doosan Babcock Energy America LLC will discuss the competitive post and oxy combustion technologies for application on coal and natural gas-fired power plants Doosan Power Systems is developing for commercialization by 2020. His presentation will discuss Doosan Power Systems' development program and summarize the key projects that support the commercialization of these technologies.
Sam Scupham of Black & Veatch Energy will provide an overview of current coal combustion and coal plant technologies to give perspective to the current state of coal plant permitting and project development. Topics may include boiler, steam turbine, carbon capture and AQCS as they relate to the environmental footprint of coal plants.
Doug Hague - Director, President and CEO of Clean Coal Technologies, Inc. will discuss the CCTI patented multi-stage process that transforms coal with high levels of impurities, contaminants and other polluting elements into an exceptionally efficient, clean and inexpensive source of high energy, low polluting fuel.
To register for the "Hot Topic Hour" on April 29, 2010 at 10 a.m. CDT (Chicago time), click on: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/FGDnetoppbroch/Default1.htm
Bob McIlvaine
President
847 784 0012 ext 112