Webinar on September 8th is more than just NOx control for
PacifiCorp
September 8th will be the fifth webinar for PacifiCorp. Why
would McIlvaine provide all this free service to a power plant? The answer is
simple. McIlvaine hopes this will demonstrate that the air pollution control
industry does have new and better solutions. Furthermore, we want to
create recognition by the end user that new technologies or new combinations of
existing technologies may be the best choice for the next project.
International suppliers with strong engineering, innovative attitudes and the
willingness to keep improving their products will thrive. Profit margins
will be high and local companies in countries around the world will not be
serious competition.
McIlvaine happened to be at the right place at the right time and his company,
Environeering, with funding from Combustion Engineering, developed the first
commercial limestone scrubber. Within a few years Environeeering had developed
several new generations of scrubbers including the ultimate encapsulation design
where the entire gas stream is converted to bubbles and the duct used to soak up
the contaminants. Environeering was sold to a power plant boiler and
system supplier who promptly shut down all the research. Environeering
teamed with United Engineers and based on Environeering pulp mill scrubber
systems installed a two-stage scrubber system at Philadelphia Electric Eddystone.
The HCl and particulate were captured in the first stage and the SO2
converted to magnesium sulfite in the second stage. The successful
Eddystone installation was followed by units at Cromby all of which operated for
decades.
McIlvaine is quite confident that a version of the Philadelphia Electric design
with modifications made by incinerator scrubber system companies in Europe will
result in the best way to manufacture rare earths.
HCl Scrubbing and Rare Earth Recovery from
Coal-Fired Power Plants and Gasifiers are the Perfect Marriage.
The potential profit and growth for a company who is first on the block to
supply these systems is huge.
The PacifiCorp NOx reduction project is ideal as a way to demonstrate
the power of the approach. It is large ($700 million with 4 x 350 MW
boilers). It involves marrying a large number of technologies in the front
and back end. The conventional approach to install SCR would be very
expensive for old power plants with limited expected lifetime. Most of the
new ideas that are being generated are going to be ultimately rejected. At
first, the most attractive new concept was catalytic bags. The new
FLSmidth 33 ft. long catalytic bags would just replace the existing bags.
SBS or hydrated lime would eliminate the ABS buildup. However, it now
seems that the low temperature and SO3 formation around the catalyst
particles will be a problem. So this option is being taken off the table.
On the other hand, a catalyst supplier thinks he has the answer and so possibly
a test bag or two can be tried soon.
H2O2 to create NO2 ahead of the scrubber
initially seemed to be a viable option. But, apparently the NO2
is not as soluble as the N2O5 created by ozone. But what
about combining H2O2, a cheap reagent, with ozone.
Maybe it is a bad idea. But for every 20 ideas there may be one good one.
Combining existing and developing technologies is probably going to be the only
alternative to SCR. The optimization approaches of GE, Siemens, Emerson
and Doosan promise some significant NOx removal. Combustion
modifications and SNCR could additionally supply enough reduction so that ozone
injection ahead of the existing scrubbers will further reduce NOx to
0.06 lbs./MMBtu. Innovations such as combining H2O2
and urea as a reductant could also be beneficial. This is being discussed on
September 1 and will be revisited on September 8.
There is a fair chance that the series of webinars will lead to a solution for
PacifiCorp which is unique and represents an advancement of technologies.
This receptive approach will create a profit generating opportunity to those
suppliers who are on the cutting edge.
Click here to Register for the Webinars
The Catalytic Filter will have a Major Impact on the Fabric Filter, Scrubber,
Precipitator, NOx and FGD Markets
The catalytic filter has the potential to change air pollution markets in a
major way. Catalytic filters remove both NOx and particulate in one
device. Over the last 10 years they have slowly gained acceptance in many small
applications. The first large scale commercial installation in a cement
plant is undergoing testing. Coal-fired power plants are now evaluating
this technology for some near-term large projects. Because the catalytic
filter can be used in conjunction with direct sorbent injection, it can remove
the acid gases, NOx, and fine particulate. It can operate at
350oF with long fiberglass bags or at 850oF with shorter
ceramic fiber bags. By combining three pollution control devices into one, a
large power plant could save more than $200 million in up front capital
expenditures.
Market |
Current Revenues $ Billions |
Potential Impact % |
Type of Impact
(positive +, negative -) |
Fabric Filter |
13 |
60 |
+ |
NOx Control |
18 |
50 |
- |
FGD (Power) |
3 |
40 |
- |
Scrubber (Industrial) |
7 |
20 |
- |
Precipitator |
6 |
20 |
- |
Heat Recovery |
10 |
50 |
+ - |
It is early in the growth cycle so it is unclear who will be the big winners and
losers. Fabric filter system suppliers such as FLSmidth can capture the lion’s
share of the revenue. On the other hand, the catalyst suppliers such as
Haldor Topsoe can play either a minor or major role. System suppliers such
as Mitsubishi/Hitachi can also seize the opportunity. So far the most active
participants have been the Filtration Group, Tri-Mer, FLSmidth and Haldor
Topsoe.
Both industrial scrubbers and power plant flue gas desulfurization (FGD)
markets will be impacted. The lower capital cost of the catalytic filter with
direct sorbent injection will have to be weighed against salable byproducts such
as gypsum. The negative aspect of the DSI/catalytic filter is the mixture
of dust and sulfates. In general, the large power plants with a likely
buyer of wallboard quality gypsum will want to stick with the present wet FGD.
However, suppliers of dry FGD systems could see their market disappear.
One of the biggest impacts will be on heat recovery. If the conventional
air pre-heater suppliers were to deal with clean hot 850oF gas, they
could redesign their units to eliminate most of the air in leakage and can also
offer economical designs to extract most of the rest of the heat in the flue
gas. Reducing the outlet temperature to 150oF instead of 350oF would
improve power plant efficiency by as much as 2 percent.
Each of the McIlvaine market reports is evaluating the impact of this new
technology. Also the Power Plant and other Decision Guides for end users
are providing intensive coverage of the technical developments.
2ABC
Scrubber/Adsorber/Biofilter Knowledge Systems
3ABC FGD
and DeNOx Knowledge Systems
4ABC
Electrostatic Precipitator Knowledge Systems
44I Power
Plant Air Quality Decisions
Yes, Landfill Gas Engines Will Produce More Poison Ivy but also More Tomatoes
A New York Times article warns of the impending growth of poison ivy.
Yes, but this fertilization effect of CO2 has been put to good use by
thousands of greenhouses around the world. GE, Cummins and other engine
manufacturers are actively pursuing CHP projects which provide greenhouses with
electricity, heat, light and CO2. Is it better to increase the
production of tomatoes or retard the growth of poison ivy?
The Southcoast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) struggled with this
question in the recent analysis of the 1110.2 biogas emission amendment. The
question is whether landfill gas engines would be a better choice than just
flaring. The Beverly Hills estate owner who can easily buy whatever
tomatoes are desired but is struggling to keep poison ivy under control will
have a completely different value judgment than a starving child in Sudan.
Should SCAQMD prioritize the desires of its residents above those of the
starving people in the world? The answer is “Yes.” But this does not mean
that every government in the world should reflect the values of SCAQMD
residents.
There is a broader implication which greatly affects the market for
reciprocating engines. These engines contribute to the increase of CO2
in the world. A recent study by a number of collaborating universities now
supports the long held theory that the earth is growing greener. Other
studies have estimated that the increase in crop value is in the $billions and
possibly even the $trillions. Many engines are being purchased by developing
countries to provide critical power and, in turn, save lives and increase the
welfare of the residents.
Decisions about the environmental impacts of these initiatives are being made on
a simplistic basis. Engine manufacturers should support a more complex
analysis which better represents the true desires of citizens. The three key
analysis elements are (1) quality of life, (2) tribal values and (3) discounted
future. The evaluation should not be based on the standard life quantity
guide but on life quality. The highest honor gold medal goes to the soldiers who
sacrificed decades of life quantity for one heroic life quality moment.
The tribal value question is put to rest by the fact that no government provides
more than a tiny fraction of a percent of GDP for foreign aid. The SCAQMD biogas
analysis reflects the values of the district. It points out that the CO2
from flaring and the biogas engine are the same but that organic emissions could
be higher with the engine option. Since the SCAQMD residents are the ones
primarily impacted by the organic emissions, there is a tribal consideration
which is contrasted to the CO2 which is global.
The analysis further points out that the potential lost electricity with the
flaring is not consequential because the electricity furnished in the district
is efficient and green. By contrast, the starving Sudanese child lives in a
district without any electricity. The potential to convert flared gas into
electricity has enormous benefits to the child and other residents of the
district.
The third element is the discount rate for future values. The parents of the
Sudanese child and the wealthy grandfather setting up trusts are discounting
future values at greatly different rates. The value of one more tomato
today vs. one 50 years from now to the wealthy grandchild and the Sudanese child
is very different. This discount rate is at the heart of the controversy between
the Chinese government and international environmentalists. China has a program
which will convert large amounts of coal to clean gas. Sinopec is building a $20
billion pipeline to distribute this gas throughout China. Many engines will be
required to drive the thousands of compressors in the pipeline. The gas will
replace solid fuels burned in many residences. China believes that this cheap
gas supply will result in eliminating the severe smog problem. The health of
Chinese citizens today is being prioritized over worldwide health consequences
fifty years from now.
There is no simplistic answer in choosing between poison ivy and tomatoes. The
world deserves the more complex analysis explained at
Sustainability Universal Rating System.
Details on the technical, commercial, and application information on the use of
engines for greenhouses, pipelines, compressors, data centers and wastewater
plants is available through a service described at GTRE Decisions.
The markets, regulations and competitive information is in a program described
at 59EI
Gas Turbine and Combined Cycle Supplier Program
Utility E-Alert Tracks Billions of Dollars of New Coal-fired Power Plants on a
Weekly Basis
Here are some headlines from the Utility E-Alert.
UTILITY E-ALERT
#1287 – August 26, 2016
Table of Contents
COAL – US
GASIFICATION
COAL
– WORLD
The
41F Utility E-Alert
is issued weekly and covers the coal-fired projects, regulations and other
information important to the suppliers. It is $950/yr. but is included in the
$3020
42EI Utility Tracking System
which has data on every plant and project plus networking directories and many
other features.
Upcoming Hot Topic Hours
DATE |
HOT TOPIC HOUR
AND DECISION
GUIDE SCHEDULE
The opportunity
to interact on
important issues |
September 1, 2016 |
PacifiCorp Webinar 4 on back end
NOx removal
- Review of options from webinar
3 to determine suitability of
catalytic filters, Sorbocal
injection for ABS control, H202
with SNCR, in duct catalyst,
raising air heater temperature
and fan adjustments. |
September 8, 2016 |
PacifiCorp Webinar 5 on front
end NOx reduction
- Review of options for NOx
reduction including combustion
modifications, reburn, SNCR, and
optimization with review of
previous presentations of
Emerson, Doosan, Siemens and GE.
A number of case histories, now
being posted to PPAQD, will also
be reviewed. Summaries of phone
calls to end users may also be
included. |
TBA
Markets |
Food
- Analysis
of 12 separate
applications within food and
beverage with analysis of valve,
pump, compressor, filter,
analyzer and chemical options;
impact of new technologies such
as forward osmosis. |
TBA
Markets |
Municipal Wastewater
-
Quality of pumps, valves,
filters, and analyzers in
Chinese and Asian plants; new
pollutant challenges; water
purification for reuse. |
TBA
Markets |
Mobile Emissions
-Reduction
in CO, VOCs, and particulate in
fuels, oils, and air used in on
and off road vehicles; impact of
RDE and failure of NOx
traps and the crisis in Europe
created by the focus on clean
diesel. |
Click here to Register for the Webinars
----------
You can register for our free McIlvaine Newsletters at:
http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php?option=com_rsform&formId=5.
Bob McIlvaine
President
847-784-0012 ext. 112
rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com
www.mcilvainecompany.com