Hot Topic Hour May 16 was Automation, Instrumentation and Electric Power Highlights

A summary of the Electric Power show is provided along with pictures of some of the stands. These pictures are displayed at the end of this Alert.

A mercury re-emission prevention chemical called KleeNscrub was described by Mark Keffer of EES. KLeeNscrub

• Is a high efficiency organosulfide that removes >99 percent of Hg from scrubber solution preventing re-emission.

• Captures and remediates additional metals such as lead, copper, thallium, cobalt, cadmium, nickel, zinc, iron, silver and tin.

• Forms large polysulfide particles for easy removal in absorber solids and stable enough for TCLP or wallboard processing.

• Reagent is cost effective, non-corrosive, non-hazardous and made in the USA.

• Application equipment is low cost and easily maintained.

The fact that it grows the particles large enough to be removed in hydrocyclones means that not only the mercury but other heavy metals do not reach the FGD wastewater stream.

Nicholas Ferri, Co-founder of Combustion Technologies Corporation, described instrumentation used to perform continuous Fuel/Air trim on coal-fired power boilers and the benefits of an online extractive CO/O₂ grid. These benefits include:

§  Reduced emissions

§  Improved efficiency

§  Reduced (SCR) ammonia consumption

§  Reduced LOI

§  Reduced pulverizer wear

§  Reduced wear on coal yard equipment

§  Reduced boiler tube and non-pressure part erosion due to lower flue gas velocities. Less fan required.

§  Improved ESP performance due to lower flue gas velocities

§  Reduced potential for slagging and fouling events

§  Improved pressure part life due to improved temperature profile

§  Reduced ash disposal costs

§  Reduced boiler tube failures due to reducing atmospheres

Subsequent to these two presentations, Bob McIlvaine covered some of the highlights from the exhibit floor. Yantai Longyuan Power Technology Co. Ltd (China Guodian) has a plasma igniter which allows a coal-fired power plant to start with coal rather than oil. There are economic as well as environmental savings. Tony Niu indicated that more than 600 coal-fired boilers in China, as well as boilers in other companies, are using this igniter. (See Power Plant Decisions for details.)

Wärtsilä gas engines can achieve 46 percent efficiency and start quickly, according to Dan Shelledy, Business Development Manager. More than 10,000 engines are providing 52,000 MW of electrical capacity. Fuel flexibility is another advantage (see power points in Power Plant Decisions).

Dustex has been actively selling fabric filter systems to biomass-fired power plants. Following are two installations:

NO_x reductions via overfire air modifications can be significant, according to Brian King of  Power and Industrial Service. Increasingly stringent NO_x regulations have resulted in the design and installation of many OFA systems. Some of these systems were not optimally designed and the results of these installations are higher than necessary NO_x and CO emissions and operating boiler O₂. Through sound engineering practices and observations, OFA modifications can result in significant combustion improvement and a reduction in NO_x and CO Emissions (a case history covering improvements at SMEC is included in Power Plant Decisions).

A sonar array-based, non-invasive flow meter that provides accurate and repeatable flow

measurements of highly abrasive gypsum slurry on  scrubber lines at  coal-fired power plants was explained by Bob Markoja of CiDRA. He described one plant where the customer chose the SONARtrac system because of its excellent performance and cost savings. The customer was able to have critical, accurate flow measurements despite the highly erosive nature of the fluid. Simply clamping the system on to the outside of the pipe, the customer was also able to save money by avoiding costs associated with FRP pipe cutting and flanging, process shut downs and invasive installations. The fact that the SONARtrac system has no flanges or moving parts also decreased the customer’s risks of potential leak points and wear. In addition to flow control, the customer uses the repeatable flow measurement for preventative maintenance to identify increases and decreases in flow which can be caused by problems such as broken or plugged nozzles on deck wash lines. (See coverage in Power Plant Decisions).

Venturi flow meters for liquids and gases was the subject of a discussion with Kenneth Fountain and Darrell Barnes of Primary Flow Signal. The HVT Venturi is available in a variety of configurations, including a cast iron pressure vessel, fabricated (welded) metal pressure vessel, plastic insert style, welded insert, and welded-in pressure vessel. Additionally, the HVT Venturi is offered cast in place, usually concrete and typically rectangular, depending upon application requirements, for applications requiring line size from 1.0” through 180”. Claimed benefits are:

• Highest accuracy and reliability
• Long service life (up to 15 year warranty)
• Low permanent pressure loss
• Low installed cost
• Custom designed for specific application

Pressure/differential transmitters with new sensor technology and a new Vortex flow meter for stable measurement were discussed with Evan Shuttlesworth, Ryan McSherry and Scott Stewart of Yokogawa. The DPharp series of digital pressure transmitters use a differential pressure high accuracy resonance (DPharp) sensor that represents advances in transmitter technology.

  

They employ a new and improved multi-sensing technology that is said to provide the highest level of performance and precision in the market. Claimed benefits are safety at no extra cost and field-proven reliability. EJX transmitters are multi-sensing enabled, while the new EJX910A is also a multi-variable transmitter able to measure the process temperature and deliver a mass flow output.

The new digital YEWFLO vortex flowmeter offers a unique signal processing technique that extends the features of digital Signal processing (DSP). The advanced processing algorithms are known as Spectral Signal Processing (SSP). SSP analyzes the vortex waveform into its spectral components to filter noise from signal for the most stable measurement possible. Jeff Rainey and Fred Zapico of Yokogawa discussed the YHC5150X FieldMate Handheld Communicator.

It is the latest HART^® Communicator from Yokogawa. All HART^® field devices can be configured, polled, and trimmed utilizing a Windows Embedded CE™ based system for faster processing and greater storage capacity. All options are standard and no subscription is required. The YHC5150X is a full function, DD Direct, HART^® Communicator supporting universal, common practice, and device specific commands for commissioning, configuration, and maintenance operations. Benefits include:

§  Reads manufacturers' Device Descriptions ( DDs) in their native format without the need for translations

§  HART^®-compliant modem communicates with any registered or unregistered HART^® Device

§  Features an ergonomic, handheld design

§  Enhanced 4.3" diagonal anti-glare touchscreen with color graphic display (no stylus required)

§  Full QWERTY keyboard for commissioning new transmitters

§  On-Demand Help Menus and teachable device-specific short cuts

§  More than twice the battery capacity of any handheld communicator

§  Manage device information through PC connection

§  Integrated multi-language support

Here are some of the pictures taken in the exhibit hall. Others will be posted in the Global Decisions Orchard in the coming weeks.

Above, Environmental Energy Services, Inc., from left, Richard Nowak, President and Mark Keffer, Sales Manager

Above, Wartsila, from left, Dan Shelledy, Business Development Manager and Fernando J. Matos, Marketing Specialist

Above, CiDRA Corporate Services, Bob Markoja, Senior Technical Sales

Above, National Steel City, LLC, Craig B. Martin, Vice President of Sales

Above, Primary Flow Signal, Inc., from left, Kenneth P. Fountain, Business Development Manager-Power & OEM Markets and Darrell Barnes, National Sales Manager-Power & OEM Markets

Above, Xylem, James D. Peterson, Segment Manager, Large Pumps-Americas, Water Solutions

Above, Mitsubishi Power Systems, from left, Robert McGinty, Senior Manager, Business Development, SCR NO_x Control Systems, Sharon Prater, Marketing Analyst and Richard P. Kern, Regional Sales Director, Mid-Atlantic States & Eastern Midwest Region

Above, Yokogawa, E. Scott Stewart, Regional Sales Manager – Central Region, Field Instruments Business Unit, North America

Above, Yokogawa, Ryan McSherry, Analytical Product Specialist

Above, Yokogawa, Evan Shuttlesworth, Application Engineer Transmitters, Measurement & Control, North America

Above, Yokogawa, from left, Fred C. Zapico, Product Marketing, International Sales, North America and Jeff Rainey, Regional Sales Manager, Meters and Instruments Division, North America.

Above, Power & Industrial, from left, Rick Vano, Kyle Heiser, Brian M. King, P.E. and G. Kurt Miller.

Bios, Abstracts and Photos can be seen at:  BIOS, PHOTOS, ABSTRACTS - 5-16-13.htm

The individual presentations are as follows:

• Power Plant Automation and Control Webinar - Hot Topic Hour May 16, 2013

• Case History of SMEC by Brian King, Power and Industrial Service

• Instrumentation used to perform continuous Fuel/Air Trim on Coal-fired Power Boilers,by Nicholas Ferri, Combustion Technologies - Hot Topic Hour May 16, 2013

• Plasma Igniter by Tony Niu, Yantai Power Technology (China Guodian) - Hot Topic Hour May 16, 2013

• KLeeNscrub Mercury Precipitant by Mark Keffer, EES - Hot Topic Hour May 16, 2013

• Smart Power Generation by Dan Shelledy, Wärtsilä - Hot Topic Hour May 16, 2013

• SONARtrac System by Bob Markoja of CiDRA - Hot Topic Hour May 16, 2013