·        “HRSG Design, Operation and Maintenance Considerations” is “Hot Topic Hour” on Thursday, March 7, 2013

·        McIlvaine Hot Topic Hour Registration

·        Headlines for the February 22, 2013 – Utility E-Alert 

·        China is the Leading Purchaser of Air Pollution Control Equipment

·        Scrubber Revenues to Approach $6.9 Billion in 2014

·        Offshore Wind Makes Steady Progress

“HRSG Design, Operation and Maintenance Considerations” is “Hot Topic Hour” on March 7, 2013

Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSGs) are a tool to improve the efficiency of any combustion process in any industry and, consequently, reduce pollutant and GHG emissions per unit of energy produced. HRSGs use the waste heat in the exhaust to produce additional steam to drive a steam turbine for power generation, provide heat for facilities, provide steam or heat for industrial processes and even produce water by desalinization. HRSGs are available from many manufacturers in a wide variety of shapes, designs, configurations, arrangements and capacities to suit every application. Available types include, but are not limited to, vertical or horizontal gas flow, single, dual and triple pressure with reheat, fired and unfired, modular or packaged. The question for every operator of a combustion process who is considering adding a HRSG and for the purchaser or designer of a new combustion plant is- Which HRSG design is best for my plant and what are the key criteria I need to consider when specifying a HRSG?

HRSGs can pose unique operational challenges based on the application. For example, when used with gas turbine exhaust in combined cycle operations, rapid startup requirements and subsequent thermal stresses can cause more frequent tube failures; when used with heavy oil-fired engines or boilers, the carbon in the exhaust can cause fouling or coating of the tubes; plastics in waste incinerators can also cause fouling; and when used with coal-fired boilers, the contaminants in the exhaust gases as well as the particulate load can cause problems. In addition, the challenges or potential problems can change when operating conditions such as load on a power generator, heating demand, fuel used in the primary combustion process or even ambient conditions change. Since it is difficult for plant owners and operators to predict future operating requirements and conditions, a HRSG that can accommodate a wide variety of conditions while maintaining efficient, cost-effective operation can be valuable.

The following speakers will address the issues related to the design, installation, operation and maintenance of HRSGs for various applications, provide suggestions for reducing acquisition, installation, operation and maintenance costs while improving efficiency and update us on new technology or designs under development to improve the performance and reliability of HRSGs.

John DiVitto, Business Development Manager and Melvin J. Albrecht, Technical Fellow at Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group, Inc., will discuss key issues in the design of HRSGs. Many new combined cycle projects being developed will require the plant to respond quickly to load demands. This includes the need for fast start-up and fast load changes.  During this Hot Topic Hour, we will discuss key considerations in the design of the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) required to minimize long-term damage to the pressure part resulting from these difficult operating conditions.

Ati Manay, PMP, P.E. Product Manager, SMART Clean at Clyde Bergemann, Inc./ Power Group Americas 

Landon Tessmer, Senior Sales and Proposal Engineer at IST, will present "Once-Through HRSG Design, Operation, and Maintenance Considerations for Flexible Operation and Long Life."  The Once-Through Steam Generator (OTSG) is a drumless HRSG that is smaller, more flexible, and simpler than a traditional HRSG. The unit is designed with high-nickel alloy tubes that allow the OTSG to operate dry without the use of a bypass stack.  With zero blowdown, OTSG water treatment is the primary operational concern to ensure the highest reliability and longest life.

 Jake Holvey, Manager of Field Services at Vogt Power International Inc.

To register for the March 7, 2013 “Hot Topic Hour” at 10 a.m. Central time, click on:

http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/hot_topic_hour_registration.htm.

McIlvaine Hot Topic Hour Registration

On Thursday at 10 a.m. Central time, McIlvaine hosts a 90 minute web meeting on important energy and pollution control subjects. Power webinars are free for subscribers to either Power Plant Air Quality Decisions or Utility Environmental Upgrade Tracking System. The cost is $125.00 for non-subscribers. Market Intelligence webinars are free to McIlvaine market report subscribers and are $400.00 for non-subscribers.

To register for the Hot Topic Hour, click on:

http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/hot_topic_hour_registration.htm.

Headlines for the February 22, 2013 – Utility E-Alert   

UTILITY E-ALERT

#1113– February 22, 2013  

Table of Contents 

COAL – US

• San Juan will shutter Two Units, Retrofit SNCR on the Other Two
• 1200 White Stallion Power Project in Texas Cancelled
• Minnesota Power has cut Mercury Emissions by 90 Percent, but 90 Percent of Deposited Mercury comes from Sources outside the State
• Navajo Nation agrees to extend Lease for Navajo Power Plant
• Calgon Carbon awarded Contract to Supply FLUEPAC^®

COAL – WORLD

• NTPC to float Rs 14,000-cr Tenders for 1,980 MW Project in Jharkhand, India
• J&K seeking Coal Block to generate 1,000 MW in Jammu and Kashmir State of India
• NTPC to pull out from its 500 MW Power Project in Sri Lanka
• Emerson upgrades Automation for 800 MW Unit at Surgut-2 in Russia
• EGAT to push for Development of Coal-fired Power Plants in Thailand
• NTPL secures Funding for 1000 MW Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu, India
• Aboitiz Power could build 300 MW Power Plant in Cebu, Philippines; GN Power a 175 MW Power Plant in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte
• 500 MW Sampur, Trincomalee (Sri Lanka) Power Plant proceeding
• 2000 MW Polnoc Power Plant in Poland proceeding
• Kibo Mining proposes 250-350 MW Power Plant at Rukwa, Tanzania
• Plasma System for Ignition at Kazakhstan Power Plant

GAS/OIL - US

• Siemens providing 103 MW Gas Turbine for Charles D. Lamb Power Plant
• 88 MW Heskett Peaking Power Plant will use GE Gas Turbine

GASIFICATION

• CA Valley Air District is OK with Hydrogen Energy California

NUCLEAR

• Kazakhstan signs up Japanese Nuclear Power Expertise
• Germany's Nuclear Phase Out could Cost $1.3 Trillion
• Dominion will retire 556 MW Kewaunee
• State Regulators approve Georgia Power’s Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant Costs

BUSINESS

• Coal-fired Power Plant Retirements will be Significant but Not a Dominant Factor in Future Capital Expenditures
• NO_x Control Market will be $5.5 Billion in 2014
• Lhoist North America Sorbacal Hydration Facility on Schedule for Ste. Genevieve Plant

HOT TOPIC HOUR

• “Monitoring and Controlling Boiler Water/Steam Cycle Chemistry” Hot Topic Hour, February 21, 2013
• “Implementation of the Utility MACT Rule” is Hot Topic Hour on Thursday, February 28, 2013
• Upcoming Hot Topic Hours

For more information on the Utility Environmental Upgrade Tracking System, click on: http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72

China is the Leading Purchaser of Air Pollution Control Equipment

China will lead the world in air pollution control (APC) investments.  In the next five years, China will spend $76 billion for APC equipment. On a purchasing parity basis (the cost in Europe or the U.S.), the value is $143 billion. This is the conclusion of the McIlvaine Company by aggregating the data in the six world market reports which McIlvaine publishes relative to air pollution control.

When you think of Beijing ambient air quality also think of Los Angeles.  Both areas are subject to unfavorable climatic conditions. Pollution tends to stagnate rather than be blown somewhere else. Los Angeles has spent more than any other city to obtain clean air, but its ambient air quality is not nearly as good as that of most U.S. cities.

The combination of poor climatic conditions and rapid industrialization have created a health threat which the Chinese have recognized and are highly focused on reducing the potential harm.

Labor rates in China are increasing. Certain components such as selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst are selling at close to world prices. However, in general, the Chinese are able to build and install air pollution systems at half the cost of the Europeans or the Americans.  Over the next five years, they will install APC systems with an equivalent value of $143 billion (purchasing parity basis).

The biggest category will be scrubbers.  Most of the scrubber investment will be in the power industry. However, the chemical, steel, mining, refining and other industries will also be purchasers. China will spend more on NO_x control with SCR than the rest of the world combined. China will also spend more for electrostatic precipitators than the rest of the world.

For more information on:

Air & Water Pollution Monitoring World Markets, click on: http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106extsup1.asp

Electrostatic Precipitators: World Market, click on:

http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php/component/content/article?id=48#no18

World Fabric Filter and Element Market, click on:

http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php/component/content/article?id=48#n021

FGD World Markets, click on:

http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48#n027

Scrubber/Adsorber/Biofilter World Markets, click on: 

http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php/component/content/article?id=48#n008

Thermal/Catalytic World Air Pollution Markets, click on:

http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php/component/content/article?id=48#n007

Scrubber Revenues to Approach $6.9 Billion in 2014

Expenditures for industrial (not power) scrubbers will be just under $6.9 billion in 2014. This is the latest forecast in the McIlvaine Scrubber/Adsorber/Biofilter World Markets.  (www.mcilvainecompany.com)

Scrubber Revenues ($ Millions)

This forecast does not include the flue gas desulfurization scrubbers used in power plants. These are included in a separate report because this application is large enough to equal all the other applications combined. The forecast does include scrubbers used in the iron and steel, pulp and paper, chemical, refining, mining and even those used for odor control at municipal wastewater plants.

The forecast includes absorbers used for acid gases, adsorbers with carbon or other media to adsorb gases or liquids, biofilters which utilize microorganisms to convert volatile organic compounds, dry scrubbers which use spray driers or fluid beds to absorb noxious gases, particulate scrubbers which take out particles from the air and a group of miscellaneous scrubbing types including condensation.

Asia is outspending the other regions.  This is due to the substantial industrial expansion taking place.  Steel and mining have been the most active applications. More recently, the construction of waste-to-energy plants and the expanded use of scrubbers in the chemical industry have changed the mix.

International suppliers account for only 40 percent of the market. Most of the market is served by in-country firms or those whose range is only a few countries. Most scrubbers are fabricated from steel plate. Therefore, scrubber manufacturers are more likely to be designers who subcontract the actual scrubber construction.  Many contracts include the scrubber wash water recycle and wastewater treatment processes along with the scrubber, fan, ductwork and stack.  Recovery and reuse of the scrubber wash water is generally an economic and environmental necessity.

For more information on Scrubber/Adsorber/Biofilter World Markets  http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php/component/content/article?id=48#n008

Offshore Wind Makes Steady Progress

While offshore wind farms are very popular in Europe they are just beginning to make headway in the United States. McIlvaine tracks these developments in Renewable Energy Projects and Update.

Massachusetts Approves Cape Wind/NSTAR Power Purchase Agreement

Cape Wind secured another major milestone with the approval by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) of the 15-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with NSTAR to buy Cape Wind’s energy, capacity and renewable energy credits.

The NSTAR /Cape Wind PPA is for 27.5 percent of Cape Wind’s power. In December, 2011, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court unanimously upheld the DPU’s approval of Cape Wind’s PPA with National Grid for 50 percent of Cape Wind’s power.

Theodore Roosevelt IV, Managing Director of Barclays and Cape Wind’s Financial Advisor said, “Taken together, these two PPAs provide Cape Wind with the critical mass to continue securing project financing.”

Successful Bidders in Northern Ireland Offshore Energy Leasing Rounds Announced

The Crown Estate announced the award of development rights for three offshore renewable energy sites in Northern Ireland's coastal waters.

This follows competitive tender processes over the last ten months that attracted significant interest from national and international renewable energy development companies.

The projects, which together could deliver 800 MW of electricity, comprise an area located off the south east coast of County Down for development of a 600 MW offshore wind farm and areas off the north east coast of County Antrim for two tidal stream projects each of up to 100 MW near to Torr Head and Fair Head.

All parties have now signed legal agreements with The Crown Estate, as they have responsibility for leasing the seabed for renewable energy in all UK waters. This will enable the companies to take their proposals forward and carry out detailed surveys and planning work before their proposals are submitted to the relevant Northern Ireland bodies for consent.

The companies who have been awarded rights to develop the offshore renewable energy opportunities in Northern Ireland are:

      First Flight Wind Limited for the 600 MW offshore wind area: a joint venture between Dong Energy of Denmark and RES-B9 (NI) Offshore Wind Limited, which combines the local wind development experience of Northern Ireland company B9 Energy with Renewable Energy Systems, part of the RES Group, an international renewable energy project developer.

      Tidal Ventures Limited for the 100 MW tidal opportunity at Torr Head:a joint venture between OpenHydro Group, a designer and manufacturer of tidal turbines, and Bord Gáis Energy one of Ireland's leading energy providers.

      DP Marine Energy Limited with DEME Blue Energy for their 100 MW tidal stream energy project off Fair Head: this project is a consortium comprising Cork based DP Marine Energy Limited and the Belgian marine engineering company DEME Blue Energy.

E.ON Names Newhaven Port as Operations and Maintenance Base for Proposed Rampion Offshore Wind Farm

E.ON has announced that Newhaven port would be the operations and maintenance base for its proposed Rampion Offshore Wind Farm if the development is granted approval.  The decision has been made following a rigorous technical assessment of both Newhaven and Shoreham Ports.

The move could create up to 85 full time permanent jobs with the majority being recruited locally.  It would also see part of Newhaven Port being modernized and redeveloped through E.ON's investment in the new facility, which would support the operation and maintenance of the proposed offshore wind farm.

The operations and maintenance base would contain office space, equipment storage and vessel mooring which would be used by a team dedicated to operating and maintaining the wind farm for the lifetime of the project1.  A separate planning application would need to be made to the local planning authority for the O&M site before the development could take place.

The proposed offshore wind farm, which would be located 13 km off the Sussex coast at its nearest point, could feature between 100 and 195 turbines depending on the model used.  The site could accommodate an installed electrical capacity of up to 700 MW, which E.ON estimates could generate enough electricity to supply the equivalent of around 450,000 homes.

Wood Group Awarded Multi-Million Pound Contract for Major UK Offshore Wind Farm

Wood Group has been awarded a £17 million management contract to fabricate, install, commission, operate and maintain two weather monitoring stations in one of the UK’s largest offshore wind farm developments off the Norfolk and Suffolk coast. The project will be delivered by the Wood Group Kenny business unit, including leading renewable energy consultancy SgurrEnergy. The masts will collect vital wind data that will be used to design the wind farm and estimate the long term energy production of the site.

SgurrEnergy will manage the supply, installation and commissioning of the full instrumentation, power and ancillary top side monitoring equipment using Carl C lattice tower met masts. Fabrication and offshore installation management of the monopile structure to support the equipment platform and tower met mast will be undertaken by Wood Group Kenny, applying its extensive offshore industry experience.

Fabrication of the meteorological (met) masts will start in November 2012 and installation in the East Anglia Offshore Wind Zone is planned for summer 2013. As part of the operation and maintenance contract Wood Group Kenny has already recruited four employees to fill key positions within the project.

Vattenfall and SWM Have Commissioned the Accommodation Platform for DanTysk Offshore Wind Farm

From 2014 onwards, quiet rooms with a shower, internet access and a TV will make everyday life more comfortable for the members of the DanTysk Wind Farm maintenance team — right in the middle of the harsh North Sea. Vattenfall and the Stadtwerke Munich have now commissioned the Schleswig-Holstein based company Nobiskrug, whose headquarters is in Rendsburg, to build the offshore accommodation platform. The platform will be built in the Abu Dhabi MAR dockyard Kiel. The beginning of construction work is scheduled for spring 2013; the platform should then be erected on the DanTysk wind farm 70 km from Sylt in autumn 2014. The platform will be able to cater for up to 50 people and will be in use 365 days a year.

The idea of housing service teams in living quarters directly on offshore wind farms has not been seen in Germany before. The idea originates from the oil and gas industries. As well as providing accommodation for the crew, the living quarters will include a catering complex, washing facilities, workshops, storage areas, offices and room for leisure activities. "Anyone who's experienced the harsh climate of the North Sea, with its strong winds and waves, will understand the importance of good working and living conditions for the maintenance teams on site. In Germany we're facing particular challenges because offshore wind farms are located up to 100 kilometers from the coast," explains Holger Grubel, head of the DanTysk project. "At these distances it simply isn't possible for crews to commute by ship every day. It would take too long to transfer crew members and the risk of some of them getting sea sick and being unable to work would be too high. The accommodation platform will be anchored on solid ground which means a safer and more comfortable environment for our teams," says Grubel.

In total there will be 80 wind turbines at the DanTysk wind farm, generating 288 MW of climate neutral electricity for around 400,000 households. Installation of the wind turbines at DanTysk is due to start in December 2012. The entire wind farm is planned to be up and running in 2014.

For more information on Renewable Energy Projects and Update please visit

http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/Renewable_Energy_Projects_Brochure/renewable_energy_projects_brochure.htm

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Bob McIlvaine
President
847 784 0012 ext 112

rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com

www.mcilvainecompany.com

191 Waukegan Road Suite 208 | Northfield | IL 60093

Ph: 847-784-0012 | Fax; 847-784-0061

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