Power Air Quality Insights No

				Power Air Quality Insights No. 45 March 1, 2012

WELCOME

The following insights can be sent to you every week. This alert contains the details on the upcoming hot topic hour, breaking news, and the headlines for the Utility E Alert for the previous week. This is one of a number of free services. You can sign up for any of these newsletters and of course request to be removed from the mailing list at any time. See registration following the newsletter.

“Hot Topic Hour” on March 8, 2012 is “SO₃ Measurement and Control”

SO₃ in the flue gas stream from a fossil-fueled boiler has long been a concern for plant operators because of the potential for fouling and corrosion in the air heater and corrosion in ducts and equipment downstream caused by the sulfuric acid formed from the SO₃. Excessive SO₃ in emissions from the stack can also cause opacity (“blue plume”) and acid mist deposition problems. In addition, the presence of SO₃ adversely affects the removal of mercury from the flue gas with ACI. The affect of SO₃ aerosols on particulate emissions has also been a concern - more so in some plants than others. But SO₃ in flue gas will soon be a much bigger concern for all. Because SO₃ contributes to the formation of condensable or fine particle emissions, the recent changes in the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulates and ozone may force even greater control of SO₃ under local standards or under regulations dealing with particulates. Also, the expected utility MACT with lower limits on mercury and SO₂ will further complicate the issue.

Switching to lower sulfur fuels, improvements in catalyst materials to reduce SO₂ to SO₃ conversion, reduction in air heater temperature, duct injection of a number of additives and wet precipitators are all options that have been successfully used to control SO₃ at various points in the flue gas train. However, will these methods be enough in the future? Control of SO₃ is a complex problem that can be highly dependent on the control technology utilized for NO_x, SO₂, mercury and particulates. While you may want to minimize SO₃ to enhance mercury removal, you may also need to have sufficient SO₃ in the flue gas to enhance your fine particulate capture. This means that you may want different concentrations of SO₃ at different points in the flue gas path while avoiding any corrosion problems and minimizing any SO₃ emitted from the stack. In addition, measurement of SO₃ can be difficult which further complicates the control problem.

The following speakers will describe the pros and cons of these various control options, provide an update on the success and cost effectiveness of the options, predict how effective these options may be in meeting the future emission limits for mercury and PM_2.5and describe new improvements to existing technologies or new methods being developed or tested as well as the latest advances in measurement of SO₃ in flue gas.

Jim Dickerman, Director of Flue Gas Treatment Applications at Lhoist North America, will present an overview of SO₃ emission control with hydrated lime. Dry Sorbent Injection systems using hydrated lime are currently being used to control SO₃ emissions at over 30 utility boilers in the US. This presentation discusses the development history of the technology as well as the key design parameters that need to be considered for successful operations.

Sterling Gray, Business and Technology Manager for SBS Injection and PerNOxide Technologies at URS Corporation, will discuss the application of SBS Injection to reduce SO₃ and mercury emissions at power plants. The SBS Injection technology has been commercially installed on 24 boilers at 11 plants, totaling 15,000 MW of generating capacity. The wet sorbent injection process can achieve well over 95 percent SO₃ removal, typically reducing stack emissions to less than 1 ppm. Furthermore, because the process is applied upstream of the air heater or SCR, it can provide significant operational, environmental, and economic benefits to a power plant. In particular, co-removal of mercury will be discussed.

Dr. Yougen Kong, P.E., Technical Development Manager at Solvay Chemicals, Inc, will discuss the interactions between SO₃, HCl, HBr, PM and trona in DSI. In addition to blue plume caused by SO₃, the negative impact of SO₃ on mercury capture is also a serious concern. Therefore, it is critical to bring SO₃ down to less than 5 ppm before PAC injection in order to meet the Hg limits in the Utility MACT (or MATS) or the Boiler MACT. Dry injection of trona remains to be an economical solution to mitigate SO₃. His presentation will address the interactions between SO₃, Mercury, HCl or HBr and trona in flue gas.

Curtis Laush, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at Industrial Monitor and Control Corp. (IMACC), will describe "Real Time Continuous Monitoring of SO₃ and SO₂ Across Flue Gas Ducts." The ability to continuously monitor SO₃ at ppmv-level concentrations in real time at several points along the burner flue gas stream would be especially important in optimizing the performance of all the various control devices, from the SCR to the air heater to the stack, not to mention mercury abatement and sorbent injection systems. His presentation will describe the capabilities, operation and field testing of a CEM-type analyzer based on a quantum cascade laser (QCL) cross-duct absorption spectrometer.

The McIlvaine Company is introducing a new series of webinars designed to provide the latest information on materials, components, equipment and services used in power plants, facilities operating industrial boilers, wastewater treatment facilities and municipal water treatment facilities – the Technology Update Webinar.

This new series of webinars will be similar to our popular Hot Topic Hour webinars. However, whereas in the Hot Topic Hours presenters are discouraged from giving a “sales pitch” for their product or service, the Technology Update Webinars are specifically intended to allow suppliers to tell prospective customers all about their product(s).

Each Technology Update Webinar will feature a 15-20 minute presentations by speakers from 3 or 4 companies who will provide information on products or services related to the selected subject. The Technology Update Webinars will be conducted about every 3 or 4 weeks focusing on a different product class or type at each webinar. Attendance at these webinars will be free.

The webinars will also be recorded in streaming video then indexed with key words and put on the McIlvaine web site. Therefore, anytime you need to purchase a new product or service, you can search the web site and view presentations describing the features, functions, specifications and benefits of the latest products available for your application.

In the coming months, we will feature the following products in the Technology Update Webinars:

If you provide products or services to the power generating industry, industrial boiler operators or water treatment facilities and are interested in making a presentation at any of these Technology Update Webinars, please contact Jim Downey at The McIlvaine Company (847) 784-0012 x 210 or by e-mail at: jdowney@mcilvainecompany.com.

§ GEA receives €25 Million in Orders for Cooling Equipment Construction, Installation and Service

The market for stack continuous emissions monitors (CEMS) will be just under $1 billion this year. Ambient continuous emissions monitoring plus stack testing will add another $1.5 billion, bringing the total to $2.5 billion in 2012. This is the latest forecast in Air Pollution Monitoring & Sampling World Markets, an online publication of the McIlvaine Company. (www.mcilvainecompany.com)

East Asia will be the biggest market for stack CEMS. The reason is the large number of new coal-fired boilers, cement plants, incinerators and other industrial plants which are under construction. This region will also account for the majority of the new ambient monitoring systems. Many developing countries are prioritizing investments to measure the levels of air pollution.

The U.S. market is being boosted by new air toxic regulations affecting utility coal-fired boilers, cement plants and industrial boilers. Dedicated CEMS will be required to measure hydrogen chloride, mass particulate and mercury. An alternative to measuring total particulate will be the measurement of a number of individual toxic metals. A commercial option to accomplish this has just been introduced by Pall.

The stack testing market is still centered in the developing countries. The investment in periodic calibration of CEMS systems is growing substantially as new CEM types are incorporated. Testing for mercury is a complex task. The result is that only a few companies are able to offer this service.

There is a rapidly growing market at the interface between emission and process monitoring. The stringency of regulations dictate that the processes operate within the emission limits. The CEMS become a critical tool in adjusting operations to insure compliance. Equally important are the use of CEMS to optimize the expenditures for chemicals. Expensive sorbents such as activated carbon and other chemicals such as ammonia need to be injected. CEMS at the inlet and outlet of air pollution control equipment can be used to fine tune the chemical additions and save considerable costs for excess chemicals.

In the United States there are concerns the installations of wind farms will grind to halt with the expiration of the Production Tax Credit at the end of 2013. Meanwhile installation of wind turbines is continuing around the world. All are contained in McIlvaine’s Renewable Energy Projects and Update.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved a loan of up to 1.1 billion Mexican pesos (or approximately $72 million) to help finance the construction of a 396-megawatt wind farm in Mexico.

The project, the biggest wind farm in Mexico and one of the largest in Latin America, will be located in the La Ventosa region of Oaxaca State, one of the world’s best regions for wind resources. The farm will supply energy to subsidiaries and affiliates of Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. (FEMSA) and Cerveceria Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma (CCM – Heineken) under 33 self-supply agreements, helping the beverage companies save an estimated 10 percent of their total energy costs.

The project, forecast to reduce emissions by up to approximately 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, will be made up of 132 towers with turbines and include the construction of a 52-kilometer transmission line linking the farm with the electricity grid.

The operation is part of growing IDB support to help Mexico develop its renewable energy industry. The bank has been supporting Mexico in developing the regulatory and institutional framework necessary to incorporate renewable sources of energy into the energy matrix as well as implement its Renewable Energy Law. In 2009 the IDB approved $101 million in partial financing for two private sector wind power projects in Oaxaca, with total installed capacity of 318 MW.

ENEOP – Eólicas de Portugal, S.A, a consortium in which Enel Green Power España holds a 40 percent stake, has executed a project finance structure with the European Investment Bank for ENEOP’s second group of wind farms to be developed in Portugal, totaling 376 MW.

Following this transaction ENEOP has its second group of projects with long-term financial structures from EIB in place. The company has already obtained from EIB funding for the construction of a first group of wind farms for a total installed capacity of 480 MW.

The long-term contracted debt facilities totaling €260 million include: 1) EIB Structured Fund Facility of €100 million, which is expected to be closed in the first quarter of 2012; and 2) EIB Guaranteed Facility of €160 million to be closed once its condition precedents are met. The closing of this transaction will allow an equity reimbursement to ENEOP’s shareholders, which have fully funded the investment in the second group of projects through equity contributions and shareholder loans.

The ENEOP consortium, which includes Enel Green Power España as well as wind power operators EDP Renovaveis and Generg Group along with the industrial partner Enercon, signed in 2006 a contract for the development of 1,200 MW following a competitive public tender launched by the Portuguese Government. EDPR and Enel Green Power España have a 40 percent stake each among the companies that participate in this consortium, corresponding to 480 MW of which 321 MW were already in operation as of September 2011.

Enel Green Power’s development strategy relies on funding of projects through cash generation. Additionally, the company would leverage on long-term, cost-competitive external funding from reliable partners.

The order comprises 127 units of the V100-2.0 MW for the following wind power complexes: Campos dos Ventos and São Benedito – both of them located in Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil.

The order has been placed by CPFL Renováveis, a company originated from the merger between CPFL Energia´s renewable assets and ERSA Energias Renováveis. CPFL Renováveis is exclusively dedicated to the generation of energy from renewable sources, such as small hydro, wind farms and biomass. CPFL’s wind projects portfolio counts on 2 GW under operation, construction, preparation and development.

The contract includes delivery, installation and commissioning of the wind turbines, a VestasOnline® Business SCADA system and a 10-year service contract with an AOM4000 solution. The AOM 4000 is a full-scope service contract, consisting of scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and consumables, which offers solid risk management for customers, who want an availability guarantee measured against an agreed threshold. This type of contract offers customers assured performance avoiding unforeseen operational costs of any kind.

Delivery of the turbines is expected to start in the first half of 2013 and the project is expected to be commercially operational during the first half of 2014.

E.ON has unveiled that its Humber Gateway wind farm, located off the East Yorkshire coast, will consist of a 73 turbine array that will generate up to 219 MW of electricity, enough energy to power up to 170,000 homes.

Humber Gateway will be located 8 km off the East Yorkshire coast, just north of the mouth of the river Humber. Further works at the site will begin in March with construction of the onshore substation, with a view to completing the project in spring 2015.

The project aims to create up to 1,000 jobs during construction and a further 30 roles to operate and maintain the wind farm when it is operational.

E.ON is committed to growing its offshore wind fleet across Europe and this announcement forms part of a €2 billion investment program in offshore wind, encompassing Humber Gateway (219 MW) off the coast of the UK, Amrumbank (288 MW) off the coast of Germany and Kårehamn (48MW) off the coast of Sweden.

Amrumbank will be E.ON's first commercial offshore wind farm in Germany and will use Siemens 3.6 MW turbines. Humber Gateway and Kårehamn will use new Vestas V112 3.0 MW turbines.

These offshore projects are part of a €7 billion investment program over the next five years, where E.ON will be creating industrial-scale wind, solar and biomass power plants.

Gamesa has signed a contract with NREA (New & Renewable Energy Authority) to deliver 200 MW of turbines to wind energy projects in the Gulf of El-Zayt, on Egypt’s Red Sea coast.

With the contract awarded to Gamesa, this international public tender is complete, after it drew bids from the world's major turbine manufacturers. The project is financed by multilateral funding from Germany's kfW Development Bank, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Union via the Neighbourhood Investment Facility (NIF). NREA was advised by Danish consulting firm Carl Bro (Grontmij).

Gamesa will supply a total of 100 of its G80-2.0 MW turbines. It will also perform turbine assembly, erection and start-up services and provide operation and maintenance services for a period of five years. Gamesa will begin manufacturing the turbines destined for this contract in 2012, with delivery scheduled over the course of 2013.

Nordex has qualified as a preferred supplier for the construction of two wind farms with an installed capacity of a combined 174 MW in South Africa. The company has confirmed this information. As soon as the currently outstanding delivery contracts with the project developers have been signed and the project funding is secured, Nordex will publish detailed information on the future order intake.