·        “Co-firing Sewage Sludge, Biomass and Municipal Waste” is the “Hot Topic Hour” on December 13, 2012

·        McIlvaine Hot Topic Hour Registration

·        Headlines for the November 30, 2012 – Utility E-Alert

·        2100 Major Municipal Water Treatment Projects in the U.S. and Canada in Next 12 Months

·        Liquid Macrofiltration Market to Approach $7 Billion Next Year

        “Co-firing Biomass, Sewage Sludge and Municipal Waste” is the “Hot Topic Hour” Dec. 13, 2012

Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia, representing over half of the U.S. electricity market, already have Renewable Energy Standards (RES) ranging from 10-33 percent with various timelines between 2015 and 2025. Pending Federal legislation would establish a national renewable energy/efficiency standard of up to 24 percent in 2020 increasing to 84 percent in 2035. As a result, coal-fired power plant and industrial boiler operators are exploring biomass as an option for RES compliance. Co-firing biomass with coal has the potential to reduce emissions from regulated pollutants as well as GHGs, without substantially increasing costs or infrastructure investments. It has been demonstrated, tested and proved in all boiler types commonly used by electric utilities. There can be little or no loss in total boiler efficiency after adjusting combustion output for the new fuel mixture.

However, those who have done it know that co-firing and even firing only biomaterials are typically not without many significant problems. Obtaining a reliable, consistent supply of a specific biomass material is just the start of the problems. The physical characteristics and chemical makeup of biomass fuels can lead to significant cost increases particularly for material handling and preparation, maintenance problems, boiler slagging and fouling issues, increased boiler corrosion and decreased efficiency if biomass use is not very closely managed. The composition of the combustion gases from burning bio-materials can also have both a positive or negative effect on stack emissions and the air pollution control systems required to meet emission limits and must be considered.

The following speakers will address the issues and implications of converting coal-fired boilers to full or partial use of biomass, sewage sludge or municipal waste, the biomass fuel choices and how these vary regionally, the costs that need to be considered in a biomass conversion plan, the advantages and disadvantages of various fuels, methods for co-firing and available equipment options as well as any new equipment designs, technology and systems being developed to make co-firing or combustion of bio-materials easier and more efficient and to describe their experience with planning, permitting, developing and operating plants that co-fire of all types of biomass.

Arie Verloop, P.E., Vice President of Technology and Client Relations with Jansen Combustion and Boiler Technologies, Inc. (JANSEN), will discuss their experience with upgrading industrial stoker-fired boilers to burn a variety of alternative fuels. Jansen provides customized engineered solutions to improve the operating performance and waste fuel burning capacity of existing large industrial stoker-fired boilers that burn “difficult” fuels. Over 300 boilers have been evaluated, worldwide, and over 100 boilers have been upgraded (combustion system and/or pressure parts). Typical fuels are: wet waste wood/biomass, chemical spent liquors, secondary wastewater treatment sludge, refuse derived fuel (RDF), municipal solid waste (MSW) and tire derived fuel (TDF).

Brandon Bell, P.E., Principal Mechanical Engineer at KBR Power & Industrial, will discuss typical problems associated with the conversion of coal units to co-fire biomass. Biomass fuels vary widely depending on regional availability and have a big impact on the feasibility of co-firing biomass. Current EPA regulations that affect pollution control requirements for Independent Power Producers, Agricultural Cooperatives and Utilities with regard to biomass units will be discussed. Additional equipment and operational considerations for various biomass fuels will also be presented.

Thomas (Tom) J. Maestri, Director of Renewable Energy Programs at Synagro Technologies, Inc., will present “Co-Combustion of Sewage Sludge with Non-Solid Waste Fuels.” Recently EPA-promulgated New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and emissions guidelines for sewage sludge incineration require MACT air pollution control standards under Section 129 of the Clean Air Act; this as opposed to less stringent Section 112 boiler standards previously applied. The changes have created new financial burdens on existing sludge combustion facilities and cast a shadow over many new projects which had planned to use sewage sludge as a primary fuel or to co-fire sewage sludge with biomass or other non-solid-waste fuels. A simultaneous EPA ruling on how various combustion materials (non-hazardous secondary materials) would be identified as solid waste when burned in a combustion unit has further complicated the issue. His presentation will outline the issues and discuss solutions to dealing with the potential technical and economic challenges created by the new rule when co-firing sewage sludge.   

To register for the Hot Topic Hour on December 13, 2012 at 10 a.m. (CST), 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.

To register for the Hot Topic Hour, click on:

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

 UTILITY E-ALERT

Here are the Headlines for the November 30, 2012 – Utility E-Alert

#1102– November 30, 2012

Table of Contents

COAL – US

• EPA revises FIP for Arizona Power Plants but SCR still likely
• EPA releases New Limits for Mercury for New Power Plants
• Big Cajun II to convert One Unit to Natural Gas, install DSI on Unit 1, ACI, and SNCR
• Wolverine, We Energies will install SO₂ Control at 344 MW Presque Isle
• Presque Isle Deal raises Questions about Wolverine’s Rogers City CFB project
• Logansport wants to Repower Plant to burn Pellets of Residential Refuse

COAL – WORLD

• Daewoo to build 2x300 MW Power Plant in Kenya
• Bulgaria could build 2x280 MW Maritsa Iztok 2 Units 9 and 10
• GDF Suez and Posco Energy may also invest in 415 MW Ulaanbataatar, Mongolia Power Plant
• DTEK to build 800 MW Burshtyn Exspansion in Ukraine
• Mitsubishi to build 758 MW Coal-fired Power Plant in Chile
• Metso to supply Two Power Boilers (270 MW total) to PT Cikarang Listrindo in Indonesia
• Slovenia to provide Guarantees for Sistanj Upgrade

GAS/OIL / US

• Nine Gas-fired Power Projects undergoing Review in Pennsylvania, but not all will be built
• Coronado Ventures to build 700 MW Natural Gas-fired Power Plant in Edinburg, Texas

GAS/OIL – WORLD

• Myanmar signs MoA with Foreign Companies to build 120 MW Gas-fired Power Plant

CO₂

• Greenhouse Gas Concentrations Reached Record Highs in 2011 According to U.N. Study 
• California Holds First Auction of GHG Allowances, Median Price is Low at $10.09/ton 
• First Large-Scale CCS Project in U.S. Completes First Year of Operation
• DOE Approves 1-MW Scale-Up of Membrane Carbon Capture Technology 
• UK Approves £18.3 Million in Funding for Carbon Capture and Utilization Technology Research 

NUCLEAR

• Brazil Plans Four New Nuclear Power Plants before 2030
• China restarting Construction on Nuclear Power Projects
• Still unclear what Type of Power Plant Turkey will build near Bulgarian Border
• Florida Regulators approve Nuclear Power Costs recovery
• EDF Energy receives Nuclear Site License for Hinkley Point C in UK

BUSINESS

• Indian Railways to build 1,000 MW Nabinagar, 1320 MW Adra and 700 MW Thakurli Power Plants in India
• United Conveyor has Orders for 11 DSI Systems
• ADA-ES to supply 11 to 20 ACI Systems to Fleet
• Flow Control and Treatment Markets to rise $15 Billion Next Year to $338 Billion
• Future Electricity Mix Depends on the Price of Oil

POWER-GEN 2012

• Improve Your Networking at Power-Gen 2012   
• Water Discussion at Ovivo Stand on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
• Air Filtration is Important not only for Turbine Protection but also to reduce PM_2.5 Emissions - More at the Pneumafil Stand #4456

HOT TOPIC HOUR

• “Catalyst Selection for NO_x needs to factor in Mercury and SO₃ - Hot Topic Hour Thursday, November 29, 2012
• “Boiler Feed and Cooling Water Treatment” is the Hot Topic Hour on Thursday, December 6, 2012
• Upcoming Hot Topic Hours

For more information on the Utility Environmental Upgrade Tracking System, click on: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/energy.html#42ei.

2100 Major Municipal Water Treatment Projects in the U.S. and Canada

in Next 12 Months

Municipalities in Canada and the U.S. will construct new drinking water treatment plants to supply a growing population. They will also replace and upgrade existing facilities. These projects are tracked biweekly in the McIlvaine North American Public Water Plants and People.

Canada and the U.S. will add 1,471 MGD of new facilities and will replace or upgrade 5,500 MGD. This will be accomplished through 1,750 major projects and many thousands of minor projects at the 22,000 treatment plants in the two countries.

In addition to the capital projects, McIlvaine forecasts that 30,000 bid requests for treatment chemicals will be issued for treatment plants in the two countries.  Over 20 different chemicals are being used by treatment plans in the two countries. McIlvaine tracks chemical bid requests and bid reviews for chemicals as well as tracking capital projects.

For more information on North American Public Water Plants and People, click on:  http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/water.html#67ei.

Liquid Macrofiltration Market to Approach $7 Billion Next Year

The market for equipment and media to separate larger particles from liquids and dewater slurries will exceed $6.8 billion next year. This is the latest forecast in Liquid Filtration and Media: World Markets published by the McIlvaine Company. (www.mcilvainecompany.com)

Liquid Macrofiltration Market ($ Millions)

The equipment included in this forecast are gravity belt filters, belt filter presses, drum filters, leaf filters, granular media filters and bag filters. These devices are separating particles between 1-100 microns from various liquids from water to wine. Dewatering of sewage sludge and other slurries is a major use.

East Asia will dominate the market next year for several reasons. The first is the large investment in belt filter presses to dewater sewage sludge, mining ores and coal slurries. The large investment in flue gas desulfurization will be accompanied by significant investment in belt filters to dewater gypsum. Granular media filters will purify much of the water needed for cooling in coal-fired power plants.

Hardware sales in NAFTA will be less than 50 percent of the hardware sales in East Asia, but the sales of media will be more equal. This is because the existing market is large in NAFTA but the new expansions are comparatively few.

NAFTA will benefit from a substantial expansion of oil and gas processing plants. Hydraulic fracturing is creating the need for treatment of the flow-back liquid which contains sand, shale particles and high levels of dissolved solids.  Treatment of produced water is another expanding application.  The use of automatic backwash filters in treatment of ballast water is another growth segment.

For more information on Liquid Filtration and Media: World Market: click on: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/water.html#n006

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Bob McIlvaine
President
847 784 0012 ext 112

rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com

www.mcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com

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