February 2015 - Power Air Quality Insights 194

McIlvaine will have a stand next week at EUEC. We encourage you to provide us with insights relative to environmental and energy challenges. We are trying to clarify all the options to help power plants make the best environmental decisions. Here are some areas where options need to be analyzed:

· We have ACI and bromine/scrubbers as mercury selections but what about noncarbon sorbents and the Gore module?

· Should selenium be removed by DSI ahead of the wet scrubber to avoid expensive wastewater treatment?

· Should DSI be used just to reduce acid gas dew point and allow more heat extraction in the rotary heat exchanger?

· Will gas turbine permit seekers have problems with ambient air quality standards?

These are just some of the many issues. If you have insights on these or have identified other issues which need to be addressed, please come to our stand and discuss them with us.

Activated Carbon Sales for Air Pollution to Reach $1 Billion - $2 Billion/yr. By 2020

Sales of activated carbon for air pollution control systems were less than $400 million in 2014. The demand will grow substantially. There are a number of variables which could limit the market to just $1 billion in 2020 or cause it to grow to over $2 billion. These variables include:

· Price per pound of carbon. This is determined less by competition than the expanded requirements to remove mercury and be cement ready. The newest impregnated powdered carbons are twice as efficient as the older products but more expensive.

· The adoption of stringent mercury reduction rules throughout the world. The U.S. has stringent rules. China is moving toward similar levels of stringency.

· The future of coal-fired power. While new coal-fired power plants are few and far between in the U.S. and Western Europe, they are the fuel of choice for new generators in Asia.

· Competition from other technologies such as the combination of wet scrubbing and oxidation chemicals.

· The use of activated carbon to prevent mercury reemissions, to capture selenium and hazardous organics.

The biggest near-term market is in the U.S. Over the next few years the U.S. coal-fired power demand for activated carbon will be more than 50 percent of the total for all industries worldwide. China has the potential to pass the U.S. as the leading purchaser by 2020. It has the world’s largest capacity in cement and coal-fired generation and is already using activated carbon on its solid waste incinerators.

Activated carbon companies will be able to meet demand. In 2012, the world activated carbon supply capacity was 3.5 billion lbs. (granular plus powdered). Demand was below 3 billion lbs. In the 2013-2014 period, both demand and supply grew. There are growing demands in water and wastewater as well as air pollution control. So the industry expects to be able to supply 4 billion lbs. in 2017.

More Than 2,000 Major Industrial Air Pollution Projects In the Americas in Each Of The Next Five Years

More than 2,000 projects with investments exceeding $4 million will be initiated each year over the next five years by industrial plant operators in North and South America. Each of these projects is tracked in Industrial Emitters, a publication of the McIlvaine Company. (www.mcilvainecompany.com)

These major investments are being made by refineries, mining companies and manufacturers of steel, pulp and paper, chemicals, petrochemicals and food. The sources include industrial boilers, dryers, kilns, furnaces, grinding plants and other processes. Sewage sludge incinerators are another source.

The U.S. will be the leading purchaser followed by Canada and Mexico. Brazil, Chile and Argentina are the other countries in the top six. The immediate market in the U.S. is generated by new air toxic standards which affect cement plants, solid waste combustors and industrial boiler operators. The U.S. alone has thousands of industrial boilers. However, only 2,000 will have to make changes to meet the air toxic rules. The largest expenditures will be made by the operators of 532 large electrostatic precipitators now operating in conjunction with coal-fired cogeneration plants. In order to reduce discrete toxic metals, mercury and hydrogen chloride, there will need to be sizable investments.

The number of projects related to new plants and expansions has been growing thanks to the low oil and gas prices in the region. In the U.S., there are new petrochemical and steel projects underway. Mining projects in Canada and Chile will need substantial investments in precipitators, scrubbers and fabric filters. Refining and sugar are two significant segments in Brazil.

The potential to supply upgrades, repair parts and consumables is substantial. There are more than 300 cement plants in the Americas. They operate more than 10,000 fabric filters. All of them require replacement bags. There are more than 200 waste-to-energy facilities which require ammonia, activated carbon, lime and other consumables.

The 200 refineries in the region are also embarking on new and upgrade air pollution projects. The typical catalytic cracker project has cyclones to capture the large catalyst particles and return them to the process. The cyclones are followed by an electrostatic precipitator for the smaller particles, then a scrubber to capture the SO₂. This scrubber is often preceded by an ozone generator which converts the NO_x to a soluble form. An alternative for NO_x control is selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR). Forced heaters and other refinery sources are also fitted with SNCR.

Industrial Emitters has details on more than 20,000 plants. There are monthly updates which add the new projects, as well as revising and adding email addresses and phone numbers of the plant operators. Recent air permit renewals are also incorporated. Case histories and industry news are supplied in three monthly newsletters (Fabric Filter, Precipitator and Scrubber/Adsorber).

Nordex has been awarded two new contracts from Turkey. The wind power specialist will be installing 22 units of the N117/2400 Generation Gamma for its customer Sancak Enerji at the “Yahyali” wind farm. In addition, it is supplying its regular customer Dost Enerji with one N90/2500 turbine to enlarge the “Geres” wind farm.

The “Yahyali” project is being executed in Central Anatolia. With an average wind speed of 6.6 m/s, the expected annual energy yield comes to around 130 million kWh. Specially designed for such conditions, the N117/2400 will achieve an above-average capacity factor of some 36 percent at this site. A five-year premium service contract has been signed for the “Yahyali” wind farm and will take effect upon completion of the project.

The “Geres” wind farm is located close to the town of Manisa in Western Anatolia. The N90/2500 turbine will be enlarging the existing wind farm comprising eleven N90/2500 turbines installed for Dost Enerji in June 2014.

Dominion Virginia Power Planning Major Expansion of Large-Scale Solar in Virginia

Dominion Virginia Power is planning to develop multiple large-scale solar projects totaling 400 MW of electricity. All projects will be built in Virginia with the involvement of Virginia-based companies and are expected to be operational by 2020. Together, these solar facilities are anticipated to be capable of generating enough electricity at peak capacity to power 100,000 homes.

Dominion expects to invest $700 million in these projects. The company is actively working to identify and select construction sites around Virginia through a site-selection process that includes evaluating the slope and terrain of land, as well as other electrical and environmental factors.

ET Solar and TechAccess Collaborate on Two Utility PV Power Projects in Pakistan

ET Solar Energy Corp. announced that it has partnered with TechAccess to co-invest and construct 2 solar power plants totaling 21.5 MW in Pind Dadan Khan, Punjab, Pakistan.

Acting as the EPC/O&M provider and a minority investor, ET Solar will be offering turnkey solutions including engineering and design, off-shore equipment supply, on-shore civil and electrical construction, project operations and maintenance. The ground-mounted projects, one in 11.5 MW and the other 10 MW, will be built on saline-alkali lands with the grid connection to be completed in the first half of 2016.

Ormat Technologies, Inc. announced its subsidiary has signed an amended and restated Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Kenya Power and Lighting Company Limited (KPLC), paving the way for the expansion of the Olkaria complex.

Under the terms of the PPA, Ormat expects to increase the generating capacity of the complex by 24 MW, bringing the complex’s total capacity to 134 MW. The fourth plant is expected to come on line in the second half of 2016 and to sell electricity under a 20 years PPA with KPLC.

CH2M Hill Designs a an Innovative Ground-Breaking Bioenergy Pilot Project at Masdar City, Abu Dhabi

CH2M HILL, a full-service consulting firm and global leader in developing innovative solutions for clients to meet water, energy, climate change, and other sustainability challenges, is providing technical support on a new research project at Masdar City-the world's first bioenergy pilot-scale facility to use seawater irrigated desert land to produce both bioenergy and food in the water.

The Integrated Seawater Energy and Agriculture System (ISEAS) involves a complete seawater agricultural system that will serve as a research and development facility for Masdar Institute (MI) of Science and Technology and the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC)- established to advance sustainable business practices by developing technology with the promise of producing a clean, alternative fuel supply. SBRC members include Etihad Airways, Boeing, Honeywell UOP, Safran and GE.

A significant aspect of the new pilot-scale facility is the use of seawater to produce water stock to grow seafood, mainly fish and shrimp, (aquaculture) for human consumption and Salicornia plants for fuel and byproduct production. The plants thrive in arid, desert conditions and do not require fresh water or arable land to grow. The effluent is diverted into cultivated mangroves that are used for water treatment and biomass production, removing nutrients and providing valuable carbon storage.

· Two Oregon Lawmakers introduce Legislation to ban Coal-fired Power and limit Gas-fired Power Expansion

· Wärtsilä to supply more Peaking Power Capacity to the Bakken Area, Montana

· Consulting and Site Assessment Studies undertaken for Gas-fired Power Plant at Severn Beach, UK

· Gazpromenergoholding Subsidiary offers Equipment for Grozny Thermal Power Plant

· Lots of Mergers in the Gas and Liquids Flow, Control and Treatment Market

· “Gas Turbine Regulatory Drivers” Hot Topic Hour on February 5 addressed Permitting and Compliance Issues for Gas Turbine Operators

· “Gasification Air Pollution Control” is the Hot Topic on February 12, 2015

On Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. Central time, McIlvaine hosts a 90 minute web meeting on important energy and pollution control subjects. These Webinars are free of charge to owner/operators of the plants. They are also free to McIlvaine Subscribers of Power Plant Air Quality Decisions and Utility Tracking System. The cost for others is $300.00 per webinar.

See below for information on upcoming Hot Topic Hours. We welcome your input relative to suggested additions.

DATE	SUBJECT	DESCRIPTION
February 12, 2015	Gasification Air Pollution Control	More Information
February 26, 2015	Mercury Measurement and Capture	More Information
March 5, 2015	Mercury Measurement and Capture - Second Session
March 12, 2015	Power Plant Wastewater Treatment	More Information
March 19, 2015	Dry Scrubbing and DSI	More Information
March 26, 2015	NO_x(SCR, SNCR)