Production of Fertilizer and Sulfuric Acid at Coal-fired Power Plants is the Hot Topic Hour for January 17, 2013

Production and sale of commercial grade fertilizers and sulfuric acid at coal-fired power plants will minimize the cost of complying with pollution control regulations and help to make the power plant greener. Production of fertilizers and acids as a by-product of the production of electricity during normal power plant operation is green because it does not require combustion of any additional fossil fuels and allows other power plants that are dedicated to fertilizer production to reduce their output and hence fossil fuel combustion. It may also allow the power plant to reduce the waste that needs to be disposed of. The sale of these products also provides a revenue stream to offset the cost of operating the pollution control devices. However, only a few power plants operating NO_x and SO_x control devices have chosen to take this route. For power plants using ammonia, the value of the ammonium sulfate is considerably higher than the cost of the ammonia. So the value added can generate significant offsets to the system costs.

Many of the power plants operating FGDs have opted to produce commercial grade gypsum for sale and to minimize waste disposal costs. However, now that the market for gypsum is becoming saturated, perhaps it is time to reconsider production of fertilizers and acids. There are some people that believe that if a power plant is burning high sulfur coal, making ammonium sulfate or sulfuric acid is even more cost effective than making wall board grade gypsum.

There are systems available from several companies that make ammonium sulfate and sulfuric acid. But before jumping into this, there are questions that need to be answered, among which are: What types of systems are available and proven? Should the power plant produce nitrogen or sulfur based fertilizers or both? What are the advantages or disadvantages of each type of process? Can these systems be easily installed and operate with the control devices currently operating at the plant? A power plant currently operating an FGD using lime or limestone might consider switching to an ammonia-based system to eliminate waste disposal and add the capability to produce fertilizers. How competitive are these systems? What is the additional investment? How reliable are they? What are the long-term markets for the by-products? What is the affect on power plant operating cost?

The following speakers will address these issues:

Robert Tang, President and CEO of CEFCO Global Clean Energy LLC, will discuss the use of Ewan’s shockwave “free-jet collision scrubbing” to capture all pollutants and the Cooper Process to convert all “captured pollutants” with appropriate reagents into recovered, segregated, valuable, and saleable end-products. Components of flue gas can be separately captured and converted into higher-valued and very sellable end-products by the CEFCO Process.  For example:  recovered metals for metal refiners  and  potassium sulfate fertilizer and potassium nitrate fertilizer for the chemical and agricultural markets, instead of becoming lower-valued acids, gypsum or disposable sodium or calcium salts.  This is an "economic paradigm-shift concept" because CAPEX and OPEX can be recovered by technology users in performing cost-efficient pollution control while complying with MACT, CAIR and NSPS standards.  Under the CEFCO shockwave reaction condition, the act of pollution capture using the appropriate reagent within the shockwave itself becomes the act of converting the targeted pollutants into valuable products in a continuing production process without the commingling with trace toxic metals and fine particulates.

Patrick Polk, Account Manager for Sulfuric Acid Catalyst & WSA Technology at Haldor Topsoe, will discuss their WSA and SNOX processes. These processes are proven technologies for treating flue gases or other sulfur containing waste streams.  The processes are exothermic and produce a marketable, commercial grade sulfuric acid by-product.  The energy efficiency of the process improves with an increasing SO₂ concentration in the flue gas allowing high sulfur coal or petcoke to be used.

To register for the Hot Topic Hour, on January 17, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. CST, click on:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/hot_topic_hour_registration.htm.

McIlvaine Hot Topic Hour Registration

On Thursday at 10:00 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 on January 17, click on:

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

Headlines for the January 4, 2013 – Utility E-Alert 

UTILITY E-ALERT

#1106– January 4, 2013

Table of Contents

COAL – US

• 600 MW John W. Turk Online
• Ameren to divest its Illinois Power Plants
• Ghent to add Sulfuric Acid Mist Control

COAL – WORLD

§  Egco to award Contract for 500 MW Quezon Province Power Plant Expansion Soon

§  TAQA starts Talks on Coal-fired Power Plant in Turkey

§  Clyde Bergemann receives Third Order for Cleaning Solution at 3x800 MW Berezovskaya GRES in Russia

§  Tata Power to switch 500 MW Unit at Trombay to Coal-firing

§  Nova Scotia Power to Mothball Two Units at Lingan

§  Turkey to Privatize 600 MW Seyitomer

§  Tecpro to supply Coal Handling for 500 MW Bokaro 4

GAS/OIL - US                                                                                                                                                    

• Siemens Gas Turbines for Port Everglades Modernization
• Kvaerner awarded Contract for 309 MW Gas-fired Garrison Power Plant in Delaware
• New Carlisle, IN, Power Plant may still be built

GAS/OIL – WORLD

• EnergyAustralia puts Plans on Hold for Gas-fired Power Plant to replace Yallourn Coal-fired Units in Victoria, Australia
• Mitsubishi to Supply Gas Turbine for 400 MW Bibiyana in Bangladesh
• STX to build 500 MW Imara in Iraq
• Power Machines to supply Gas Turbine for 220 MW Kirovskaya TETs-3 Power Project in Russia

CO₂

§  CS Energy’s 30-MW Carbon Capture Project Starts up in Australia

§  SaskPower Secures Buyer for CO₂ Captured at Boundary Dam Power Plant

NUCLEAR

• Bidding continues to build Sinop Power Plant in Turkey
• Electrobras has Loan for Angra 3 in Brazil
• Lithuanian Government to decide by Mid-May, 2013 How to Achieve Energy Independence
• Construction of Tianwan 3 and 4 and Fuqing 4 Nuclear Power Plants in China begins

BUSINESS

• Midwest Generation files for Bankruptcy
• EPA Head Lisa Jackson to step down
• Rumor that PPL Montana will sell Montana Power Plants
• Simhadri (India) seeing Boiler Tube Damage from Seawater Coolant
• RWE creates New Company for European Power Plants
• $80 Billion Market to Upgrade Old U.S. Coal-fired Power Plants

HOT TOPIC HOUR

• “Update on Oxy-fuel Combustion” is the Subject of the Hot Topic Hour on Thursday January 10, 2013 at 10:00 am CST
• Upcoming Hot Topic Hours

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

$69 Billion Market for Industrial Process Automation and Control in 2013

This year industrial enterprises around the world will invest $69 billion for process automation and control. This is the latest finding in Air/Gas/Water/Fluid Treatment and Control: World Markets published by the McIlvaine Company. (www.mcilvainecompany.com)

A number of companies participate in the industrial process automation and control market. Some of the companies have extensive lines of instrumentation and control valves which are included in their automation packages. Others have little instrumentation or valves but buy these from others. Many of the companies purchase some of the components and act as integrators.

Industrial process automation is distinct from building, transportation or other automation segments. The major purchasers include the power, refining and oil and gas industries.  World revenues in 2013 are projected at $69 billion.

Instrumentation is the largest segment and is analyzed in detail in a separate McIlvaine publication Air and Water Monitoring (including liquids and gases). Control valves is another substantial segment. It is analyzed in Industrial Valves: World Markets.

The integration of systems along with software to change operations is the biggest growth area. It is presently a $9 billion market, but has potential to be much larger.

In 2013 the power industry will be the biggest purchaser of automation systems.

Coal-fired power plants will buy more automation systems than the other generator types (nuclear, gas, biomass, wind and solar) combined. This is due to the huge construction activities in Asia and the attractive economics of increasing energy efficiency at older power plants.

Oil and gas will be the second largest industry segment. The Middle East will generate the most revenue in this segment, but NAFTA is closing the gap. A large investment in automation is   required in hydraulic fracturing. In the U.S., there is a very large investment in extraction of liquids from the so-called wet shale in the west and gas from dry shale areas in Texas and Pennsylvania.

The market is also expanding due to the expenditures to liquefy natural gas. In the U.S., terminals which were built to import and gasify LNG are now being converted over to liquefy the U.S. shale gas and export it.

New regulations on fugitive emissions make the automation package more complex. Systems to capture gas now released during well completion incorporate a number of valves and other products which must be automated. The reclamation and reuse of wastewater is also an expanding application for automation systems.

Sub-sea applications challenge suppliers with requirements for high pressure and performance.  Because of the lack of human access, the automation system has a very high reliability requirement.

The transport of gas liquids, which are a by-product of the shale gas extraction, provide still another application. There are also plans to invest more than $20 billion in gas-to-liquid plants. These plants will take advantage of the disparity between natural gas and oil prices. These plants will each require automation and control of thousands of valves, along with separators, compressors, pumps and other products.

McIlvaine has created a ranking which is based on different criteria than most.  It includes revenues just for industrial process automation after deduction of control valves.  Siemens is the largest supplier followed by ABB and Emerson.

Yokogawa shows up higher on this list than one with general automation rankings for two reasons. The company does not make control valves and its primary focus is on the industrial sector.

The big long-range potential is to fully integrate advanced process automation with enterprise management.  One of the stumbling blocks has been a way to quantify social and economic alternatives. Various sustainability models are complex and not uniformly applicable. McIlvaine has created a common metric to measure all harm and good. It has also developed a database of important event odds, tribal factor impacts and the adjustment of future values to the present.

For more information on Air/Gas/Water/Fluid Treatment and Control: World Markets, click on: http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php?option=com_content&;view=article&id=71

$26 Billion Market for Mobile and Stationary Catalytic and Thermal Treatment

In 2013 just under $26 billion will be spent to remove carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and particulate carbon from stationary and mobile sources.  Ninety-two percent of the market purchases will be for mobile sources. This is the conclusion reached in Thermal/Catalytic World Air Pollution Markets published by the McIlvaine Company. ( www.mcilvainecompany.com)

Mobile Catalyst Sales ($ Millions)

Diesel Catalyst            12,420

Diesel Particulate          6,782

Gasoline Catalyst          4,727

Total                            23,929

Gasoline fueled vehicles typically use a 3-way catalyst (TWC) to convert three pollutants: carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and oxides of nitrogen (NO_x) to carbon dioxide (CO₂), water (H₂O) and nitrogen (N₂).

Diesel-fueled vehicles use a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), which uses oxygen (O₂) in the exhaust gas stream to convert carbon monoxide to CO₂ and hydrocarbons to H₂O and CO₂. These converters often operate at 90 percent efficiency, virtually eliminating diesel odor and helping to reduce visible particulates (soot). A DOC can reduce particulate matter (PM) by up to 50 percent, but more effective PM removal may be required and is achieved with diesel particulate filters (DPF).  NO_x emissions are more challenging, with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and NO_x traps (or NO_x Absorbers) as the two main removal techniques used. NO_x removal treatment is analyzed in a separate report.

Diesel particulate filters remove particulate matter found in diesel exhaust by filtering exhaust from the engine. The filters are commonly made from ceramic materials such as cordierite, aluminum titanate, mullite or silicon carbide. To ensure that particulates are oxidized at a sufficient rate, the filter must operate at a sufficient temperature and with oxidizing gases, which can be supplied by the exhaust gas stream in some systems.  This filter is referred to as the ‘passive’ filter, and regenerates continuously during the regular operation of the engine. Passive filters usually incorporate some form of a catalyst.

Sales of emission control systems are being driven by increased regulations.  European standards are setting the pace for the world, and many countries have adopted these or similar standards.  Low Emissions Zones are progressively implemented in many urban areas in Europe and these request diesel vehicles to meet a satisfactory level of exhaust emissions before they are allowed to drive inside the zone. In the state of California, the California Air Resources Board has mandated that all Class 7 and Class 8 heavy diesel trucks meet certain emission targets by 2016, with interim targets established for 2011, 2012 and 2013 such that 90 percent of current operating diesel trucks will be required to meet these targets by 2014. 

The industrial market for thermal treatment not including flares will be just under $1.9 billion in 2013.Top of Form

Stationary Thermal Treatment ($ Millions)

Subject                                 2013

Catalytic Oxidizer                   432

RCO                                          75

RTO                                        906

Thermal                                   484

Total                                      1,897

The biggest investment will be for regenerative thermal oxidizers (RTO).  Regenerative catalytic oxidizers were once thought to be an important development, but have never met expectations. Direct thermal is used where there is ample fuel value in the gas being treated.  Catalytic oxidation is used where there is enough fuel value that combustion will take place in the presence of a catalyst. The regenerative thermal approach is used where there is a low fuel value and it is important to recapture the heat of combustion in order minimize fuel consumption.

For more information on: Thermal/Catalytic World Air Pollution Markets, click on:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/air.html#n007.

Flat Roofs are the Perfect Home for Solar Panels

The flat roofs of commercial buildings provide an excellent base for solar installations. More and more companies are turning to solar installations to cut their energy costs. McIlvaine reports on these in Renewable Energy Projects and Update.

Large, New PV Solar Installation by Pacific Power Renewables Totally Powering the Aerospace Museum of California

Motech Americas, a solar company with a 20-year heritage of manufacturing the highest quality solar panels has announced the completion of a large solar PV project by Pacific Power Renewables that is now providing all the energy needs for the Aerospace Museum of California in McClellan, California just north of Sacramento. The museum is also playing a significant role in educating visitors and children with a new kiosk that explains solar energy in a fun, easy-to-understand format.

The 177.7 kW installation consists of 756, roof-mounted Motech 235 watt modules with an annual production of 265,430 kWh – enough to completely power the museum. Recent testing by the solar installer, Pacific Power Renewables revealed that this solar installation was producing electricity at 111 percent of expected kWh.

 Minnesota’s Largest Solar Array Now Plugged-in Atop IKEA Store as Company Reaches a Solar Presence of 70 Percent of its U.S. Locations

IKEA, the world's leading home furnishings retailer, officially plugged-in the solar panels installed at its Twin Cities store in Bloomington, MN – the state’s largest such photovoltaic array. The 142,000-square-foot PV array consists of a 1,014-kW system, built with 4,316 panels. IKEA Bloomington’s program will produce approximately 1,161,328 kWh of clean electricity annually. 

This installation represents the 31^st completed solar project for IKEA in the U.S., with eight locations underway, making the eventual U.S. solar presence of IKEA nearly 89 percent of its U.S. locations with a total generation of 38 MW. IKEA owns and operates each of its solar PV energy systems atop its buildings – as opposed to a solar lease or PPA – and globally has allocated €590 million to invest in renewable energy, focusing on solar and wind during the coming three years. This investment reinforces the long-term commitment of IKEA to sustainability and confidence in PV technology. More than 250,000 solar panels have been installed on IKEA stores and buildings across the world. The company also owns and/or operates approximately 110 wind turbines in Europe. 

For the development, design and installation of the Bloomington store’s customized solar power system, IKEA contracted with SoCore Energy, one of the largest commercial solar developers in the Midwest and developer of more than 65 U.S. commercial PV installations. 

Broadway Renewable Strategies Completes One of the Largest Rooftop PV Installations in the city of Boston

Broadway Renewable Strategies, a leading full service electrical construction company, along with the City of Boston and Cargo Ventures/Millennium Partners, hosted a ceremony on Drydock Avenue to commemorate the completion of one of the City of Boston’s largest rooftop Solar PV projects to date. The 568.7 kW system was installed on the city’s biggest building by volume, located at 21, 23 and 25 Drydock Avenue in the Innovation District.

 Broadway Renewable Energies, Cargo Venture/Millennium Partners, The Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) and Satcon collaborated on the 568.7 kW project as part of Mayor Menino’s Innovation District Solar Challenge. In addition, this project adds to the Mayor’s Solar Boston Initiative which aims to increase solar energy system capacity in Boston to 25 MW by 2015.

The project, which was installed under a PPA between Broadway Renewable Strategies and Cargo Ventures, received the Commonwealth Solar Stimulus Award in the amount of $471,780 from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, with no upfront capital investment required. Broadway Renewable Strategies was selected as the developer, Broadway Electrical Co., Inc. as the contractor, and Satcon was selected by Broadway to provide the inverters.

Envision Solar Breaks Ground on Tracking Solar Tree^® at General Motors’ Milford Proving Ground

Envision Solar International, a leading sustainable infrastructure product designer and developer, announced it has broken ground for the deployment of a Tracking Solar Tree^® with EnvisionTrak^™, Envision’s proprietary tracking solution and SunCharge^™, column integrated Electric Vehicle charging station, at General Motors’ Milford Proving Ground.

The patent pending, dual synchronous solar tracking system gives the array the ability to capture 25 percent more solar power than a conventional fixed solar canopy. The structure will produce up to 30,000 kWh a year and provide enough solar energy to charge six electric vehicles per day.

This deployment, part of a larger program, is the second Tracking Solar Tree^® on GM property. In November 2011, the two companies cut the ribbon on a Solar Tree^® at a GM site in Warren, MI. 

Unirac Partners with Sullivan & McLaughlin on 400 kW Installation for Critically Needed Hospital in Haiti

Unirac, Inc., a Hilti Group Company and North America’s leading provider of infrastructure for solar power systems, has provided Boston-based Sullivan & McLaughlin with a customized flat roof RapidRacG10 PV mounting solution to optimize a 400 kW solar installation atop the soon-to-be-opened Mirebalais Hospital, located 30 miles north of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. President Bill Clinton visited the construction site in March to view the hospital’s progress as part of the Clinton Global Initiative to boost renewable energy usage worldwide.

Haiti’s unstable power grid is exacerbated by its susceptibility to seismic activity and strong hurricanes. In addition, its energy prices are amongst the highest in the world. Together, these variables create an urgent demand for reliable energy, as well as unique challenges for PV installations.

This remarkable humanitarian project – a 180,000-square-foot, 320-bed public hospital – responds to an overwhelming need for medical care in a location that is in crisis. The installation is designed to meet the energy needs of the hospital, thus establishing independence from an energy source that is both unreliable and cost prohibitive, and may allow the facility to return extra capacity back to the power grid – benefitting the Haitian citizenry.

RapidRac G10’s versatility was a key benefit for the installation. Not only did it allow for the panels to be securely mounted 8 inches above the roof (for optimal heat dissipation), but it also maximized exposure with its expanded 10 degree tilt angle. “The entire installation was raised off the roof to avoid extreme heat build-up and to prevent roof flooding during the rainy season,” explains Hopkins.

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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