January 2015 - Power Air Quality Insights 192

Industrial Valve Summit will bring together decision makers involved in valve technologies and flow control solutions. The event was created to attract the entire supply chain of the valve industry and will be held every two years. If you are looking for growth in the valve technologies market, then IVS 2015 is a marketing solution to consider. Over 100 companies confirmed their participation at the fair, with more than 6,000 square meter of occupied floor space. The A-C section of the exhibitors includes:

Chinese Coal-fired Power Plants Will Continue To Spend More Than Other Countries Or Even Regions

Operators of coal-fired power plants in China will continue to invest more capital in their power plants than operators in other countries and, in fact, more than the operators in any region of the world. This is despite a slowdown in growth demand. A high level of investment activity leads the McIlvaine Company to this conclusion. McIlvaine tracks the individual plant spending continually in Chinese Utility Plans. (www.mcilvainecompany.com)

There are several reasons that spending will be higher than could be deduced from demand analyses:

· Part of the investment is replacement as thousands of small coal-fired industrial boilers are phased out.

The pollution problems in the big cities are continuing to drive environmental regulations as they apply to coal plants. The tough regulations in the current five-year plan have already been trumped by provincial and city requirements which are among the toughest in the world. They are known as 50/30/5/3. The limits are 50 mg/Nm³ of NO_x, 30 mg/Nm³ of SO₂, 5 mg/Nm³ of particulate. A tough mercury standard limits emissions to just 3 micrograms/Nm³.

Most of the power plants are going to have to make major investments in particulate control equipment The existing precipitators are unlikely to meet the nationwide 30 mg/Nm³ standard let alone the 5 mg/Nm³ local standard. Some power plants have already invested in wet precipitators. The existing dry precipitators remain. They are followed by scrubbers. The new wet precipitators are then added either at the scrubber exit (vertical design) or as a separate unit (horizontal design).

The most economical choice may be to gut the precipitator and install fabric filter bags. This will require the minimum amount of new ductwork. Many of the units have already installed selective catalytic reduction (SCR) to capture NO_x. Those who must address both particulate and NO_x will be attracted to a new hybrid design which utilizes catalyst embedded in the ceramic filter elements.

The Chinese have been able to extract valuable metals and rare earths from flyash. So capital investment can be offset by the revenues from the by-products.

Chinese plants are also subject to restrictions on water use and water pollution. Many plants have invested in air cooled condensers to avoid water consumption. Zero liquid discharge systems are also available to eliminate discharges to waterways.

Plant upgrades are dictated by the relatively high cost of fuel and resultant savings with increased efficiency. Also the original use of coatings rather than expensive high nickel alloy steels for some components has led to failures and replacement.

The willingness of Chinese plants to improve efficiency and to buy higher cost products from international suppliers was demonstrated by the success of one U.S. manufacturer of FGD oxidation blowers. Over the last 18 months, the company has received a number of orders for their blowers even though the price was higher than the local competition. The higher efficiency was cited as the basis of the choice. A U.S. supplier of seals for rotary air heaters is successful in the Chinese market even though the product cost is substantially above seals made by Chinese suppliers.

Dry scrubbers account for less than 8 percent of scrubber sales but, with near double-digit growth over the next decade, this segment will be a leader. This is the conclusion of the McIlvaine Company in Scrubber/Adsorber/Biofilter World Markets. (www.mcilvainecompany.com)

Subject	2014
Total	6,805
Absorber	3,105
Adsorber	1,306
Biofilter	533
Dry Scrubber	531
Other	261
Particulate	1,069

Dry scrubbers will take market share away from the absorber segment due to their high efficiency on aerosols, the development of new designs, and increasing concerns about water pollution with the use of absorber technology.

The industrial scrubber forecasts do not include coal-fired power plants. These power plants are also moving to dry scrubbing. However, this application is equal to all the industrial applications in terms of market size and is treated separately in FGD World Markets.

Dry scrubbers have taken most of the market away from absorbers in waste-to-energy plants. Operators of kilns in cement, mining and chemical processing are also opting for dry scrubber technology. There are three dry scrubber options. One is the spray drier absorber (SDA). Another is the circulating dry scrubber (CDS). A third alternative is dry sorbent injection (DSI) in the ductwork.

The SDA technology includes the same spray drier technology used to make instant coffee and powdered soft drinks. The CDS technology takes several different forms. One is a circulating fluid bed. The DSI is a simple process which necessitates injecting a powdered sorbent into the duct ahead of the particulate collector.

Industrial boiler and cement plant operators in the U.S. are opting for dry sorbent injection even though the operating costs (sorbent consumption) are quite high. The reason is the uncertainty about the future regulations on greenhouse gases. Operators of industrial boilers may end up replacing solid waste boilers with gas turbines to meet future environmental limits. So a big capital investment in the SDA or CDS technology is risky.

China has just started to switch from wet absorbers to dry scrubbers. The country operates the largest CDS scrubbers ever built for coal-fired power plants. It uses dry scrubbers at most waste incineration plants and is looking to do so as it invests in scrubber technology for industrial boilers.

NV Energy has announced that it is seeking proposals to secure an additional 100 megawatts of renewable energy resources for Southern Nevada customers as part of its 2015 Request for Proposals (RFP) for renewable energy resources. The 2015 RFP will be combined with the previously issued 2014 renewable energy RFP for a total of up to 200 megawatts of new renewable energy resources.

The company had issued a 100-megawatt Renewable Energy RFP in October 2014, with plans to issue an additional 100 megawatt RFP in late 2015. However, in response to comments raised by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada and interested stakeholders regarding the ability to develop additional renewable energy resources prior to the expiration of certain federal energy tax credits and other public-interest benefits, the Commission recently issued an order that requested NV Energy to accelerate issuance of the 2015 RFP and combine it with the previously-issued 2014 RFP for evaluation and negotiations with winning bidders. Bidders in the original 2014 RFP will be provided an opportunity to refresh their original proposals.

FPL Announces Plans to Install More than 1 Million Solar Panels at Three Additional Solar Power Plants

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) announced details about its plans to build substantially more solar energy capacity as part of its ongoing strategy of advancing clean energy while keeping electricity affordable for customers.

Before the end of 2016, FPL intends to build three new solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants that are being designed to cost-effectively complement other major system improvements, which include the retirement of some of the company's oldest fossil fuel-burning units and the continued investment in clean, fuel-efficient, 24-hour power generated from U.S.-produced natural gas and zero-emissions nuclear fuel.

FPL has identified three sites with built-in advantages, such as the existence of sufficient transmission and substation infrastructure, which reduce the overall cost of building new solar plants.

In the coming months, FPL intends to present detailed plans to the local communities identified as the most likely locations for new solar plants. The anticipated plants and sites are:

•FPL Citrus Solar Energy Center – DeSoto County, near Florida's first large-scale solar plant, which FPL commissioned in 2009

•FPL Babcock Ranch Solar Energy Center – Charlotte County, in coordination with and with the support of the county and the Babcock Ranch community

•FPL Manatee Solar Energy Center – Manatee County, on the site of an existing fuel-efficient natural gas power plant that FPL operates

Each of the new plants is being designed for roughly 74 megawatts of capacity. With support from the local communities, FPL would begin construction on the plants later this year and complete them by the end of 2016.

IFC, OPIC, Canada Provide $62.7 Million for Jamaica’s Largest Private Sector Wind Farm

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, with the support of the Government of Canada and along with the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC, the U.S. Government’s development finance institution) will help BMR Jamaica Wind Ltd. build, operate and maintain a 36.3 MW capacity wind farm about 90 km west of Kingston. This will be the largest renewable energy project developed by the private sector in Jamaica.

The U.S.$62.7 million financing package consists of a $42.7 million senior loan from OPIC, a U.S.$10 million senior loan from IFC’s own account, and a U.S.$10 million loan from the IFC-Canada Climate Change Program, which promotes private sector financing for clean energy projects and will help make the financing package viable.

Jamaica’s dependence on outdated oil-fired electricity generation has led to high electricity prices, which create a burden on the economy. This project is in line with Jamaica’s National Energy Policy, which has set a goal of diversifying the country’s energy matrix.

Abengoa and AWT to Develop the World’s First Solar Powered Desalination Plant in Saudi Arabia

Abengoa has been selected by Advanced Water Technology (AWT) to jointly develop the world’s first large-scale desalination plant to be powered by solar energy, in Saudi Arabia. AWT is a newly formed company based in Riyadh whose mission is to bring affordable water solutions through innovation and sustainability. It is the commercial arm of KACST (King Abdulaziz City Science and Technology) and is owned by Taqnia. The plant will produce 60,000 m3 of water a day to supply Al Khafji City in North Eastern Saudi Arabia, ensuring a constant water supply throughout the year.

This is a global pioneering project since it incorporates a photovoltaic plant that will be capable of supplying the power required by the desalination process, significantly reducing the operational costs. It will also have a system to optimize power consumption and a pre-treatment phase to reduce the high level of salinity and the oils and fats that are present in the region’s seawater.

A partnership between Duke Energy, the Department of the Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps will lead to a 13-megawatt (AC) solar facility being built at the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Onslow County, N.C.

The facility will be owned and operated by Duke Energy Progress (DEP) and is expected online in 2015. It will help Duke Energy further its commitment to renewable energy, diversify its energy mix and meet the N.C. Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard.

Covering 80 acres, the 13-MW solar facility (or 17 MW DC) will connect to the electric grid at a DEP-owned substation on military property. The power will be available to DEP customers. Camp Lejeune will continue to purchase power from DEP.

Crowder Construction Services, based in Charlotte, will serve as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor. The project will use monocrystalline solar panels supplied by SolarWorld Americas, based in Oregon. GE’s Power Conversion business will supply its Brilliance 2-stage Ultra tracking inverters to be built out of their Pittsburgh facility.

“Gas Turbine Regulatory Drivers” is the “Hot Topic” on February 5, 2015

Federal ambient air standards and State permitting hurdles for new plants provide a considerable challenge to operators. Ambient NO_x, and particulate limits are very complex and vary from state to state. Some developers have opted for dry cooling just to avoid delays in obtaining water permits. A discussion of these issues and ways to address them will be addressed by the following:

Jeff Connors and Bob Hall of AECOM will cover “Recent Air Permitting Issues for New Combined Cycle Power Plants” including:

5) Showing Compliance With the PM_2.5 24-hr and Annual NAAQS Considering that the Significant Impact Levels For PM_2.5Have Been Vacate and PM_2.5 Modeling Guidance Also Requires Certain Bruce Rising, Strategic Business Management, Power Systems Sales will address the general regulations.

Bruce Rising, Strategic Business Management, Power Systems Sales will address the general regulations, technology for compliance and operational factors as well as the regulatory hurdles.

Josua Gillespie, Sales and Proposals Manager, EmeraChem will discuss how to comply with CO and

· Kansas City Power & Light will stop using Coal at some of its Generating Units

· B&W to design and manufacture Supercritical Coal-fired Boiler and SCR for Duyen Hai 3 in Vietnam

· GE to provide Natural Gas Turbines for Allen Power Plant in Memphis, TN

· Repower signs Contracts with GE and Iberdrola for CHEMPARK Leverkusen, Germany Combined Cycle Power Plant

· J Power Safety Checks begin at MOX-fueled Nuclear Power Project in Japan

· Surge in Demand for PPS for Hot Gas Filtration may cause Supply Problems

· U.S. Utilities will spend more than $20 Billion/yr for New Gas Turbine Facilities

· APS seeking Proposals for expansion of Ocotillo Power Plant in Tempe, Arizona

· FGD Agitators and Blowers Options were analyzed in the Hot Topic Hour Yesterday

· “MATS Status and Compliance Options” will be the Hot Topic on January 29

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 5, 2015	Gas Turbine Regulatory Drivers	More Information
February 12, 2015	Coal Gasification Air Pollution Control	More Information
February 19, 2015	Mercury Measurement and Capture	More Information
February 26, 2015	Power Plant Wastewater Treatment	More Information
March 5, 2015	Dry Scrubbing and DSI	More Information