Subject: Chinese fabric filter market and technology
McIlvaine is reporting extensively on the Chinese market
The Third China International Filtration Exhibition & Conference and Bag Filter Shanghai 2004 were both held last week in separate exhibition centers. Offshore companies setting up production and local companies expanding to meet the growing needs reflected the prevailing dynamic atmosphere.
The Chinese coal-fired power industry is expanding at the incredible rate of over 30,000 MW per year. Furthermore, a significant percentage of the 280,000 MW of installed precipitators will have to be upgraded or replaced with baghouses. Exhibits at both conferences reflected the awareness of this need.
How Many Fabric Filters will be installed in Chinese Power Plants?
Lantor has just started up a new needle felt roll goods operation in China and is gearing up for a big power plant market. Their customers, who are the bag and equipment suppliers, are optimistic about the growth. Lantor and H&V had big booths at the Filtration Conference. Companies which actually make bags such as Testori, BWF, GE Energy (formerly BHA) Heimbach, Kayser, Albany, and Midwesco were exhibitors at Bag Filter Shanghai.
Presently large bag filters on power plants have been installed in Inner Mongolia where the coal has very high ash quantity and electrostatic precipitators have performed poorly. XinZhong Environmental Protective Equipment Co. Ltd. has installed bag filters at the Mongolian-Chifeng Fulong Cogeneration plant. It has also installed bag filters at Zhangiagang Thermal Power, Tianjin Development Zone No 5 Thermal and at the cogeneration facilities of Hebei Cangzhou Chemical Group.
We had reported some months ago that bids for the 300 MW Tang Toudian fabric filter were being evaluated. Tsinghua Tongfan Environment Company has supplied fabric filters for the 2 x 200 MW Mongolia Feng Tai plant. Albany has supplied 9,000 bags for the Henan Jiaozuo No. 3. They also have the order for approximately the same number of PPS bags for boiler No. 4.
There is also a big need for dust filters to reduce dust at coal handling transfer points. XinZhong has supplied the conveyor filters for the 2 x 300 MW Taicang Huaneng Power Plant and for the 2 x 600 MW Huarun Power, Changshu.
It is estimated that there are close to 10,000 MW of fabric filters either installed or on order for installation in Chinese power plants. This is impressive considering that there were no installations a few years ago. Bag filters are likely to replace precipitators at those power plants in China which are in or nearby large cities. What percentage of the 280,000 MW will be replaced with bag filters is unclear. It is also unclear as to how much of the new construction will be fitted with bag filters. It is likely that over 30,000 MW of new coal-fired boilers will be added each year for the foreseeable future.
Most of the coal burned in the new plants will be low in sulfur. Therefore it is possible to use spray drier baghouses for both desulfurization and flyash collection. Wulff has been successful in selling the circulating fluid bed absorber for a number of new Chinese power plants. These dry scrubbers can be fitted with either a baghouse or a precipitator for the gypsum and flyash collection.
Speakers at Both Conferences Cover Developing Technology for Power Plant Use
Bob McIlvaine led off the Filtration Conference with the observation that China represented the biggest market for power plant filtration. Andre Lang of Jacob Holm Industries told attendees that Norafin is 10 to 15 percent less expensive than needle punched nonwovens. The new manufacturing process can be used with P 84 and Nomex fibers and provides lower dust emissions. Ken Rubow of Mott outlined the advantages of sintered metal media. McIlvaine has been intrigued with the possibility of using sintered metal media ahead of the SCR to cut the size and maintenance problems associated with the catalyst. So the power industry needs to pay close attention to the development of media which can withstand 850°F.
At Bag Filter Shanghai, B. Yetter of GE Energy described Max 9 which is a hybrid ESP and baghouse with improved performance and maintenance features. Wuhan Tiancheng Environmental Protection Science & Technology Co. Ltd. discussed pulse cleaning technologies for fabric filters. Xianen Savings Environmental Industrial Company analyzed the latest technology for using PPS filter media for power plant applications. Nanjing Long Yuan Environmental Engineering Co. Ltd. provided details on the operation and maintenance on a bag collector installed at a 200 MW Chinese power plant. Mike Mullendore of EEC testified to the success in the application of eight meter long bags for utility boilers.
Will China be Ready for the Power Plant Environmental Challenges?
The answer is a qualified "Yes." Offshore and local suppliers are rapidly building up capabilities. There is even some local high performance fiber development. Guangdong Charming supplies a high temperature Aramid Fiber which has proven to provide acceptable performance. Most offshore suppliers are reporting success in moving forward. Some are purchasing land and building facilities, others are leasing production facilities, and still others are importing. So despite a very large market there will be production to serve it.
Chinese coverage in both the fabric filter knowledge system and World Fabric Filter and Element Market report
The next fabric filter newsletter will be entirely devoted to activities in China.. The networking directory and Abstracts will round out the increased coverage of China.
The market report will continue to assess the split between fabric filters and ESPs for power plants, cement kilns, and other operations.
For more information on the Fabric Filter Knowledge System, click on http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/air.html#online .
For more information on the Fabric Filters and Elements: World Markets, click on:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/air.html#N021 .
Bob McIlvaine
847-784-0012