FGD and DeNOx
NEWSLETTER

 

May 2020
No. 505

 

 

Table of Contents

 

MARKETS

 

·         Win the War with Coronavirus Technology Solutions

·         McIlvaine Provides a Coronavirus Solution Bridge Between Suppliers and the Food Processing Industry

·         World Coal Capacity Grew By 34 GW Last Year

·         New Report from IEA on Coal Ash Beneficiation

 

BUSINESS

 

·         New Company Name for Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems

·         Thermax Revenues Were Up in the Third Quarter Last Year

 

INDUSTRY NEWS

 

·         Review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter

·         B&W Volund Awarded Plant Service Contracts for Waste-to-Energy Customers in U.K., Denmark

·         EPC Contract Worth $1.5 Billion for Development of a Waste-to-Energy Plant in Singapore

·         Revised Rules for Coal Refuse Firing Power Plants

·         Low-NOx Emissions Control at the Major Power Plants: Hong Kong Selects ENVEA

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MARKETS

 

Win the War with Coronavirus Technology Solutions

 

Shelter in place may have won the first battle but not the war with COVID. The war needs to be won not by defense but by attacking with the right strategy and weapons. Attacking without regard to lives lost is similar to the slaughter in the trenches in WWI.

 

The weapons are available to win the war with minimum sacrifice. New research shows that the enemy has airborne capabilities of which we previously were unaware. But there is newly developed technology for a successful attack. Coronavirus Technology Solutions provides the successful battle plan. It is based on understanding the needs and the ways to meet those needs.

 

It starts with anticipating the potential case load by season and country in the coming months under various scenarios. This analysis defines the needs.

 

A proactive program is then formulated around those needs. Implementation includes obtaining agreement as to the efficacy of the program. The new research shows that it is not the foot soldiers but the air force which is the biggest danger. This needs to be communicated. The devil is in the details. For each factor we need to consider a number of variables.

 

Potential Case Load:  When there are reports of the minimum infectious dose being as low as 10 virions combined with reports that a lusty singer in a Washington state church choir was able to exhale thousands of virions per minute and infect 45 out 60 safely distanced members it is clear that the enemy air force is a real danger. McIlvaine has been involved for decades in the analysis of transmission of small particles in the air. This phenomenon is at the heart of air pollution, indoor air and cleanroom technology where McIlvaine has multiple publications.

 

The potential case load is also a function of development of new vaccines and therapies and the production of sufficient quantities to protect billions of people. This requires a huge investment not only by pharmaceutical companies but by contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs). McIlvaine has a service which is tracking the progress of each potential vaccine and therapy.  Forecasts for a range filtration products are being made in part based on assumptions relative to the success and timing of vaccine and therapy availability.

 

Identify Needs:  Removing aerosols requires filter media which removes 0.3-micron particles but allows the wearer to breathe easily. There is a scarcity of melt blown filter media, but nanofiber membrane media is available which is washable and meets the requirements.  McIlvaine is tracking the availability of media as well as reagents and other test kit components.

 

Design Proactive Program:  There is a combination of systems, components and consumables which need to be available and in combination provide safety at reasonable costs. These products and services are being analyzed on a daily basis.

 

Implement the Program:  McIlvaine is interfacing with hospitals, food processors, restaurants and other end users. It is conducting webinars with presentations by experts in filtration and healthcare. A bridge between suppliers and users is created.

 

Collaboration:  The pandemic is a problem for the world. The fact that the demand is peaking at different times in different countries offers an opportunity for a world approach. The fact that South Korea can supply large numbers of test kits is because of a large investment in automated cleanrooms. It is no coincidence that Samsung Biologics provides more than a quarter of the world’s contract biopharmaceutical production. The first successful vaccine could come from any country. Suppliers can also collaborate to a much greater extent. Suppliers of foot sanitizers walk through temperature scanners; fan filter units and air monitors all have complementary products.

 

Cost effective and Safe Solution:  The program provides a way to return to near normal quickly and safely. 

 

Click here for more information on Coronavirus Technology Solutions.  Bob McIlvaine can answer your questions at 847.226.2391 or rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com.

 

McIlvaine Provides a Coronavirus Solution Bridge Between Suppliers and the Food Processing Industry

 

Food processors around the world employ millions of workers and generate trillions of dollars in annual sales. The U.S meat packing industry has reported over 10,000 coronavirus cases. At least 170 plants in 29 states have had one or more workers test positive for the coronavirus. Social distancing is not an option as shown by this poultry processing plant.

 

The initiative to install partitions and to choose masks less efficient than N95 will not be a solution. Instead a whole suite of control technologies with foot sanitizers, fan filter units, laminar air flow, N95 masks and other PPE will be the answer

 

McIlvaine is acting as a bridge between suppliers and food processors to help them understand their options and make the best decisions for their plants. Daily Alerts, interviews and webinars are part of the McIlvaine program. The daily Alerts have details on specific plant problems and solutions which are cost effective. They can be searched as per the example for “pork” below:

 

Search results for: pork

10 results found.

 

Sorted by relevance/Sort by date

 

(1)  McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Ale

...April 16, 2020 Ventilation and Filtration Important in Buildings to Mitigate the Virus Impact Pork Processing Plant in South Dakota Tries to Cope with 600 COVID Cases Meat Processing Plants ...

 

(2)  McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Ale

...for JBS, the American subsidiary of the world's largest processor of fresh beef and pork. This week there probably will be around 500,000 head processed at U.S...

 

(3)  McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Ale

...scanner purchases. So far, the scanners have been installed in four facilities; pork plants in Iowa and Indiana and poultry plants in Arkansas and Georgia. The company ...

 

(4)   McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Ale

...Workers Return to Wisconsin Meat Plant with 85 Positive Cases 116 COVID Cases at Oklahoma Pork Plant UNMC Provides a Draft Guidance on HVAC and Masks for Meat Processors ___...

 

(5)  McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Ale

... That has a big implication for Hong Kong, which imported all of its fresh pork and 94 per cent of its fresh beef from mainland China. Billion Dollar Meat...

 

(6)  McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Ale

...which are federally inspected. In March, the country saw meat, beef and pork production reach record highs, according to the US Agriculture Department (USDA) ....

 

(7)  McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Ale

...improve product quality. Studies have shown that cleaner environments can result in extension of pork shelf life by 12 days. Here are some of the mitigation technologies which can...

 

(8)  McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Ale

...been investigated and deemed unfounded. In Buchanan County, Missouri, a Triumph Foods pork plant in St. Joseph is the only cluster of virus outbreaks, said Mary...

 

(9)  McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Ale

 

.... These facilities represent more than 1 in 3 of the nation's biggest beef, pork and poultry processing plants. Rates of infection around these plants are higher than those...

 McIlvaine assists suppliers reaching those with needs as per the following example.

 

Over 500,000 people work in the animal slaughtering and processing industry in the U.S. 331,000 are in production. The top 100 U.S. based meat processing companies employ more than 500,000 people but many are not in the plants. Nevertheless, office workers will need to be protected as well.

 

Food processing is just one of the applications covered in this worldwide service.

 

Coronavirus Technology Solutions Click here for more information

 

Bob McIlvaine can answer your questions at rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com or by cell at 847.226.2391.

 

World Coal Capacity Grew By 34 GW Last Year

 

Coal-burning capacity grew by 34.1 gigawatts in 2019, according to “Boom and Bust 2020. Tracking the Global Coal Plant Pipeline,” a report by the Sierra Club, Global Energy Monitor, Greenpeace and the Centre for Energy and Clean Air. While the authors lamented the growth in China, they also noted signs that the world is moving away from coal — the biggest cause of manmade greenhouse gas emissions — such as the accelerating decline in capacity elsewhere, and a drop in the amount of power generated coal worldwide. They also noted that plants aren’t running full bore.

 

“The good news is that capacity doesn’t equal emissions,” Rachel Cleetus, Climate and Energy Program Policy Director for the Union of Concerned Scientists, told Karma. “We have seen a lot of unused capacity. Plants are running at under 50 percent of capacity much of the time.”

 

The rise in China’s coal capacity is a result of a surge in permit approvals between 2014 and 2016, the authors said. The country’s power industry is advocating for a capacity target in the nation’s next five-year plan that would allow for 200 more coal-fired plants by 2025. This comes as many of the new plants sit idle or underused, with 40 percent of the capacity that was added last year being relegated to emergency back-up status, according to the report.

 

“For China, it is still unclear whether proposals to build new plants will be approved,” Han Chen, international energy policy manager at the Natural Resources Defense Council, told Karma. “And given the low average utilization rate of existing coal plants in China, it’s unclear how much new added coal capacity would impact total coal consumption annually.”

 

New Report from IEA on Coal Ash Beneficiation

 

As coal plants in Europe and the U.S. shut down, there is an increasing need to import flyash. Details on the worldwide situation are provided in a new report.

 

Flyash, formerly regarded as a coal power waste material, was collected and stockpiled. Now, it is considered environmentally and economically advantageous to maximize commercial use of this byproduct. Worldwide, the total consumption of flyash exceeds 60 percent although this figure can approach 100 percent in specific regions. For example, cement products containing up to 50 percent flyash provide an enhanced construction material. Inclusion of ash in cement is one of the most significant industrial means to reduce carbon intensity in the construction industry due to the high energy demand of cement manufacture.

 

Global changes to the coal power industry are reflected in flyash production, which is dominated by Asia, while there are shortages in the USA and Western Europe. International flyash exports from Asia and Eastern Europe are currently estimated at US$100 million per year. Amid rising demand, the market price of flyash has risen and is currently one-third that of cement.

 

The varied industrial applications of flyash include:

 

Construction and engineering materials: concrete, bricks, blocks and geopolymers. Incorporation of ash into construction materials leads to a product possessing enhanced strength that is especially important in complex engineering projects such as bridge, tunnel and dam structures, and as a structural road-fill material.

 

Agriculture: ash possessing low levels of contaminants is suitable for agricultural use, to improve key soil indicators such as carbon content, water retention and fertility.

 

Mineral extraction: The extraction of valuable elements (such as rare earths and germanium) from flyash is significant to the renewable energy and aerospace industries, while flyash can also be a source of aluminum.

 

Advanced materials: composites, ceramics, fillers, zeolites and proppants: Flyash is increasingly applied in the manufacture of advanced composite materials to extend the material properties and replace valuable metals.

 

https://www.iea-coal.org/report/beneficial-uses-of-coal-fly-ash-ccc-303/

 

 

BUSINESS

 

New Company Name for Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems

 

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS), a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, announced its new company name, Mitsubishi Power, and will also adopt a new corporate brand logo. Under its new name, Mitsubishi Power will work to enhance its reputation around the world as one of the companies enabling the decarbonization of electric power.

 

Mitsubishi Power, as one of the core subsidiaries of MHI Group, offers cutting-edge technologies and energy solutions for the power industry, supporting affordable and reliable power supplies in regions throughout the world. Further, by providing new technologies to reduce and eliminate CO2 emissions at the point of power generation and storage, Mitsubishi Power is a key participant in creating a decarbonized economy and helping to resolve the challenges facing the global society.

 

The new brand logo combines the three diamonds figurative mark of Mitsubishi with the English company name. The logo font, a roundish, modern design in a gothic typeface, was adopted to present an image of the advanced, environment-friendly power generation technologies that Mitsubishi Power seeks to offer, while at the same time expresses a corporate stance of responding flexibly to society changes.

 

The company has been planning to change its name following the transfer of all stock held by Hitachi, Ltd. to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. Mitsubishi Power will begin operating under the new name once it receives approvals from antitrust authorities in several countries, and necessary procedures for the stock transfer have been completed.

 

Thermax Revenues Were Up in the Third Quarter Last Year

 

For the 3rd quarter of FY 2019-20, Thermax posted consolidated operating revenue of Rs. 1410 crore, down 2 percent as compared to Rs.437 crore in the corresponding quarter, last year. Profit after tax (PAT) stood at Rs. 85 crore as compared to Rs. 75 crore (includes the company’s share of profit/loss in joint venture) in 3rd quarter, last year. The Environment segment of the company has bagged a second large Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) order of Rs. 431 crores during the quarter from a public-private joint venture power company for its thermal power plant in Jharkhand. Order booking for the quarter, at the consolidated level, was at Rs. 1606 crore (Rs. 1,480 crore), up 8.5 percent. As on December 31, 2019, Thermax Group had an order balance of Rs. 5,439 crore (Rs. 6,475 crore), down 16 percent. On a standalone basis, from continuing operations, Thermax posted operating revenue of Rs. 850 crore for the quarter, compared to Rs. 847 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. PAT for the quarter was 58 crore as compared to last year’s Rs. 26 crore.

 

INDUSTRY NEWS

 

Review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter

 

Based on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) review of the air quality criteria and the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM), the Administrator has reached proposed decisions on the primary and secondary PM NAAQS. With regard to the primary standards meant to protect against fine particle exposures (i.e., annual and 24- hour PM2.5 standards), the primary standard meant to protect against coarse particle exposures (i.e., 24-hour PM10 standard), and the secondary PM2.5 and PM10 standards, the EPA proposes to retain the current standards, without revision.

 

Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 84 / Thursday, April 30, 2020 / Proposed Rules

 

B&W Volund Awarded Plant Service Contracts for Waste-to-Energy Customers in U.K., Denmark

 

Babcock & Wilcox Vølund A/S (Vølund), a subsidiary of Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc. (B&W), has been awarded a multi-year service contract for two U.K. waste-to-energy plants owned by Viridor, and a plant upgrade service contract for Frederikshavn Forsyning A/S’s combined heat and power waste-to-energy plant in Frederikshavn, Denmark. The combined value of the contracts is more than $4 million.

 

Under the first agreement, Vølund will provide inspection, maintenance and optimization services for equipment it previously supplied to Viridor’s low-carbon heat and energy facilities. The second agreement calls for Vølund to design and install new equipment and provide diagnostic services for the Frederikshavn plant’s boiler.

 

“With its decades of experience and knowledge, Vølund is well-positioned to provide maintenance, field engineering, upgrades and parts to renewable energy plants in Europe,” said Jimmy Morgan, Senior Vice President, The Babcock & Wilcox Company. “These two contracts are reflective of the many emerging opportunities as we expand our renewable energy business worldwide.”

 

“We thank Frederikshavn Forsyning and Viridor for the confidence they have shown in us,” Morgan said.

 

Vølund’s plant services include upgrades and optimizations that can help maintain stable operation, increased energy output, and achieve emission levels that comply with today’s standards and legislation. Vølund also manufactures replacement parts to ensure plant availability for daily operations and avoid unexpected shutdowns. Learn more about Vølund’s biomass, waste-to-energy and fossil fuel plant services at babcock.com.

 

EPC Contract Worth $1.5 Billion for Development of a Waste-to-Energy Plant in Singapore

 

A Keppel-led consortium has received the Letter of Acceptance from Singapore’s National Environment Agency for an EPC contract worth more than $1.5-bn for the development of a waste-to-energy plant and a materials recovery facility at the country’s new Tuas Nexus IWMF1.

 

The consortium comprises Keppel Seghers Engineering Singapore (the environmental engineering arm of Keppel Infrastructure), China Harbour (Singapore) Engineering and ST Engineering Marine, part of Singapore Technologies Engineering.

 

The IWMF is a state-of-the-art flagship facility developed to help Singapore achieve greater environmental sustainability. Besides the waste-to-energy plant and a materials recovery facility, it will also comprise a food waste treatment and sludge incineration plant.

 

The contract will see the design and build of a 2900 tons per day waste-to-energy facility and a 250 tons per day materials recovery facility as part of the IWMF Phase 1 development. To be co-located with PUB’s Tuas Water Reclamation Plant at the Tuas View Basin site, they will be among the largest of such facilities in Singapore when they are completed in 2024.

 

Based on Keppel Seghers’ proprietary technology, the waste facility will generate sufficient electricity to sustain the operations of Tuas Nexus IWMF Phase 1 and the initial phase of Tuas WRP, with excess electricity for export to the grid.

 

The state-of-the-art WTE facility will feature Keppel Seghers’ air-cooled grate, boiler design, and advanced combustion system. In addition, the facility’s wet flue gas cleaning system will ensure the facility’s emissions comply with Singapore’s regulatory requirements and standards.

 

China Harbor will undertake the civil, structural and landscaping scope of the project, while ST Engineering’s Marine arm will be responsible for the construction of the MRF, power-island and the balance of plant.

 

With advanced technologies to sort metals, paper, cardboard and plastics automatically, the MRF will improve sorting efficiency, contributing towards the overall recycling rate in Singapore.

 

The consortium will work closely with NEA, as well as their consultants — a multi-disciplinary consultancy team led by Black & Veatch and AECOM, in association with Ramboll, for the design, construction and commissioning of this flagship project.

 

Revised Rules for Coal Refuse Firing Power Plants

 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking final action establishing a subcategory of certain existing electric utility steam generating units (EGUs) firing eastern bituminous coal refuse (EBCR) for acid gas hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions that was noticed in a February 7, 2019, proposed rule titled ‘‘National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Coal- and Oil- Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units — Reconsideration of Supplemental Finding and Residual Risk and Technology Review’’ (2019 Proposal). After consideration of public comments, the EPA has determined that there is a need for such a subcategory under the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Coal- and Oil-Fired EGUs, commonly known as the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), and the Agency is establishing acid gas HAP emission standards applicable only to the new subcategory.

 

Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 73 / Wednesday, April 15, 2020 / Rules and Regulations

 

Low-NOx Emissions Control at the Major Power Plants: Hong Kong Selects ENVEA

 

Hong Kong has been facing two air pollution issues, namely local street-level pollution, and regional smog problem, caused by a combination of pollutants from motor vehicles, marine vessels, industry and power plants both in Hong Kong and in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region. Nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and respirable suspended particulates (RSP) continue to be the three major air pollutants in Hong Kong.

 

Combustion of coal for electricity generation inevitably leads to emission of Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and other air pollutants. To improve the air quality, the HK Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government has been tightening emission allowances from the power plants and set extremely strict limits in terms of industrial emissions for new projects of thermal electric power stations. That includes a 5 mg/Nm3 limit value for NOx, as well as continuing to apply European standards EN 15267 (QAL 1-2-3).

 

Facing this challenge, Black Point and Lamma Power Stations have retrofitted advanced pollutant abatement facilities in some of their older electricity generation units and have built extensions.

 

These are using low NOx combustion combined cycles technology paired with DeNOx treatment systems that have been implemented by major engineering companies that are Siemens and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd.

 

In order to comply with the new low NOx regulations and continuously monitor the emissions limit values, QAL 1 certified last generation equipment have been required.

 

As a consequence, ENVEA has been chosen by the integrators to equip both power plants with CEMS monitoring solutions based on MIR 9000H and MIR 9000 CLD gas monitors, holding the lowest NOx range on the market certified QAL1. The system on Lamma Island (Unit 10) implemented end of 2019 has been intensively tested and approved as fully compliant (QAL 2) by the local authorities in the first quarter of 2020.

 

The low NOx combustion system retrofit projects not only significantly reduced the NOx emissions level of the two power generation units, but also enhanced their combustion efficiency when burning coal of different grades.

 

These projects showcase the winning strategy of Hong Kong that pursues of a very low emission energy production plan, with the possibility of a total removal of coal power plants in the years to come.

 

FGD and DeNOx Newsletter No. 505