FABRIC
FILTER       NEWSLETTER 

  

April 2022, No.558

MARKETS

 

COAL FIRED BOILERS

 

BIOMASS

COMPANY NEWS

 

 

MARKETS

Air, Water, Energy (AWE) Suppliers Can Guide Program to Replace Russian Energy

AWE products are critical in producing various fuels to replace Russian oil and gas. The free world is united in a program to achieve this replacement. People are motivated in a way not seen since the OPEC oil embargo in 1973. At that time an alternative fuels program was immediately launched. In retrospect the technology choices were not optimum. The AWE industry can lead governments and purchasers to the best choices in the current crisis.

In 2021, Russian crude and condensate output reached 10.5 million barrels per day (bpd), making up 14% of the world’s total supply. Russia has oil and gas production facilities throughout the country, but the bulk of its fields are concentrated in western and eastern Siberia. In 2021 Russia exported an estimated 4.7 million bpd of crude to countries around the world. China is the largest importer of Russian crude (1.6 million bpd), but Russia exports a significant volume to buyers in Europe (2.4 million bpd).

Russia is the world’s second-largest producer of natural gas, behind the United States, and has the world’s largest gas reserves. Russia is the world’s largest gas exporter. In 2021 the country produced 762 bcm of natural gas and exported approximately 210 bcm via pipeline.

Russia has a wide-reaching gas export pipeline network, both via transit routes through Belarus and Ukraine, and via pipelines sending gas directly into Europe (including  Nord Stream, Blue Stream, and TurkStream pipelines).  Russia completed work on the Nord Stream II pipeline in 2021, but the German government decided not to approve certification in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russian natural gas accounted for 45% of imports and almost 40% of European Union gas demand in 2021.

It will be more difficult for Russia to sell its gas if Europe does not purchase it. Oil is more easily delivered around the world. However, oil sold to China or India at a discount will substantially reduce Russian revenues. Furthermore the lack of international products including pumps will make production less efficient.

AWE products will play a major role in providing alternative fuels for Europe and other free countries.

Impact of Alternative Fuels on the AWE Industry

Classification

Technology

10 year impact on the AWE market - $ billions

Life extension of alternatives

Nuclear

15

Coal

18

Substitute fuels for gas fired plants

Hydrogen from electrolyzers

3

Hydrogen from steam methane reformation

15

Ammonia

6

Gasified coal and CCS

9

Solid fuel plants

Coal with CCS

12

Biomass with CCS

27

Energy efficiency

Improved  AWE designs

6

Combined Heat and Power

10

 

This is the impact over 10 years of replacing Russian energy. Even though the primary activity will be in Europe, higher gas and oil prices around the world will also incentivize other countries to select alternative options. The largest potential is bioenergy with carbon sequestration. The 4000 MW Drax power plant in the UK is now burning wood pellets primarily imported from the U.S. It is completing a project to sequester CO2 in the North Sea. This is a carbon negative technology.

A 4000 MW BECCS plant reverses the CO2 contribution to the atmosphere. The significance is twofold.

·     Even though a temporary alternative fuels program can add CO2 there is no tipping point. BECCS can bring down CO2 levels in the future.

·     Any BECCS will offset carbon producing options. So 4000 MW of conventional coal plant life extension plus 4000 MW of BECCS = 8000 MW of carbon neutral electricity.

The U.S. faced a similar situation in 1973 when OPEC banned oil exports to a country supporting Israel. A number of technology choices were made without access to an organized evaluation system. Highest on the priory list were

·    oil shale (not shale oil)

·    new coal fired power plants

The plan was to make Colorado the oil capital of the world with a technology used for tar sands in Canada. Huge construction sites were built in a short time. Electric heat was to replace gas heat. 85,000 MW of new coal fired power plants were ordered by U.S. utilities. Six months later the oil embargo was lifted. No oil shale plants were built in Colorado. In the 50 years since the big coal plant orders less than 30,000 MW of new coal plants have been built. So cancelations have exceeded new orders.

In similar crisis situations South Africa and Nazi Germany made a different choice. Germany  opted for coal to liquids (CTL). During World War II most of the airplane and tank fuel was produced by CTL. South Africa during the apartheid era built the huge Sasol complex and made both fuels and chemicals. Today that technology is being extensively employed in the Chinese  chemical industry.

The only relic of the 1973 program is the Great Plains plant in North Dakota. It has produced coal gas, ammonia, and hydrogen from coal. It has piped CO2 for enhanced oil recovery to  Canada. The plant is being revamped to use shale gas to produce hydrogen and ammonia. 

If it had not been for the inventions around shale fracturing in the 1990s the failure of the U.S to develop an alternative fuels program would have resulted in $200/barrel oil today and a dominance of Russia and OPEC. The free world cannot afford to make the same haphazard decisions made in 1973. 

The AWE suppliers should have been in a guiding role in 1973.  They knew coal gasification and liquefaction was reliable whereas retorts for oil shale were problematic. It is easy to ignore all the available knowledge. Coal gasification was widely used for town gas starting in the 1890s. It was critical to remove  flyash and SO2. A high energy scrubber was invented for the purpose. Within a few decades natural gas and fuel oil replaced coal gas and the scrubber was forgotten.

In 1945 the U.S. was looking for a way to remove particulate and acid gases in steel and pulp mills. Johnstone of U of I became famous for inventing or actually reinventing the venturi scrubber.

In the 1970s one variation captured acids and particulates incidentally including rare earths. In the 1990s Siemens adopted it for coal gas but ignored the potential for insitu rare earth production along with a leaching solution free of charge. Today rare earth production is important, and suppliers have a low cost solution if they would just use what they know.

AWE suppliers should be at the forefront in crafting alternatives to Russian energy. The McIlvaine company can support their efforts with assistance relative to

·    market forecasts

·    predicate evidence

·    disputed evidence

Market Forecasts.  Suppliers want to pursue the most profitable markets (MPM). McIlvaine can identify the specific opportunities for a particular design of filter, valve, or compressor. There is the potential for shale oil and gas to replace much of Russian energy. How big is this potential? What is the market for fracking pumps which develop higher pressures and fracture shale deeper into the earth?

Will natural frac sands be available or will there be a need for filters, pumps and valves to process synthetic sands?

Predicate Evidence.  Market forecasts need to focus on opportunities where a lowest total cost of ownership (LTCOV)I is achievable. This is determined in part by predicate evidence such as what flow rates and pressures are needed. This predicate evidence is also the foundation for addressing the disputed evidence.

Disputed Evidence.  The supplier needs to convince purchasers that his product will have the lowest total cost of ownership. This entails analysis of competitors. McIlvaine identifies competitors and the claims they are making relative to the cost of ownership for their products.

Providing alternatives to Russian energy is an extremely valuable contribution to the world and one which can be profitable for AWE suppliers.

McIlvaine has market reports which can be used as the basis for the full pursuit of the alternative energy solutions.

For more information contact Bob McIlvaine at 847 226 2391 or rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com

 Continuous HVAC Filter Forecasts Needed  in These Uncertain Times

There are major changes in the HVAC filter market and even greater changes in the media which will be used in those filters. The McIlvaine Company is forecasting both the media and filter revenue.

The future market will be determined by two major influences

·    International conflict

·    Life quality perceptions

The most profitable market for any supplier will be shaped by the competitors product qualities and how they meet the market needs.

To make millions of specific forecasts which are most relevant a continuous analysis of the influences is necessary. This is only possible with input from the industry and the collaboration with others such as International Filtration News and INDA to establish the true costs of alternatives.

International Conflict: The media suppliers are very international. So any trade disruptions can have a big impact. Many European and U.S. media suppliers not only have plants in China dedicated to the Chinese market but also for international export. On April 4 China published a  whitepaper saying that the West was persecuting Russia who is blameless not only in the Ukraine but even in the Stalinist era.

If China is sanctioned due to support of Russia there will be a major effect on the HVAC media market.

The destruction of Ukrainian residential and commercial buildings will result in a big HVAC market possibly supported by the equivalent of a Marshall Plan.

Life Quality Perceptions: The HVAC  filter market has grown in step with the health advantages as perceived by the public. Due to COVID the public is now realizing the advantaged of cleaner indoor air and will be willing to spend the money to achieve it.

The U.S. is now prioritizing air filtration in buildings as a primary strategy to combat COVID and other viruses in the future. The new federal guidelines advise buildings to upgrade to at least a MERV 13 filter, Alondra Nelson, chief of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said that the guidance was part of an initiative called the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge.  Funds are being made available to support the program.

Ultimately it is the public’s perceived needs and the industry ability to cost effectively meet them which will determine the market. Understanding the needs and abilities has been enhanced by a series of True Cost articles in IFN.  As shown below attendees at FiltXPO were provided with lists of speakers and exhibitors who could address the important questions.

The Value of HVAC Filters has risen

https://www.filtnews.com/the-value-of-hvac-filters-has-risen/

https://www.filtnews.com/is-filtration-more-effective-than-social-distancing-in-preventing-virus-spread/

https://www.filtnews.com/high-efficiency-filters-and-laminar-air-flow-systems-needed-in-the-battle-against-covid-19/

Background data can be found at bit.ly/iiow-hvac-filtration.

1.    What is the advantage of testing an unloaded filter when dust will change the electrostatic effect?

2.    How efficient should the pre-filter be?

3.    How important is media processability in the final filter cost?

4.    Can you upgrade from MERV 8 to MERV 13 without major system upgrades?

5.    Should initial filter testing be conducted in a miniature HVAC recirculating system?

6.    What are the negative costs (benefits) of cleaner indoor air and how do you rate them.

Mcilvaine has a life quality metric but are there other options?

 

New metrics for filter selection and ‘true cost’ determination

https://www.filtnews.com/new-metrics-for-filter-selection-and-true-cost-determination/

1.    What is the merit in considering a city as a giant HVAC system?

2.    What is the value of a well health seal ?

3.    If new outdoor measurement devices identify high levels of toxic metals or there is poor air quality due to wildfires other phenomena, how do you modify your HVAC designs?

4.    If viruses in droplets are temporarily captured in a mask or filter but then escape when the droplets evaporate is our measurement approach adequate?

 

Applications determine air filter market share & influence total cost of ownership

https://www.filtnews.com/applications-determine-air-filter-market-share-influence-total-cost-of-ownership/

1.    Where should combination gas phase-particulate media be applied vs separate treatment?

2.    Where do pleated filters have the LTCO vs panel or pocket filters?

Each of these key questions will continue to be addressed. Answers will be reflected in continuously updated forecasts. 

More information on this program can be provided by Bob McIlvaine  His cell is 847 226 2391 and email is rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com

 

COAL FIRED BOILERS

Over a Quarter of US Coal Destined for Plants Slated for Retirement

   

An analysis of US coal production data in 2021 has found that 26.9 percent was sold to coal-fired power plants that are set to retire by 2030. The investigation found 37.4 percent of the current volumes are tied to plants slated to close by 2042. Over the last year, utilities have announced accelerated retirements as the viability of coal plants deteriorates compared to renewables and battery storage. The Powder River Basin, which spans Montana and Wyoming, is the most vulnerable region. In 2021 just over half of coal production was sold to plants scheduled to retire by 2042. An analyst at Commodity Insights estimates total US coal production will decline by 131 million US short tons (119 million tons) between 2021 and 2027.

South African Court Rules Government Must Cut Coal Plants Air Pollution

The High Court of South Africa has ruled in favor of Groundwork Trust and Vukani Environmental Justice Movement in Action in what was dubbed the ‘Deadly Air’ case. The court found the Minister for Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, Barbara Creecy, “has unreasonably delayed” developing and implementing an air quality management plan for the Highveld Priority Area (HPA). The HPA includes twelve coal-fired Eskom power plants, Sasol’s Secunda coal-to-liquids refinery and coal mines.

The court ordered Creecy to “prepare, initiate, and prescribe” regulations for the plan and enforce it within 12 months. The court agreed that air pollution over national air quality standards would violate residents’ constitutional right to an environment that doesn’t damage their health or wellbeing. The decision was welcomed by GroundWork Trust and Vukani Environmental Justice Alliance as confirmation of the health impacts of the plants and a decision that will have spin-off benefits for other polluted communities

 

BIOMASS

ANDRITZ Successfully Starts Up Biomass Boiler Plant At Vattenfall AB, Uppsala, Sweden International technology group

 ANDRITZ has successfully started up a new biomass boiler plant, including a biomass receiving and handling system, at Swedish energy company Vattenfall AB for its “Carpe Futurum” project. The heating plant is located on Vattenfall’s existing combined heat and power plant site in Uppsala, Sweden, some 70 km north of Stockholm. This new plant supplies more than 110 MW of district heat to the Uppsala area and is also prepared for electricity production at a later stage. The fuel for the new plant comprises different kinds of wood-based biomass, such as recycled wood, bark, wood chips, and sawdust.

 The ANDRITZ scope of supply included biomass receiving, handling and storage silos, a biomass-fired boiler with flue gas cleaning, and a flue gas condenser. The boiler is based on the ANDRITZ EcoFluid bubbling fluidized bed design, which combines high efficiency with excellent environmental performance. Flue gas emissions are reduced to very low levels, with the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) method for NOx emissions and a baghouse filter, including sorbent feeding, for sulfur dioxide (SO2), hydrochloric acid (HCl), heavy metals, and dust emissions. The flue gas condenser significantly increases the district heat output and, therefore, improves plant efficiency to beyond 110% when calculated using the fuel lower heating value. The “Carpe Futurum” project is an important part of Vattenfall’s goal of becoming CO2 neutral with their energy systems and its combined heat and power plants by 2030. Vattenfall delivers district heat to more than 90% of the houses in Uppsala, providing heating for more than 180,000 people.

 

Tri-Mer’s UltraCat® to be Installed at Biochar Facility

Aries Clean Technologies, a leader in biomass gasification and wastewater conversion, will shortly commission Tri-Mer Corporation’s UltraCat® Catalytic Ceramic Filter System to help the company meet multi-pollutant air quality standards.

Sited in Linden, NJ, the system will transform 430 tons of biosolids into 22 tons of biochar each day. The biochar, Bio-Fly-Ash™, will be beneficially used as a substitute for fly ash in improving the workability of concrete. Notably, the renewable energy generated from the system is recovered and used within the system; no fossil fuels are used.

 Babcock & Wilcox Partners with Kiewit Industrial to Develop and Deliver World’s Largest Net-Negative CO2 Biomass-to-Energy Facility

Babcock & Wilcox announced that as a preferred technology supplier, it will partner with Kiewit Industrial to deliver Fidelis New Energy’s planned net-negative carbon impact biomass power plant at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The 200-megawatt electric plant will be the largest of its kind in the world.

The planned facility, called Project Cyclus, will provide power for Fidelis’ state-of-the-art, 73,000-barrel-per-day Grön Fuels facility, which will produce sustainable aviation fuel, renewable diesel, green hydrogen, and bio-plastic feedstock with a net-negative carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint. Fidelis will sequester the biogenic CO2 in a carbon sink developed and secured by its subsidiary Capio Sequestration pursuant to the previously announced operating agreement between Capio and the State of Louisiana.

 

B&W will provide engineering, design, equipment, and technology services to support development of the biomass-fueled plant. The company’s B&W Renewable business segment will design and supply a 200-megawatt electric, biomass-fueled bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) boiler, while its B&W Environmental segment will provide its OxyBright™ oxy-combustion technology to isolate and capture CO2 for long-term sequestration, as well as a full suite of environmental technologies to control other emissions, including nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides, particulate, and volatile organic compounds. The plant will utilize these technologies to produce clean energy with a net-negative carbon impact of over two million tons per year.

 

“We are excited to partner with Fidelis to provide our advanced technologies to assist in the development of green fuels that have a negative net carbon impact in the United States,” said B&W Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kenny Young. “We are also in discussions with Fidelis on the creation of green hydrogen from biomass utilizing our Brightloop™ chemical looping process, which will revolutionize hydrogen production globally. We look forward to continuing our joint efforts with Fidelis to create green fuels for use around the world.”

 

 B&W’s OxyBright technology is part of the company’s ClimateBright™ suite of decarbonization and hydrogen technologies. This oxy-combustion process, which uses pure oxygen for combustion, can be used with a broad range of fuels to produce a concentrated stream of CO2 ready for sequestration or beneficial use. For the Cyclus project, the OxyBright process will use biomass fuel — including wood chips, wood waste, bagasse, or other opportunity fuels —while captured CO2 will be sequestered underground.

 

B&W’s BFB boilers are well-suited to integrate with the oxy-combustion process and are designed to operate using a wide range of fuels, separately or in combination. The ability to utilize various fuel sources and types provides owners with the flexibility to take advantage of opportunity fuels and control fuel costs.

 

 

COMPANY NEWS

Micronics Announces Strategic Rebranding & New Company Logo

The Micronics Engineered Filtration Group is very proud to announce the launch of a new company logo for the Micronics Engineered Filtration Group, as part of the strategic evolution of Micronics since the company’s founding in 1983. On February 17, the Micronics Engineered Filtration Group announced the acquisition of industry leader, National Filter Media, and the new company logo embodies this strategic acquisition.

 “After careful consideration, we are excited to announce our newly designed Micronics brand logo that captures our Total Engineered Filtration Solutions vision globally, recognizes the legacy and well-known brand equity associated with National Filter Media, and reflects a more modern brand identity for our growing global family of trusted filtration companies,” said Chris Cummins, President and CEO of the Micronics Engineered Filtration Group.

Logo, company name Description automatically generated

“The new Micronics Engineered Filtration Group logo embraces a more comprehensive filtration solution set for the group, steeped in long-standing history in filter media and also representative of our advanced filtration equipment, filtration services, and aftermarket parts offerings for a variety of demanding global market segments,” Chris added.

“The new Micronics Engineered Filtration group logo incorporates the globe previously associated with National Filter Media. Micronics chose to utilize the accent color “red” to be fully representative of our strong brands, Filterfab, based in Canada, as well as long-standing dry filtration brand, Southern Filter Media,” according to Jason Wettstaedt, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, for the Micronics Engineered Filtration Group.

The globe in the new company logo replaces the previous “O mesh” design dating back to the original company launch in the early 1980s.

With the addition of NFM, the Micronics Engineered Filtration Group now combines strong, trusted wet and dry filtration brand names: Micronics, Southern Filter Media (“SFM”), C.P. Environmental (“CPE”), United Process Control (“UPC”), AeroPulse, National Filter Media (“NFM”), Filterfab, Midwesco Filter Resources (“Midwesco”), and Fabricated Filters.

The Micronics Engineered Filtration Group serve customers’ advanced filtration needs in mining and mineral processing; energy, power generation; industrial; battery recycling; chemical manufacturing; pigments and dyes; food and beverage; steel and iron processing; aggregates, cement and asphalt; pharmaceutical and biotech; and water/wastewater treatment. The company’s new tagline underscores its breadth and capabilities: Total Engineered Filtration Solutions. We are committed to our customers’ success.

With the addition of NFM to the Micronics Engineered Filtration Group, the company now has 10 manufacturing, service & office facilities in North America and 1 in the United Kingdom.

CECO Environmental Acquires Index Water

 CECO Environmental Corp., announced the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Index Water, expanding its water treatment solutions portfolio serving the Middle East region. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

 

CECO's deep experience in high-efficiency, processing, separation, and filtration solutions is further enhanced with the addition of Index Water's intellectual property, technologies, and other assets that support systems including process and potable water treatment, ultrafiltration, desalination, and demineralization technologies, in addition to effluent and sewage water treatment including biological and reuse technologies.

 

Over the last three years, CECO has been aggressively expanding its presence in the produced water, process and potable water, effluent and sewage and wastewater treatment markets. Through organic innovation and acquisition, CECO has quickly become a technology leader in liquid coalescing, de-aeration, ferrate-based advanced oxidation, dissolved gas flotation, reverse osmosis, and several other produced and process water technologies.

  

"Industrial and infrastructure-related water and wastewater treatment markets will continue to experience a high rate of growth as there will be increased awareness and pressures associated with sustainable water practices and scarcity concerns. With the addition of the Index Water assets, we have expanded our leadership presence and addressable water market in more than 10 countries by at least $200 million, and it allows us to further leverage the brand and capabilities across the globe," said Todd Gleason, CEO, CECO Environmental. "The addition of the Index Water assets to CECO strengthens access to key customers and a variety of important infrastructure projects in the Middle East."

 

 Back to Fabric Filter Newsletter No. 558 Table of Contents