BIOS and ABSTRACTS – FEBRUARY 17, 2011

ROBERT FRASER - AECOM

BIO: Robert (Bob) Fraser, QEP, is a Senior Technical Director for Power Generation Services within AECOM Environment.  He is a Mechanical Engineer with 33 years of experience (including ten years working in industry with solid fuel combustion systems).  In addition to hundreds of BACT and RACT control technology studies, he has prepared successful 112(g) case-by-case MACT demonstrations for new PC and CFB boilers, as well as MACT compliance strategy projects for over 100 solid fuel-fired industrial boilers.  Bob is currently leading AECOM’s national boiler and utility MACT consulting practice.  

ABSTRACT: USEPA will issue a “Final” Industrial Boiler MACT Rule by February 21, 2011, which is expected to be closely followed by a proposal for Utility Boiler MACT in March 2011.  Finalization of the Industrial Boiler MACT has been likened to “Making Sausage”, and even the Final Rule to be issued next week will not likely be completely final.  There are many lessons learned from Industrial Boiler MACT that are likely to affect Utility Boiler MACT, as there are many similarities and USEPA is using the same general procedures to develop both sets of standards.   This presentation will review the present status of the Industrial Boiler MACT Rule and how Boiler MACT lessons learned may affect the evolution of utility MACT.

Title of Presentation

“Boiler MACT Status – Prelude to Utility MACT”

ROBERT E. TANG – CEFCO GLOBAL CLEAN ENERGY, LLC

 

BIO: Robert Tang is currently the Chief Executive Officer of CEFCO Global Clean Energy, LLC (“CEFCO”), and is a co-inventor of the CEFCO Process. He also serves on the Board of Directors of several major specialty engineering and construction companies, one of which exhibits regularly at Electric Power and at Power-Gen International and at other major Power Industry conferences, with great emphasis in the utility power industry and air pollution control (AQCS) industry. Tang received his B.A. from Columbia University in 1971 and two additional graduate degrees from Oxford University in England in 1973 and 1979. In late-2006, Tang invited the Thomas K. Ewan group of physicists and inventors to team with Dr. Hal B.H. Cooper to create the subject CEFCO Process (which was patented in 2010), and led all the co-inventors altogether to co-found CEFCO by uniting the patented Ewan technology with the patented Cooper Process into an integrated system under new patenting procedure.

ABSTRACT : Newly Patented Technology for Comprehensive Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) Compliance

The US Patent and Trademark Office has allowed all 36 Claims of CEFCO’s original patent application in 2010.  The CEFCO Technology uses the supersonic shockwave “free-jet collision scrubbing” together with a chemical conversion process and is expected to be recognized and adopted as a comprehensive solution for Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT).  It is expected to use much less energy than the BACT Air Quality Control Systems (AQCS) and Carbon Capture (CCS) processes that use traditional thermodynamics and conventional chemistry and/or catalysts for treating and capturing pollutants and CO₂.

AJAY KASARABADA and DIANE FISCHER – BLACK & VEATCH

BIO: Ajay Kasarabada:  Ajay is an Air Permitting Manager in Black & Veatch Energy Division's Environmental Management Services Section.  Mr. Kasarabada has a Bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering from India and a Masters degree in Environmental Engineering from Michigan State University, East Lansing. Mr. Kasarabada is also a registered professional engineer in the State of Michigan.  His primary responsibilities include managing air permitting projects that include air permitting strategy development, negotiations with state regulatory agencies, conducting control technology assessments related to BACT and MACT, conducting air quality related emission calculations, managing dispersion modeling studies, and permit applicability determinations for both major and minor sources that include electric power generating facilities, industrial sources, and wastewater treatment plants.  

BIO: Diane Fischer:  Diane serves as Manager of Business Development for Air Quality Control projects for Black & Veatch’s Power Generation Services.  She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University and is a registered Mechanical Engineer in Missouri.  Diane has been mainly involved with AQC compliance projects. Her background includes leading compliance studies, supporting detailed design of air quality control projects with technical and process support, and maintaining updated knowledge of the regulatory environment associated with air quality compliance. She has also served as the SCR Technical Manager for SCR projects. In this role, she was responsible for oversight of technical process issues for Black & Veatch’s SCR projects.

ABSTRACT: Utility MACT - Impact and Compliance Strategy

This Hot Topic presentation will provide a brief overview of the current status of the Utility MACT rulemaking, as well as the likely implications of the rule given the regulatory history of the Boiler MACT.  Additionally, the presentation will focus on the key issues to be considered in developing a Utility MACT compliance strategy and the technologies that can be utilized to achieve compliance with the expected limits.

JOHN R. DARROW – W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES, INC

BIO: John is the Energy Market Specialist for the Industrial Filtration Division of W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. (Elkton, MD).  John joined W. L. Gore in 1982 as an application engineer.  He has worked in air pollution control for more than 35 years.  Over his career he has been involved in power plant design, air pollution modeling, specifying and purchasing electrostatic precipitators, and sales of air pollution equipment.  John’s current commitment is market development for membrane filter media in combustion applications.

Prior to joining Gore he worked for Sargent & Lundy Engineers, the Buell Division of Envirotech, Wheelabrator-Frye and Niro Atomizer.  John has a B.S in Civil Engineering from Drexel University.  He has written and co-authored several papers on fabric filtration for industrial and power generation boilers and municipal solid waste and incinerators.

ABSTRACT: Options for PM, Dioxin/Furan and Mercury Control Using ePTFE Technologies

Utility MACT requirements will likely lower allowable emission rates significantly below the current stands.  Depending on where those levels are set, compliance for particulate matter (PM) and certain hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) may be challenging for the current control technologies. 

Using various existing and new technologies, W. L. Gore & Associates has a line expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) based products that could provide solutions to new compliance challenges for PM, dioxin/furan (D/F) and mercury. This presentation has a summary of the potential for ePTFE membrane filter bags for PM control, REMDIA catalytic filtration systems for D/F control and a new carbon polymer composite material for mercury control.