BIOS, ABSTRACTS, PHOTOS

September 26-27, 2013

“Multi-pollutant Control Technology”

THURSDAY

JOHN PAVLISH – ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER (EERC)

BIO: John Pavlish is a Senior Research Advisor and the Director of the multiyear, multimillion dollar Center for Air Toxic Metals^® (CATM^®) Program at the EERC. He received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Dakota State University and his A.A.S. degree in Power and Machinery from the University of Minnesota – Crookston. Prior to his current position, he served as Unit Leader/Systems Engineer at Black & Veatch Engineers-Architects in Kansas City, Missouri. Pavlish’s principal areas of expertise include research and consultation on air toxic issues; hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) with emphasis on mercury; CO₂ capture and the coal combustion process; the effects of fuel quality and ash on combustion, gasification, and power plant system performance; generation recovery; steam generator performance and reliability; emission reduction control technologies and flue gas-processing equipment; and economic and feasibility analyses on control technologies and energy conversion systems. Pavlish is a professional engineer, a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and a member of the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA). He serves on numerous professional and technical committees. He is the U.S. Representative to the Mercury Emissions from Coal International Experts Working Group on Reducing Emissions from Coal; he is a member of the United Nations Environment Programme Global Mercury Partnership, Reduction of Mercury Releases from Coal Combustion; BiNational Strategy Utility Mercury Reduction Committee; and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Research Advisory Committee and serves as an Advisory Member to the Minnesota Taconite Mercury Control Advisory Committee. He has served and continues to serve as a Technical Director for the EERC’s Air Quality Conference. He has served as a session chair at various other conferences, most recently at the A&WMA Annual Meeting Conference and the Electric Utility Environmental Conference.

ABSTRACT: Cost Effective Measurement of Halogens and Metals Emissions Using a Sorbent Trap Approach

More frequent measurement of halogens and metals is now required by the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reference methods that are available involve a series of wet impingers containing hazardous chemicals. The Energy & Environmental Research Center’s (EERC) Center for Air Toxic Metals^® (CATM^®) has developed and is in the process of field testing a new multi-element sorbent trap (ME-ST)-based method that shows promise to serve as an alternative to EPA Methods 29 (metals) and 26A (HCl).

ANDY CARSTENS – SARGENT & LUNDY

BIO: Andy Carstens is a manager in Sargent & Lundy's Environmental Services Group, supporting utilities in developing and implementing compliance strategies for current and impending regulations associated with flue gas and water effluent emissions.  Andy is a chemical engineer with 16 years of industry experience.

ABSTRACT: Industry Status of “Novel” Multi-Pollutant Technologies

To maintain competitiveness in today’s challenging market, utilities have been trying to squeeze every last drop of pollution control from existing air pollution control equipment.  So what is happening with “novel” multi-pollutant control technologies that have been under development, in some cases for years?  This presentation will provide a high-level review of “novel” multi-pollutant technologies and their current status in the industry.

FRIDAY

 ROD GRAVLEY – TRI-MER

BIO: Current - Technology Director at Tri-Mer Corporation

Past - Senior Scientist at CH2M Hill IDC

Education - Willamette University

ABSTRACT: The Tri-Mer UltraCat ceramic filter system has multi-pollutant removal capability.  The filters remove PM at state-of-the art levels. The catalyst embedded in the filter walls is capable of destroying NO_x with very high efficiency.  The catalyst also destroys the Organic HAPS targeted in the Cement NESHAP, and the dioxins targeted by the incinerator CISWI MACT.  The filter system can be configured with integrated dry sorbent injection for the removal of SO_x and HCl.  For mercury removal powdered activated carbon (PAC) is injected.  For the Boiler MACT, EPA glass regulations, and many other state and federal rules, the Tri-Mer UltraCat system is an all-in-one solution.

STERLING GRAY – URS CORPORATION

BIO: Mr. Gray is currently a Business Development and Technology Manager in the Process Technologies group at URS Corporation, located in Austin, Texas.  In this role, he has been responsible for the development, commercialization, and optimization of the SBS Injection SO₃ removal process for application to utility coal-fired power plants. 

ABSTRACT:   Combined Hg and SO₃ Removal Using a Single Sorbent

The MATS regulation requires that mercury emissions be reduced from all coal-fired power plants in the US.  However, the presence of SO₃ in the flue gas can interfere with mercury capture on native unburned carbon or injected activated carbon.  The SBS Injection process can effectively remove both SO₃ and mercury using just the native unburned carbon normally found in flyash.  The process can also permit operation of the APH at lower exit gas temperatures, further promoting the efficient capture of mercury.  Results from recent full-scale testing will be presented.

JON NORMAN – UNITED CONVEYOR

BIO: Mr. Norman is the Sales and Technology Manager for UCC Dry Sorbent Injection.  In this role he uses experience from UCC DSI's numerous tests and permanent DSI systems to help provide customers with the best solution for their individual air pollution control needs.

ABSTRACT: Jon Norman of United Conveyor will present on using dry sorbent injection (DSI) for multi-pollutant removal.  Specifically, he will share how sodium sorbents or hydrated lime can be used for simultaneous removal of SO₂, SO₃, and HCl, while mercury is removed with various activated carbon or non-carbon products.  The presentation will emphasize how to avoid interactions between the sorbents and choose the best injection locations for optimum removal of each pollutant.  Actual test data will be used to illustrate each of the major points.

PETER SPINNEY – NEUCO

BIO: Peter Spinney is Director of Market and Technology Assessment at NeuCo, Inc., the leading provider of optimization technology solutions within the electric power industry. His background combines electric power generation, economics consulting and government agency experience. Prior to becoming one of the original members of NeuCo, he was a Principal and Director of Power Resource Planning at CRA International (formerly Charles River Associates.)

ABSTRACT: NeuCo's presentation will discuss the Mercury and Air Toxins (MATS) rule, with a particular emphasis on its Work Practices Requirements, which take effect April, 2015. These MATS Work Practices provisions require coal-fired generators to comprehensively inspect and tune all boilers 25 MW or larger every three years. Also required is expensive and time consuming manual unit testing to demonstrate that the units are being operated as efficiently as possible. The presentation will also describe how  generators using neural networks to optimize NO_x and CO can defer the tuning, testing and reporting to April, 2016, and reduce the frequency of subsequent tuning to every four years, as well as greatly simplify the required performance testing.

Finally, the presentation will summarize NeuCo’s boiler optimization technology which integrates optimal combustion and boiler cleanliness operations, including the recently released CombustionOpt MATS Edition.  This focused and highly cost-effective optimization package provides the ability to obtain reduced MATS regulatory burden through neural combustion optimization, in addition to multivariate Predictive Control (“MPC”), both of which are key to sustaining benefits in NO_x and CO reductions.