Coal

Conventional wisdom tells us that the key to good boiler combustion requires carefully balancing the fuel-air ratios across all the coal pipes. Recent tests show that the uniformity of the burner-to-burner stoichiometries—not balanced pipe-to-pipe fuel flow distributions—dictates combustion uniformity.

Many coal-fired power stations built before 1980 were designed for handling relatively easy-handling lump coal. If your plant’s bins, bunkers, and silos aren’t up to dealing with today’s range of more variable coal properties, this case study shows one way to minimize coal flow problems.

The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered a review of some 300 U.S. utility coal combustion waste sites and said it will develop new regulations to ensure that incidents like December’s colossal coal ash spill in Kingston, Tenn., are not repeated.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson has said that the EPA will reconsider a controversial policy memorandum issued by the agency late last year stating that the agency would not establish a carbon dioxide emission standard for new power plants and other large industrial sources of the heat-trapping gas.

In the face of growing criticism from congressional Democrats of his plan to require electric utilities and other industries to pay for greenhouse gas emission allowances, President Obama told business leaders he is willing to negotiate on the issue, but warned that broad, free allowance allocations would mask the carbon price signal economists say is crucial to speed the deployment of clean technologies needed to fight global warming.

Circulating fluidized bed technology has the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions when burning coal and adds the additional flexibility of burning other renewable fuels. Foster Wheeler’s Flexi-Burn technology allows the CFB to produce a CO2-rich flue gas and be part of a practical carbon capture and storage solution.

Once a Soviet satellite, Poland is now transforming into a thoroughly modern nation. To support its growing economy, this recent European Union member country is modernizing its power industry. Exemplifying the advances in the Polish electricity generation market is the 460-MW Patnów II Power Plant — the largest, most efficient (supercritical cycle), and environmentally cleanest lignite-fired unit in the country.

Pulverizer throughput is determined by the coal fineness desired for a given coal. However, compromising on coal fineness when your pulverizer isn’t up to snuff can increase NO _x and cause many furnace problems. Your least costly option for increasing pulverizer capacity is to pay careful attention to key dimensions and critical tolerances during your next overhaul.

The unfortunate coal ash spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA’s) Kingston Fossil Plant that occurred on December 22 has heightened national awareness of the problems associated with utilities’ coal ash surface impoundments if they are not properly maintained.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is starting to light the way for power plant operators who want to reduce coal ash deposition in their boilers.