Sample records for coal fired generating

  1. Emission characteristics of volatile organic compounds from coal-, coal gangue-, and biomass-fired power plants in China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yan, Yulong; Yang, Chao; Peng, Lin; Li, Rumei; Bai, Huiling

    2016-10-01

    Face the large electricity demand, thermal power generation still derives the main way of electricity supply in China, account for 78.19% of total electricity production in 2013. Three types of thermal power plants, including coal-fired power plant, coal gangue-fired power plant and biomass-fired power plant, were chosen to survey the source profile, chemical reactivity and emission factor of VOCs during the thermal power generation. The most abundant compounds generated during coal- and coal gangue-fired power generation were 1-Butene, Styrene, n-Hexane and Ethylene, while biomass-fired power generation were Propene, 1-Butenen, Ethyne and Ethylene. The ratios of B/T during thermal power generation in this study was 0.8-2.6, which could be consider as the characteristics of coal and biomass burning. The field tested VOCs emission factor from coal-, coal gangue- and biomass-fired power plant was determined to be 0.88, 0.38 and 3.49 g/GJ, or showed as 0.023, 0.005 and 0.057 g/kg, with the amount of VOCs emission was 44.07, 0.08, 0.45 Gg in 2013, respectively. The statistical results of previous emission inventory, which calculated the VOCs emission used previous emission factor, may overestimate the emission amount of VOCs from thermal power generation in China.

  2. Future CO2 emissions and electricity generation from proposed coal-fired power plants in India

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fofrich, R.; Shearer, C.; Davis, S. J.

    2017-12-01

    India represents a critical unknown in global projections of future CO2 emissions due to its growing population, industrializing economy, and large coal reserves. In this study, we assess existing and proposed construction of coal-fired power plants in India and evaluate their implications for future energy production and emissions in the country. In 2016, India had 369 coal-fired power plants under development totaling 243 gigawatts (GW) of generating capacity. These coal-fired power plants would increase India's coal-fired generating capacity by 123% and would exceed India's projected electricity demand. Therefore, India's current proposals for new coal-fired power plants would be forced to retire early or operate at very low capacity factors and/or would prevent India from meeting its goal of producing at least 40% of its power from renewable sources by 2030. In addition, future emissions from proposed coal-fired power plants would exceed India's climate commitment to reduce its 2005 emissions intensity 33% - 35% by 2030.

  3. Comparative analysis of gas and coal-fired power generation in ultra-low emission condition using life cycle assessment (LCA)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yin, Libao; Liao, Yanfen; Liu, Guicai; Liu, Zhichao; Yu, Zhaosheng; Guo, Shaode; Ma, Xiaoqian

    2017-05-01

    Energy consumption and pollutant emission of natural gas combined cycle power-generation (NGCC), liquefied natural gas combined cycle power-generation (LNGCC), natural gas combined heat and power generation (CHP) and ultra-supercritical power generation with ultra-low gas emission (USC) were analyzed using life cycle assessment method, pointing out the development opportunity and superiority of gas power generation in the period of coal-fired unit ultra-low emission transformation. The results show that CO2 emission followed the order: USC>LNGCC>NGCC>CHP the resource depletion coefficient of coal-fired power generation was lower than that of gas power generation, and the coal-fired power generation should be the main part of power generation in China; based on sensitivity analysis, improving the generating efficiency or shortening the transportation distance could effectively improve energy saving and emission reduction, especially for the coal-fired units, and improving the generating efficiency had a great significance for achieving the ultra-low gas emission.

  4. Thermal energy storage for power generation applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Drost, M. K.; Antoniak, Zen I.; Brown, D. R.

    1990-03-01

    Studies strongly indicate that the United States will face widespread electrical power constraints in the 1990s. In many cases, the demand for increased power will occur during peak and intermediate demand periods. While natural gas is currently plentiful and economically attractive for meeting peak and intermediate loads, the development of a coal-fired peaking option would give utilities insurance against unexpected supply shortages or cost increases. This paper discusses a conceptual evaluation of using thermal energy storage (TES) to improve the economics of coal-fired peak and intermediate load power generation. The use of TES can substantially improve the economic attractiveness of meeting peak and intermediate loads with coal-fired power generation. In this case, conventional pulverized coal combustion equipment is continuously operated to heat molten nitrate salt, which is then stored. During peak demand periods, hot salt is withdrawn from storage and used to generate steam for a Rankine steam power cycle. This allows the coal-fired salt heater to be approximately one-third the size of a coal-fired boiler in a conventional cycling plant. The general impact is to decouple the generation of thermal energy from its conversion to electricity. The present study compares a conventional cycling pulverized coal-fired power plant to a pulverized coal-fired plant using nitrate salt TES. The study demonstrates that a coal-fired salt heater is technically feasible and should be less expensive than a similar coal-fired boiler. The results show the use of nitrate salt TES reduced the levelized cost of power by between 5 and 24 percent, depending on the operating schedule.

  5. Future trends in electrical energy generation economics in the United States

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schmitt, R. W.; Fox, G. R.; Shah, R. P.; Stewart, P. J.; Vermilyea, D. A.

    1977-01-01

    Developments related to the economics of coal-fired systems in the U.S. are mainly considered. The historical background of the U.S. electric generation industry is examined and the U.S. electrical generation characteristics in the year 1975 are considered. It is pointed out that coal-fired power plants are presently the largest source of electrical energy generation in the U.S. Questions concerning the availability and quality of coal are investigated. Currently there are plans for converting some 50 large oil and gas-fired generating plants to coal, and it is expected that coal will be the fuel used in almost all fossil-fired base load additions to generating capacity. Aspects of advanced energy conversion from coal are discussed, taking into account the performance and economic potential of the energy conversion systems.

  6. Assessment method for the prevention effectiveness of PM2.5 based on the optimization development of coal-fired power generation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zheng, Kuan; Liu, Jun; Zhang, Jin-fang; Hao, Weihua

    2017-01-01

    A large number of combustion of coal is easy to lead to the haze weather which has brought a lot of inconveniences and threat to people’s living and health in E&C China, as the dominant power source of China, the coal-fired power generation is one of the main sources to the haze. In this paper, the contribution of the combustion of coal and development of coal-fired power generation to the PM2.5 emissions is summarized based on the analysis of the present situation, the mechanism and the emission source of PM2.5. Considering the peak of carbon emissions and the constraints of atmospheric environment, the quantitative assessment method of PM2.5 by optimizing the development of coal-fired power generation is present. By the computation analysis for different scenarios, it indicates that the optimization scenario, which means the main new-installed coal-fired power generation is distributed in western and northern China, can prevent the PM2.5 effectively for both the load center and coal base regions of China. The results of this paper not only have reference value for the optimized layout of coal-fired power generation in the “13rd fifth-year” power planning, also is of great significance to deal with problems that the atmospheric pollution and climate warming in the future.

  7. Clean Power Generation from the Intractable Natural Coalfield Fires: Turn Harm into Benefit.

    PubMed

    Shi, Bobo; Su, Hetao; Li, Jinshi; Qi, Haining; Zhou, Fubao; Torero, José L; Chen, Zhongwei

    2017-07-13

    The coal fires, a global catastrophe for hundreds of years, have been proved extremely difficult to control, and hit almost every coal-bearing area globally. Meanwhile, underground coal fires contain tremendous reservoir of geothermal energy. Approximately one billion tons of coal burns underground annually in the world, which could generate ~1000 GW per annum. A game-changing approach, environmentally sound thermal energy extraction from the intractable natural coalfield fires, is being developed by utilizing the waste energy and reducing the temperature of coalfield fires at the same time. Based on the Seebeck effect of thermoelectric materials, the temperature difference between the heat medium and cooling medium was employed to directly convert thermal energy into clean electrical energy. By the time of December 2016, the power generation from a single borehole at Daquan Lake fire district in Xinjiang has been exceeded 174.6 W. The field trial demonstrates that it is possible to exploit and utilize the waste heat resources in the treated coal fire areas. It promises a significant impact on the structure of global energy generation and can also promote progress in thermoelectric conversion materials, geothermal exploration, underground coal fires control and other energy related areas.

  8. Assessment of the US EPA's determination of the role for CO2 capture and storage in new fossil fuel-fired power plants.

    PubMed

    Clark, Victoria R; Herzog, Howard J

    2014-07-15

    On September 20, 2013, the US Environmental and Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a revised rule for "Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units". These performance standards set limits on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that can be emitted per megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity generation from new coal-fired and natural gas-fired power plants built in the US. These limits were based on determinations of "best system of emission reduction (BSER) adequately demonstrated". Central in this determination was evaluating whether Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS) qualified as BSER. The proposed rule states that CCS qualifies as BSER for coal-fired generation but not for natural gas-fired generation. In this paper, we assess the EPA's analysis that resulted in this determination. We are not trying to judge what the absolute criteria are for CCS as the BSER but only the relative differences as related to coal- vs natural gas-fired technologies. We conclude that there are not enough differences between "base load" coal-fired and natural gas-fired power plants to justify the EPA's determination that CCS is the BSER for coal-fired power plants but not for natural gas-fired power plants.

  9. The Research of Utilization Hours of Coal-Fired Power Generation Units Based on Electric Energy Balance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Junhui; Yang, Jianlian; Wang, Jiangbo; Yang, Meng; Tian, Chunzheng; He, Xinhui

    2018-01-01

    With grid-connected scale of clean energy such as wind power and photovoltaic power expanding rapidly and cross-province transmission scale being bigger, utilization hours of coal-fired power generation units become lower and lower in the context of the current slowdown in electricity demand. This paper analyzes the influencing factors from the three aspects of demand, supply and supply and demand balance, and the mathematical model has been constructed based on the electric energy balance. The utilization hours of coal-fired power generation units have been solved considering the relationship among proportion of various types of power installed capacity, the output rate and utilization hours. By carrying out empirical research in Henan Province, the utilization hours of coal-fired units of Henan Province in 2020 has been achieved. The example validates the practicability and the rationality of the model, which can provide a basis for the decision-making for coal-fired power generation enterprises.

  10. Life cycle assessment of coal-fired power plants and sensitivity analysis of CO2 emissions from power generation side

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yin, Libao; Liao, Yanfen; Zhou, Lianjie; Wang, Zhao; Ma, Xiaoqian

    2017-05-01

    The life cycle assessment and environmental impacts of a 1000MW coal-fired power plant were carried out in this paper. The results showed that the operation energy consumption and pollutant emission of the power plant are the highest in all sub-process, which accounts for 93.93% of the total energy consumption and 92.20% of the total emission. Compared to other pollutant emissions from the coal-fired power plant, CO2 reached up to 99.28%. Therefore, the control of CO2 emission from the coal-fired power plants was very important. Based on the BP neural network, the amount of CO2 emission from the generation side of coal-fired power plants was calculated via carbon balance method. The results showed that unit capacity, coal quality and unit operation load had great influence on the CO2 emission from coal-fired power plants in Guangdong Province. The use of high volatile and high heat value of coal also can reduce the CO2 emissions. What’s more, under higher operation load condition, the CO2 emissions of 1 kWh electric energy was less.

  11. 77 FR 23399 - National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants From Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-19

    ... Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units and Standards of Performance for Fossil... Units and Standards of Performance for Fossil-Fuel-Fired Electric Utility, Industrial-Commercial... before March 1, 2005, means a 24-hour period during which fossil fuel is combusted in a steam-generating...

  12. Forces Shaping Future U.S. Coal Production and Use

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Attanasi, E.D.; Pierce, Brenda S.

    2001-01-01

    More than half of the electricity in the United States is generated by coal-fired powerplants. U.S. coal producers sell almost 90 percent of their product for electricity generation, and so, the future of the U.S. coal industry will be determined by the future of coal-fired electricity-generation plants. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is completing a National Coal Resource Assessment (NCRA) of five major coal-producing regions of the United States (fig. 1): (1) the Appalachian Basin, (2) the Illinois Basin, (3) the Gulf Coast, (4) the Colorado Plateau, and (5) the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains. The Powder River and Williston Basins are the principal producing areas of the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains region.

  13. Committed CO2 Emissions of China's Coal-fired Power Plants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suqin, J.

    2016-12-01

    The extent of global warming is determined by the cumulative effects of CO2 in the atmosphere. Coal-fired power plants, the largest anthropogenic source of CO2 emissions, produce large amount of CO2 emissions during their lifetimes of operation (committed emissions), which thus influence the future carbon emission space under specific targets on mitigating climate change (e.g., the 2 degree warming limit relative to pre-industrial levels). Comprehensive understanding of committed CO2 emissions for coal-fired power generators is urgently needed in mitigating global climate change, especially in China, the largest global CO2emitter. We calculated China's committed CO2 emissions from coal-fired power generators installed during 1993-2013 and evaluated their impact on future emission spaces at the provincial level, by using local specific data on the newly installed capacities. The committed CO2 emissions are calculated as the product of the annual coal consumption from newly installed capacities, emission factors (CO2emissions per unit crude coal consumption) and expected lifetimes. The sensitivities about generators lifetimes and the drivers on provincial committed emissions are also analyzed. Our results show that these relatively recently installed coal-fired power generators will lead to 106 Gt of CO2 emissions over the course of their lifetimes, which is more than three times the global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels in 2010. More than 80% (85 Gt) of their total committed CO2 will be emitted after 2013, which are referred to as the remaining emissions. Due to the uncertainties of generators lifetime, these remaining emissions would increase by 45 Gt if the lifetimes of China's coal-fired power generators were prolonged by 15 years. Furthermore, the remaining emissions are very different among various provinces owing to local developments and policy disparities. Provinces with large amounts of secondary industry and abundant coal reserves have higher committed emissions. The national and provincial CO2 emission mitigation objectives might be greatly restricted by existing and planned power plants in China. The policy implications of our results have also been discussed.

  14. Emissions impacts of wind and energy storage in a market environment.

    PubMed

    Sioshansi, Ramteen

    2011-12-15

    This study examines the emissions impacts of adding wind and energy storage to a market-based electric power system. Using Texas as a case study, we demonstrate that market power can greatly effect the emissions benefits of wind, due to most of the coal-fired generation being owned by the two dominant firms. Wind tends to have less emissions benefits when generators exercise market power, since coal-fired generation is withheld from the market and wind displaces natural gas-fired generators. We also show that storage can have greater negative emissions impacts in the presence of wind than if only storage is added to the system. This is due to wind increasing on- and off-peak electricity price differences, which increases the amount that storage and coal-fired generation are used. We demonstrate that this effect is exacerbated by market power.

  15. Techno-Economic Analysis of Integration of Low-Temperature Geothermal Resources for Coal-Fired Power Plants

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bearden, Mark D.; Davidson, Casie L.; Horner, Jacob A.

    Presented here are the results of a techno-economic (TEA) study of the potential for coupling low-grade geothermal resources to boost the electrical output from coal-fired power plants. This study includes identification of candidate 500 MW subcritical coal-fired power plants in the continental United States, followed by down-selection and characterization of the North Valmy generating station, a Nevada coal-fired plant. Based on site and plant characteristics, ASPEN Plus models were designed to evaluate options to integrate geothermal resources directly into existing processes at North Valmy. Energy outputs and capital costing are presented for numerous hybrid strategies, including integration with Organic Rankinemore » Cycles (ORCs), which currently represent the primary technology for baseload geothermal power generation.« less

  16. Near-term implications of a ban on new coal-fired power plants in the United States.

    PubMed

    Newcomer, Adam; Apt, Jay

    2009-06-01

    Large numbers of proposed new coal power generators in the United States have been canceled, and some states have prohibited new coal power generators. We examine the effects on the U.S. electric power system of banning the construction of coal-fired electricity generators, which has been proposed as a means to reduce U.S. CO2 emissions. The model simulates load growth, resource planning, and economic dispatch of the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (ISO), Inc., Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), and PJM under a ban on new coal generation and uses an economic dispatch model to calculate the resulting changes in dispatch order, CO2 emissions, and fuel use under three near-term (until 2030) future electric power sector scenarios. A national ban on new coal-fired power plants does not lead to CO2 reductions of the scale required under proposed federal legislation such as Lieberman-Warner but would greatly increase the fraction of time when natural gas sets the price of electricity, even with aggressive wind and demand response policies.

  17. Importance of hard coal in electricity generation in Poland

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Plewa, Franciszek; Strozik, Grzegorz

    2017-11-01

    Polish energy sector is facing a number of challenges, in particular as regards the reconstruction of production potential, diversification of energy sources, environmental issues, adequate fuels supplies and other. Mandatory implementation of Europe 2020 strategy in terms of “3x20” targets (20% reduction of greenhouse gases, 20% of energy from renewable sources, and 20% increase of efficiency in energy production) requires fast decision, which have to be coordinated with energetic safety issues, increasing demands for electric energy, and other factors. In Poland almost 80% of power is installed in coal fired power plants and energy from hard coals is relatively less expensive than from other sources, especially renewable. The most of renewable energy sources power plants are unable to generate power in amounts which can be competitive with coal fires power stations and are highly expensive, what leads o high prices of electric energy. Alternatively, new generation of coal fired coal power plants is able to significantly increase efficiency, reduce carbon dioxide emission, and generate less expensive electric power in amounts adequate to the demands of a country.

  18. Emissions from Coal Fires and Their Impact on the Environment

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kolker, Allan; Engle, Mark; Stracher, Glenn; Hower, James; Prakash, Anupma; Radke, Lawrence; ter Schure, Arnout; Heffern, Ed

    2009-01-01

    Self-ignited, naturally occurring coal fires and fires resulting from human activities persist for decades in underground coal mines, coal waste piles, and unmined coal beds. These uncontrolled coal fires occur in all coal-bearing parts of the world (Stracher, 2007) and pose multiple threats to the global environment because they emit greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4) - as well as mercury (Hg), carbon monoxide (CO), and other toxic substances (fig. 1). The contribution of coal fires to the global pool of atmospheric CO2 is little known but potentially significant. For China, the world's largest coal producer, it is estimated that anywhere between 10 million and 200 million metric tons (Mt) of coal reserves (about 0.5 to 10 percent of production) is consumed annually by coal fires or made inaccessible owing to fires that hinder mining operations (Rosema and others, 1999; Voigt and others, 2004). At this proportion of production, coal amounts lost to coal fires worldwide would be two to three times that for China. Assuming this coal has mercury concentrations similar to those in U.S. coals, a preliminary estimate of annual Hg emissions from coal fires worldwide is comparable in magnitude to the 48 tons of annual Hg emissions from all U.S. coal-fired power-generating stations combined (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2002). In the United States, the combined cost of coal-fire remediation projects, completed, budgeted, or projected by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), exceeds $1 billion, with about 90% of that in two States - Pennsylvania and West Virginia (Office of Surface Mining Enforcement and Reclamation, 2008; fig. 2). Altogether, 15 States have combined cumulative OSM coal-fire project costs exceeding $1 million, with the greatest overall expense occurring in States where underground coal fires are predominant over surface fires, reflecting the greater cost of extinguishing underground fires (fig. 2) (see 'Controlling Coal Fires'). In this fact sheet we review how coal fires occur, how they can be detected by airborne and remote surveys, and, most importantly, the impact coal-fire emissions may have on the environment and human health. In addition, we describe recent efforts by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and collaborators to measure fluxes of CO2, CO, CH4, and Hg, using groundbased portable detectors, and combining these approaches with airborne thermal imaging and CO2 measurements. The goal of this research is to develop approaches that can be extrapolated to large fires and to extrapolate results for individual fires in order to estimate the contribution of coal fires as a category of global emissions.

  19. Atmospheric emissions of F, As, Se, Hg, and Sb from coal-fired power and heat generation in China.

    PubMed

    Chen, Jian; Liu, Guijian; Kang, Yu; Wu, Bin; Sun, Ruoyu; Zhou, Chuncai; Wu, Dun

    2013-02-01

    Coal is one of the major energy resources in China, with nearly half of produced Chinese coal used for power and heat generation. The large use of coal for power and heat generation in China may result in significant atmospheric emissions of toxic volatile trace elements (i.e. F, As, Se, Hg, and Sb). For the purpose of estimating the atmospheric emissions from coal-fired power and heat generation in China, a simple method based on coal consumption, concentration and emission factor of trace element was adopted to calculate the gaseous emissions of elements F, As, Se, Hg, and Sb. Results indicate that about 162161, 236, 637, 172, and 33 t F, As, Se, Hg, and Sb, respectively, were introduced into atmosphere from coal combustion by power and heat generation in China in 2009. The atmospheric emissions of F, As, Se, Hg, and Sb by power and heat generation increased from 2005 to 2009 with increasing coal consumptions. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. 77 FR 45967 - National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants From Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-02

    ... Electric Utility Steam Generating Units and Standards of Performance for Fossil-Fuel-Fired Electric Utility...-fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units and Standards of Performance for Fossil-Fuel-Fired...

  1. Coal-fired power generaion, new air quality regulations, and future U.S. coal production

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Attanasi, E.D.; Root, D.H.

    1999-01-01

    Tighter new regulation of stack gas emissions and competition in power generation are driving electrical utilities to demand cleaner, lower sulfur coal. Historical data on sulfur content of produced coals shows little variability in coal quality for individual mines and individual coal-producing counties over relatively long periods of time. If coal-using power generators follow the compliance patterns established in Phase I of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, then the industry's response to the tighter Phase II emissions standards will result in large amounts of coal production shifting from higher sulfur areas to areas with lower cost low sulfur coal. One reason this shift will likely occur is that currently only 30% of U.S. coal-fired electrical generating capacity is equipped with flue-gas scrubbers. In 1995, coal mines in the higher sulfur areas of the Illinois Basin and Northern and Central Appalachia employed 78% of all coal miners (>70,000 miners). A substantial geographical redistribution of the nation's coal supplies will likely lead to economic dislocations that will reach beyond local coal-producing areas.

  2. Life Cycle Assessment of Coal-fired Power Production

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Spath, P. L.; Mann, M. K.; Kerr, D. R.

    1999-09-01

    Coal has the largest share of utility power generation in the US, accounting for approximately 56% of all utility-produced electricity (US DOE, 1998). Therefore, understanding the environmental implications of producing electricity from coal is an important component of any plan to reduce total emissions and resource consumption. A life cycle assessment (LCA) on the production of electricity from coal was performed in order to examine the environmental aspects of current and future pulverized coal boiler systems. Three systems were examined: (1) a plant that represents the average emissions and efficiency of currently operating coal-fired power plants in the US (thismore » tells us about the status quo), (2) a new coal-fired power plant that meets the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS), and (3) a highly advanced coal-fired power plant utilizing a low emission boiler system (LEBS).« less

  3. Energetic valorization of wood waste: estimation of the reduction in CO2 emissions.

    PubMed

    Vanneste, J; Van Gerven, T; Vander Putten, E; Van der Bruggen, B; Helsen, L

    2011-09-01

    This paper investigates the potential CO(2) emission reductions related to a partial switch from fossil fuel-based heat and electricity generation to renewable wood waste-based systems in Flanders. The results show that valorization in large-scale CHP (combined heat and power) systems and co-firing in coal plants have the largest CO(2) reduction per TJ wood waste. However, at current co-firing rates of 10%, the CO(2) reduction per GWh of electricity that can be achieved by co-firing in coal plants is five times lower than the CO(2) reduction per GWh of large-scale CHP. Moreover, analysis of the effect of government support for co-firing of wood waste in coal-fired power plants on the marginal costs of electricity generation plants reveals that the effect of the European Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) is effectively counterbalanced. This is due to the fact that biomass integrated gasification combined cycles (BIGCC) are not yet commercially available. An increase of the fraction of coal-based electricity in the total electricity generation from 8 to 10% at the expense of the fraction of gas-based electricity due to the government support for co-firing wood waste, would compensate entirely for the CO(2) reduction by substitution of coal by wood waste. This clearly illustrates the possibility of a 'rebound' effect on the CO(2) reduction due to government support for co-combustion of wood waste in an electricity generation system with large installed capacity of coal- and gas-based power plants, such as the Belgian one. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Neal, J.W.

    The nation`s rural electric cooperatives own a high proportion of coal-fired generation, in excess of 80 percent of their generating capacity. As the electric utility industry moves toward a competitive electricity market, the generation mix for electric cooperatives is expected to change. Distributed generation will likely serve more customer loads than is now the case, and that will lead to an increase in gas-fired generation capacity. But, clean low-cost central station coal-fired capacity is expected to continue to be the primary source of power for growing rural electric cooperatives. Gasification combined cycle could be the lowest cost coal based generationmore » option in this new competitive market if both capital cost and electricity production costs can be further reduced. This paper presents anticipated utility business scenarios for the deregulated future and identifies combined cycle power plant configurations that might prove most competitive.« less

  5. Application of Paste Backfill in Underground Coal Fires

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Masniyom, M.; Drebenstedt, C.

    2009-04-01

    Coal fires are known from different coalfields worldwide. China, India, USA, Australia, Indonesia and South Africa are the main countries affected by coal fires. The fires is thermally intensive and cause numerous sinkholes, large-scale subsidence, air pollution, global warming, loss of mining productivity and increasing safety risk. The Wuda Inner Mongolia coalfield has been selected as a possible test area for paste backfill. The traditional methods, executed by fire fighting teams, by covering the coalfire areas with soil, blasting burning coal outcrops and injecting water in the subsurface fire pockets are continuously improved and extended. Initiatives to introduce modern techniques, such as backfill placement at fracture and borehole, to cool down the burning coal and cut off the air supply. This study is to investigate backfill materials and techniques suited for underground coal fires. Laboratory tests were carried out on physical, chemical and mechanical properties of different backfill materials and mixtures thereof. Special attention was paid to materials generated as by-products and other cheaply available materials e.g. fly ash from power plants. There is a good chance that one of the different material mixtures investigated can be used as a technically and economically viable backfill for underground coal fires.

  6. Near-term implications of a ban on new coal-fired power plants in the United States

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Adam Newcomer; Jay Apt

    2009-06-15

    Large numbers of proposed new coal power generators in the United States have been cancelled, and some states have prohibited new coal power generators. We examine the effects on the U.S. electric power system of banning the construction of coal-fired electricity generators, which has been proposed as a means to reduce U.S. CO{sub 2} emissions. The model simulates load growth, resource planning, and economic dispatch of the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (ISO), Inc., Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), and PJM under a ban on new coal generation and uses an economic dispatch model to calculate the resulting changesmore » in dispatch order, CO{sub 2} emissions, and fuel use under three near-term (until 2030) future electric power sector scenarios. A national ban on new coal-fired power plants does not lead to CO{sub 2} reductions of the scale required under proposed federal legislation such as Lieberman-Warner but would greatly increase the fraction of time when natural gas sets the price of electricity, even with aggressive wind and demand response policies. 50 refs., 5 figs., 4 tabs.« less

  7. Fast and safe gas detection from underground coal fire by drone fly over.

    PubMed

    Dunnington, Lucila; Nakagawa, Masami

    2017-10-01

    Underground coal fires start naturally or as a result of human activities. Besides burning away the important non-renewable energy resource and causing financial losses, burning coal seams emit carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxide and methane, and is a leading cause of smog, acid rain, global warming, and air toxins. In the U.S. alone, the combined cost of coal-fire remediation projects that have been completed, budgeted, or projected by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining Remediation and Enforcement (OSM), exceeds $1 billion. It is estimated that these fires generate as much as 3% of the world's annual carbon dioxide emissions and consume as much as 5% of its minable coal. Considering the magnitude of environmental impact and economic loss caused by burning underground coal seams, we have developed a new, safe, reliable surface measurement of coal fire gases to assess the nature of underground coal fires. We use a drone mounted with gas sensors. Drone collected gas concentration data provides a safe alternative for evaluating the rank of a burning coal seam. In this study, a new method of determining coal rank by gas ratios is developed. Coal rank is valuable for defining parameters of a coal seam such as burn temperature, burn rate, and volume of burning seam. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Numerical Modelling by FLAC on Coal Fires in North China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gusat, D.; Drebenstedt, C.

    2009-04-01

    Coal fires occur in many countries all over the world (e.g. Australia, China, India, Indonesia, USA and Russia) in underground and on surface. In China the most coal fires occur especially in the North. Economical and environmental damages are the negative effects of the coal fires: coal fires induce open fractures and fissures within the seam and neighbouring rocks. So that these are the predominant pathways for oxygen flow and exhaust gases from a coal fire. All over northern China there are a large number of coal fires, which cause and estimated yearly coal loss of between 100 and 200 million tons ([1], [2], [3]). Spontaneous combustion is a very complicated process and is influenced by number of factors. The process is an exothermic reaction in which the heat generated is dissipated by conduction to the surrounding environment, by radiation, by convection to the ventilation flow, and in some cases by evaporation of moisture from the coal [4]. The coal fires are very serious in China, and the dangerous extent of spontaneous combustion is bad which occupies about 72.9% in mining coal seams. During coal mining in China, the coal fires of spontaneous combustion are quite severity. The dangerous of coal spontaneous combustion has been in 56% of state major coalmines [5]. The 2D and 3D-simulation models describing coal fire damages are strong tools to predict fractures and fissures, to estimate the risk of coal fire propagation into neighbouring seams, to test and evaluate coal fire fighting and prevention methods. The numerical simulations of the rock mechanical model were made with the software for geomechanical and geotechnical calculations, the programs FLAC and FLAC3D [6]. To fight again the coal fires, exist several fire fighting techniques. Water, slurries or liquefied nitrogen can be injected to cool down the coal or cut of air supply with the backfill and thereby extinct the fire. Air supply also can be cut of by covering the coal by soil or sealing of the coal mine with the backfill. A smaller fires can also be handled by taking out burning coal by bulldozing techniques described above are applicable to small fires, but they do not work well in extinction of large coal fires. References [1] http://www.coalfire.caf.dlr.de [2] Schalke, H.J.W.G.; Rosema, A.; Van Genderen, J.L. (1993): Environmental monitoring of coal fires in North China. Project Identification Mission Report. Report Remote Sensing Programme Board, Derft, the Netherlands. [3] Zhang, X.; Kroonenberg, S. B.; De Boer, C. B. (2004): Dating of coal fires in Xinjiang, north-west China. Terra Nova. Band 16, No 2, S. 68-74. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3121.2004.00532.x [4] Deng Jun, Hou Shuang, Li Huirong, e.t.c (2006): Oxidation Mechanism at Initial Stage of a Simulated Coal Molecule with -CH2O-[J]. Journal of Changchun University of Science and Technology, 29(2), P. 84-87. [5] Deng, Jun (2008): Presentation. Chinese Researches and Practical Experiences on Controlling Underground Coal Fires. The 2nd Australia-China Symposium on Science, Technology and Education. 15-18 October 2008, Courtyard Marriott, Surfers Paradise Beach, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. [6] Itasca (2003): FLAC, Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua. Itasca Consultants Group, Inc., Minneapolis.

  9. Characteristics of NOx emission from Chinese coal-fired power plants equipped with new technologies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, Zizhen; Deng, Jianguo; Li, Zhen; Li, Qing; Zhao, Ping; Wang, Liguo; Sun, Yezhu; Zheng, Hongxian; Pan, Li; Zhao, Shun; Jiang, Jingkun; Wang, Shuxiao; Duan, Lei

    2016-04-01

    Coal combustion in coal-fired power plants is one of the important anthropogenic NOx sources, especially in China. Many policies and methods aiming at reducing pollutants, such as increasing installed capacity and installing air pollution control devices (APCDs), especially selective catalytic reduction (SCR) units, could alter NOx emission characteristics (NOx concentration, NO2/NOx ratio, and NOx emission factor). This study reported the NOx characteristics of eight new coal-fired power-generating units with different boiler patterns, installed capacities, operating loads, and coal types. The results showed that larger units produced less NOx, and anthracite combustion generated more NOx than bitumite and lignite combustion. During formation, the NOx emission factors varied from 1.81 to 6.14 g/kg, much lower than those of older units at similar scales. This implies that NOx emissions of current and future units could be overestimated if they are based on outdated emission factors. In addition, APCDs, especially SCR, greatly decreased NOx emissions, but increased NO2/NOx ratios. Regardless, the NO2/NOx ratios were lower than 5%, in accordance with the guidelines and supporting the current method for calculating NOx emissions from coal-fired power plants that ignore NO2.

  10. Executive roundtable on coal-fired generation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    2009-09-15

    Power Engineering magazine invited six industry executives from the coal-fired sector to discuss issues affecting current and future prospects of coal-fired generation. The executives are Tim Curran, head of Alstom Power for the USA and Senior Vice President and General Manager of Boilers North America; Ray Kowalik, President and General Manager of Burns and McDonnell Energy Group; Jeff Holmstead, head of Environmental Strategies for the Bracewell Giuliani law firm; Jim Mackey, Vice President, Fluor Power Group's Solid Fuel business line; Tom Shelby, President Kiewit Power Inc., and David Wilks, President of Energy Supply for Excel Energy Group. Steve Blankinship, themore » magazine's Associate Editor, was the moderator. 6 photos.« less

  11. Opportunities for Decarbonizing Existing U.S. Coal-Fired Power Plants via CO2 Capture, Utilization and Storage.

    PubMed

    Zhai, Haibo; Ou, Yang; Rubin, Edward S

    2015-07-07

    This study employs a power plant modeling tool to explore the feasibility of reducing unit-level emission rates of CO2 by 30% by retrofitting carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) to existing U.S. coal-fired electric generating units (EGUs). Our goal is to identify feasible EGUs and their key attributes. The results indicate that for about 60 gigawatts of the existing coal-fired capacity, the implementation of partial CO2 capture appears feasible, though its cost is highly dependent on the unit characteristics and fuel prices. Auxiliary gas-fired boilers can be employed to power a carbon capture process without significant increases in the cost of electricity generation. A complementary CO2 emission trading program can provide additional economic incentives for the deployment of CCS with 90% CO2 capture. Selling and utilizing the captured CO2 product for enhanced oil recovery can further accelerate CCUS deployment and also help reinforce a CO2 emission trading market. These efforts would allow existing coal-fired EGUs to continue to provide a significant share of the U.S. electricity demand.

  12. 40 CFR 62.4681 - Effective date.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... PROMULGATION OF STATE PLANS FOR DESIGNATED FACILITIES AND POLLUTANTS Louisiana Mercury Emissions from Coal... the plan applicable to mercury budget units at coal-fired electric steam generating units and coal...

  13. 40 CFR 62.4681 - Effective date.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... PROMULGATION OF STATE PLANS FOR DESIGNATED FACILITIES AND POLLUTANTS Louisiana Mercury Emissions from Coal... the plan applicable to mercury budget units at coal-fired electric steam generating units and coal...

  14. 40 CFR 62.4681 - Effective date.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... PROMULGATION OF STATE PLANS FOR DESIGNATED FACILITIES AND POLLUTANTS Louisiana Mercury Emissions from Coal... the plan applicable to mercury budget units at coal-fired electric steam generating units and coal...

  15. 40 CFR 62.4681 - Effective date.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... PROMULGATION OF STATE PLANS FOR DESIGNATED FACILITIES AND POLLUTANTS Louisiana Mercury Emissions from Coal... the plan applicable to mercury budget units at coal-fired electric steam generating units and coal...

  16. 40 CFR 62.4681 - Effective date.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... PROMULGATION OF STATE PLANS FOR DESIGNATED FACILITIES AND POLLUTANTS Louisiana Mercury Emissions from Coal... the plan applicable to mercury budget units at coal-fired electric steam generating units and coal...

  17. Underground Coal-Fires in Xinjiang, China: A Continued Effort in Applying Geophysics to Solve a Local Problem and to Mitigate a Global Hazard

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wuttke, M. W.; Halisch, M.; Tanner, D. C.; Cai, Z. Y.; Zeng, Q.; Wang, C.

    2012-04-01

    Spontaneous uncontrolled coal seam fires are a well known phenomenon that causes severe environmental problems and severe impact on natural coal reserves. Coal fires are a worldwide phenomenon, but in particular in Xinjiang, that covers 17.3 % of Chinas area and hosts approx 42 % of its coal resources. In Xinjiang since more than 50 years a rigorous strategy for fire fighting on local and regional scale is persued. The Xinjiang Coalfield Fire Fighting Bureau (FFB) has developed technologies and methods to deal with any known fire. Many fires have been extinguished already, but the problem is still there if not even growing. This problem is not only a problem for China due to the loss of valuable energy resources, but it is also a worldwide threat because of the generation of substantial amounts of greenhouse gases. Through the FFB, China is struggling to overcome this, but the activities could be much enhanced by the continuation of the already successful conjoint operations. The last ten years have seen two successful cooperative projects between China and Germany on the field of coal-fire fighting, namely the German Technical Cooperation Project on Coal Fire in Xinjiang and the Sino-German Coal Fire Research Initiative funded by the corresponding ministeries of both countries. A persistent task in the fire fighting is the identification and supervision of areas with higher risks for the ignition of coal fires, the exploration of already ignited fire zones to extinguish the fires and the monitoring of extinguished fires to detect as early as possible process that may foster re-ignition. This can be achieved by modeling both the structures and the processes that are involved. This has also been a promising part of the past cooperation projects, yet to be transformed into a standard application of fire fighting procedures. In this contribution we describe the plans for a new conjoint project between China and Germany where on the basis of field investigations and laboratory measurements realistic dynamical models of fire-zones are constructed to increase the understanding of particular coal-fires, to interpret the surface signatures of the coal-fire in terms of location and propagation and to estimate the output of hazardous exhaust products to evaluate the economic benefit of fire extinction.

  18. Prospects for the development of coal-steam plants in Russia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tumanovskii, A. G.

    2017-06-01

    Evaluation of the technical state of the modern coal-fired power plants and quality of coal consumed by Russian thermal power plants (TPP) is provided. Measures aimed at improving the economic and environmental performance of operating 150-800 MW coal power units are considered. Ways of efficient use of technical methods of NO x control and electrostatic precipitators' upgrade for improving the efficiency of ash trapping are summarized. Examples of turbine and boiler equipment efficiency upgrading through its deep modernization are presented. The necessity of the development and introduction of new technologies in the coal-fired power industry is shown. Basic technical requirements for a 660-800 MW power unit with the steam conditions of 28 MPa, 600/600°C are listed. Design solutions taking into account features of Russian coal combustion are considered. A field of application of circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boilers and their effectiveness are indicated. The results of development of a new generation coal-fired TPP, including a steam turbine with an increased efficiency of the compartments and disengaging clutch, an elevated steam conditions boiler, and a highly efficient NO x /SO2 and ash particles emission control system are provided. In this case, the resulting ash and slag are not to be sent to the ash dumps and are to be used to a maximum advantage. Technical solutions to improve the efficiency of coal gasification combined cycle plants (CCP) are considered. A trial plant based on a 16 MW gas turbine plant (GTP) and an air-blown gasifier is designed as a prototype of a high-power CCP. The necessity of a state-supported technical reequipment and development program of operating coal-fired power units, as well as putting into production of new generation coal-fired power plants, is noted.

  19. 77 FR 9303 - National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants From Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-16

    ... Utility Steam Generating Units and Standards of Performance for Fossil-Fuel-Fired Electric Utility... Performance for Fossil-Fuel-Fired Electric Utility, Industrial-Commercial-Institutional, and Small Industrial... electric utility steam generating units (EGUs) and standards of performance for fossil-fuel-fired electric...

  20. Novel approach for extinguishing large-scale coal fires using gas-liquid foams in open pit mines.

    PubMed

    Lu, Xinxiao; Wang, Deming; Qin, Botao; Tian, Fuchao; Shi, Guangyi; Dong, Shuaijun

    2015-12-01

    Coal fires are a serious threat to the workers' security and safe production in open pit mines. The coal fire source is hidden and innumerable, and the large-area cavity is prevalent in the coal seam after the coal burned, causing the conventional extinguishment technology difficult to work. Foams are considered as an efficient means of fire extinguishment in these large-scale workplaces. A noble foam preparation method is introduced, and an original design of cavitation jet device is proposed to add foaming agent stably. The jet cavitation occurs when the water flow rate and pressure ratio reach specified values. Through self-building foaming system, the high performance foams are produced and then infused into the blast drilling holes at a large flow. Without complicated operation, this system is found to be very suitable for extinguishing large-scale coal fires. Field application shows that foam generation adopting the proposed key technology makes a good fire extinguishment effect. The temperature reduction using foams is 6-7 times higher than water, and CO concentration is reduced from 9.43 to 0.092‰ in the drilling hole. The coal fires are controlled successfully in open pit mines, ensuring the normal production as well as the security of personnel and equipment.

  1. Combustion Of Poultry-Derived Fuel in a CFBC

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jia, Lufei; Anthony, Edward J.

    Poultry farming generates large quantities of waste. Current disposal practice is to spread the poultry wastes onto farmland as fertilizer. However, as the factory farms for poultry grow both in numbers and size, the amount of poultry wastes generated has increased significandy in recent years. In consequence, excessive application of poultry wastes on farmland is resulting in more and more contaminants entering the surface water. One of the options being considered is the use of poultry waste as power plant fuel. Since poultry-derived fuel (PDF) is biomass, its co-firing will have the added advantage of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power generation. To evaluate the combustion characteristics of co-firing PDF with coal, combustion tests of mixtures of coal and PDF were conducted in CanmetENERGY's pilot-scale CFBC. The goal of the tests was to verify that PDF can be co-fired with coal and, more importantly, that emissions from the combustion process are not adversely affected by the presence of PDF in the fuel feed. The test results were very promising and support the view that co-firing in an existing coal-fired CFBC is an effective method of utilizing this potential fuel, both resolving a potential waste disposal problem and reducing the amount of CO2 released by the boiler.

  2. Coal-Fired Boilers at Navy Bases, Navy Energy Guidance Study, Phase II and III.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1979-05-01

    several sizes were performed. Central plants containing four equal-sized boilers and central flue gas desulfurization facilities were shown to be less...Conceptual design and parametric cost studies of steam and power generation systems using coal-fired stoker boilers and stack gas scrubbers in

  3. Future CO2 emissions and electricity generation from proposed coal-fired power plants in India

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shearer, Christine; Fofrich, Robert; Davis, Steven J.

    2017-04-01

    With its growing population, industrializing economy, and large coal reserves, India represents a critical unknown in global projections of future CO2 emissions. Here, we assess proposed construction of coal-fired power plants in India and evaluate their implications for future emissions and energy production in the country. As of mid-2016, 243 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired generating capacity are under development in India, including 65 GW under construction and an additional 178 GW proposed. These under-development plants would increase the coal capacity of India's power sector by 123% and, when combined with the country's goal to produce at least 40% of its power from non-fossil sources by 2030, exceed the country's projected future electricity demand. The current proposals for new coal-fired plants could therefore either "strand" fossil energy assets (i.e., force them to retire early or else operate at very low capacity factors) and/or ensure that the goal is not met by "locking-out" new, low-carbon energy infrastructure. Similarly, future emissions from the proposed coal plants would also exceed the country's climate commitment to reduce its 2005 emissions intensity 33% to 35% by 2030, which—when combined with the commitments of all other countries—is itself not yet ambitious enough to meet the international goal of holding warming well below 2°C relative to the pre-industrial era.

  4. Formulation, Pretreatment, and Densification Options to Improve Biomass Specifications for Co-Firing High Percentages with Coal

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jaya Shankar Tumuluru; J Richard Hess; Richard D. Boardman

    2012-06-01

    There is a growing interest internationally to use more biomass for power generation, given the potential for significant environmental benefits and long-term fuel sustainability. However, the use of biomass alone for power generation is subject to serious challenges, such as feedstock supply reliability, quality, and stability, as well as comparative cost, except in situations in which biomass is locally sourced. In most countries, only a limited biomass supply infrastructure exists. Alternatively, co-firing biomass alongwith coal offers several advantages; these include reducing challenges related to biomass quality, buffering the system against insufficient feedstock quantity, and mitigating the costs of adapting existingmore » coal power plants to feed biomass exclusively. There are some technical constraints, such as low heating values, low bulk density, and grindability or size-reduction challenges, as well as higher moisture, volatiles, and ash content, which limit the co-firing ratios in direct and indirect co-firing. To achieve successful co-firing of biomass with coal, biomass feedstock specifications must be established to direct pretreatment options in order to modify biomass materials into a format that is more compatible with coal co-firing. The impacts on particle transport systems, flame stability, pollutant formation, and boiler-tube fouling/corrosion must also be minimized by setting feedstock specifications, which may include developing new feedstock composition by formulation or blending. Some of the issues, like feeding, co-milling, and fouling, can be overcome by pretreatment methods including washing/leaching, steam explosion, hydrothermal carbonization, and torrefaction, and densification methods such as pelletizing and briquetting. Integrating formulation, pretreatment, and densification will help to overcome issues related to physical and chemical composition, storage, and logistics to successfully co-fire higher percentages of biomass ( > 40%) with coal.« less

  5. Development of a high-performance coal-fired power generating system with pyrolysis gas and char-fired high temperature furnace (HITAF). Quarterly progress report No. 6, April--June 1993

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1993-08-01

    A concept for an advanced coal-fired combined-cycle power generating system is currently being developed. The first phase of this three-phase program consists of conducting the necessary research and development to define the system, evaluating the economic and technical feasibility of the concept, and preparing an R&D plan to develop the concept further. The system proposed to meet these goals is a combined-cycle system where air for a gas turbine is indirectly heated to approximately 1800{degree}F in furnaces fired with coal-derived fuels and then directly heated in a natural-gas-fired combustor to about 2400{degree}F. The system is based on a pyrolyzing processmore » that converts the coal into a low-Btu fuel gas and char. The fuel gas is relatively clean, and it is fired to heat tube surfaces that are susceptible to corrosion and problems from ash deposition. In particular, the high-temperature air heater tubes, which will need to be a ceramic material, will be located in a separate furnace or region of a furnace that is exposed to combustion products from the low-Btu fuel gas only.« less

  6. CHANGES IN TERRESTRIAL ECOLOGY RELATED TO A COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT: WISCONSIN POWER PLANT IMPACT STUDY

    EPA Science Inventory

    This report summarizes the effects of a coal-fired power plant on terrestrial plants and animals. Research was conducted from 1971 through 1977 at the Columbia Generating Station in the eastern flood-plain of the Wisconsin River in south-central Wisconsin. Initial studies were la...

  7. Small, modular, low-cost coal-fired power plants for the international market

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zauderer, B.; Frain, B.; Borck, B.

    1997-12-31

    This paper presents recent operating results of Coal Tech`s second generation, air cooled, slagging coal combustor, and its application to power plants in the 1 to 20 MW range. This 20 MMBtu/hour combustor was installed in a new demonstration plant in Philadelphia, PA in 1995. It contains the combustion components of a 1 MWe coal fired power plant, a 17,500 lb/hour steam boiler, coal storage and feed components, and stack gas cleanup components. The plant`s design incorporates improvements resulting from 2,000 hours of testing between 1987 and 1993 on a first generation, commercial scale, air cooled combustor of equal thermalmore » rating. Since operations began in early 1996, a total of 51 days of testing have been successfully completed. Major results include durability of the combustor`s refractory wall, excellent combustion with high ash concentration in the fuel, removal of 95% to 100% of the slag in the combustor, very little ash deposition in the boiler, major reduction of in-plant parasitic power, and simplified power system control through the use of modular designs of sub-systems and computer control. Rapid fuel switching between oil, gas, and coal and turndown of up to a factor of three was accomplished. All these features have been incorporated in advanced coal fired plant designs in the 1 to 20 MWe range. Incremental capital costs are only $100 to $200/kW higher than comparable rated gas or oil fired steam generating systems. Most of its components and subsystems can be factory assembled for very rapid field installation. The low capital, low operating costs, fuel flexibility, and compatibility with very high ash fuels, make this power system very attractive in regions of the world having domestic supplies of these fuels.« less

  8. Formulation of low solids coal water slurry from advanced coal cleaning waste fines

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Battista, J.J.; Morrison, J.L.; Lambert, A.

    1997-07-01

    GPU Genco, the New York State Electric and Gas Corporation (NYSEG), Penn State University and the Homer City Coal Processing Corporation are conducting characterization and formulation tests to determine the suitability of using minus 325 mesh coal waste fines as a low solids coal water slurry (CWS) co-firing fuel. The fine coal is contained in a centrifuge effluent stream at the recently modified Homer City Coal Preparation Plant. Recovering, thickening and then co-firing this material with pulverized coal is one means of alleviating a disposal problem and increasing the Btu recovery for the adjacent power plant. The project team ismore » currently proceeding with the design of a pilot scale system to formulate the effluent into a satisfactory co-firing fuel on a continuous basis for combustion testing at Seward Station. The ultimate goal is to burn the fuel at the pulverized coal units at the Homer City Generating Station. This paper presents the success to date of the slurry characterization and pilot scale design work. In addition, the paper will update GPU Genco`s current status for the low solids coal water slurry co-firing technology and will outline the company`s future plans for the technology.« less

  9. Coal-fired high performance power generating system. Final report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    As a result of the investigations carried out during Phase 1 of the Engineering Development of Coal-Fired High-Performance Power Generation Systems (Combustion 2000), the UTRC-led Combustion 2000 Team is recommending the development of an advanced high performance power generation system (HIPPS) whose high efficiency and minimal pollutant emissions will enable the US to use its abundant coal resources to satisfy current and future demand for electric power. The high efficiency of the power plant, which is the key to minimizing the environmental impact of coal, can only be achieved using a modern gas turbine system. Minimization of emissions can bemore » achieved by combustor design, and advanced air pollution control devices. The commercial plant design described herein is a combined cycle using either a frame-type gas turbine or an intercooled aeroderivative with clean air as the working fluid. The air is heated by a coal-fired high temperature advanced furnace (HITAF). The best performance from the cycle is achieved by using a modern aeroderivative gas turbine, such as the intercooled FT4000. A simplified schematic is shown. In the UTRC HIPPS, the conversion efficiency for the heavy frame gas turbine version will be 47.4% (HHV) compared to the approximately 35% that is achieved in conventional coal-fired plants. This cycle is based on a gas turbine operating at turbine inlet temperatures approaching 2,500 F. Using an aeroderivative type gas turbine, efficiencies of over 49% could be realized in advanced cycle configuration (Humid Air Turbine, or HAT). Performance of these power plants is given in a table.« less

  10. Producing fired bricks using coal slag from a gasification plant in indiana

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Chen, L.-M.; Chou, I.-Ming; Chou, S.-F.J.; Stucki, J.W.

    2009-01-01

    Integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) is a promising power generation technology which increases the efficiency of coal-to-power conversion and enhances carbon dioxide concentration in exhaust emissions for better greenhouse gas capture. Two major byproducts from IGCC plants are bottom slag and sulfur. The sulfur can be processed into commercially viable products, but high value applications need to be developed for the slag material in order to improve economics of the process. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the technical feasibility of incorporating coal slag generated by the Wabash River IGCC plant in Indiana as a raw material for the production of fired bricks. Full-size bricks containing up to 20 wt% of the coal slag were successfully produced at a bench-scale facility. These bricks have color and texture similar to those of regular fired bricks and their water absorption properties met the ASTM specifications for a severe weathering grade. Other engineering properties tests, including compressive strength tests, are in progress.

  11. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jones, M.L.

    This paper very briefly summarizes progress in the demonstration of a small (up to 6 MWe), environmentally acceptable electric generating system fueled by indigenous fuels and waste materials to serve power distribution systems typical of Alaskan Native communities. Two detailed appendices supplement the report. The project is focused on two primary technologies: (1) atmospheric fluidized bed combustion (AFBC), and (2) coalbed methane and coal-fired diesel technologies. Two sites have been selected as possible locations for an AFBC demonstration, and bid proposals are under review. The transfer of a coal-fired diesel clean coal demonstration project from Maryland to Fairbanks, Alaska wasmore » approved, and the environmental assessment has been initiated. Federal support for a fuel cell using coalbed methane is also being pursued. The appendices included in the report provide: (1) the status of the conceptual design study for a 600-kWe coal-fired cogeneration plant in McGrath, Alaska; and (2) a global market assessment of coalbed methane, fluidized-bed combustion, and coal-fired diesel technologies in remote applications.« less

  12. Co-firing switchgrass in a 50 MW pulverized coal boiler

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ragland, K.W.; Aerts, D.J.; Weiss, C.

    1996-12-31

    Switchgrass is being co-fired with pulverized coal in a 50 MW wall-fired, radiant boiler at MG&E`s Blount Street generating station. Shredded switchgrass is fed to a hammermill onto a live bottom storage bunker. Twin screw augers move the switchgrass onto a belt conveyor which leads to a rotary air lock valve and through a pressurized pipe to the boiler where it is injected into the furnace at two points between first and second level coal burners. The main objective of the project is to evaluate the boiler performance, slagging behavior, and emissions of the co-fired switchgrass at replacement of ratesmore » of up to 20% by mass (13% by heat input). Initial co-firing tests to examine fuel handling and feeding, combustion behavior, boiler response and emissions are favorable. In November a 100 hour co-fire test is planned.« less

  13. 76 FR 38590 - Proposed National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants From Coal- and Oil-Fired...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-07-01

    ...- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units and Standards of Performance for Fossil-Fuel... Performance for Fossil-Fuel- Fired Electric Utility, Industrial-Commercial-Institutional, and Small Industrial...

  14. 40 CFR 73.20 - Phase II early reduction credits.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... utility, including generators that are not fossil fuel-fired) that has decreased its total coal-fired... reductions in sulfur dioxide emissions; and (2) A report listing all units in the utility system, each fossil... total electrical generation for calendar years 1980 and 1985 (including all generators, whether fossil...

  15. 40 CFR 73.20 - Phase II early reduction credits.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... utility, including generators that are not fossil fuel-fired) that has decreased its total coal-fired... reductions in sulfur dioxide emissions; and (2) A report listing all units in the utility system, each fossil... total electrical generation for calendar years 1980 and 1985 (including all generators, whether fossil...

  16. 40 CFR 73.20 - Phase II early reduction credits.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... utility, including generators that are not fossil fuel-fired) that has decreased its total coal-fired... reductions in sulfur dioxide emissions; and (2) A report listing all units in the utility system, each fossil... total electrical generation for calendar years 1980 and 1985 (including all generators, whether fossil...

  17. 40 CFR 73.20 - Phase II early reduction credits.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... utility, including generators that are not fossil fuel-fired) that has decreased its total coal-fired... reductions in sulfur dioxide emissions; and (2) A report listing all units in the utility system, each fossil... total electrical generation for calendar years 1980 and 1985 (including all generators, whether fossil...

  18. Conceptual design of thermal energy storage systems for near-term electric utility applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hall, E. W.

    1980-01-01

    Promising thermal energy storage systems for midterm applications in conventional electric utilities for peaking power generation are evaluated. Conceptual designs of selected thermal energy storage systems integrated with conventional utilities are considered including characteristics of alternate systems for peaking power generation, viz gas turbines and coal fired cycling plants. Competitive benefit analysis of thermal energy storage systems with alternate systems for peaking power generation and recommendations for development and field test of thermal energy storage with a conventional utility are included. Results indicate that thermal energy storage is only marginally competitive with coal fired cycling power plants and gas turbines for peaking power generation.

  19. Ultra-Low Carbon Emissions from Coal-Fired Power Plants through Bio-Oil Co-Firing and Biochar Sequestration.

    PubMed

    Dang, Qi; Mba Wright, Mark; Brown, Robert C

    2015-12-15

    This study investigates a novel strategy of reducing carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants through co-firing bio-oil and sequestering biochar in agricultural lands. The heavy end fraction of bio-oil recovered from corn stover fast pyrolysis is blended and co-fired with bituminous coal to form a bio-oil co-firing fuel (BCF). Life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per kWh electricity produced vary from 1.02 to 0.26 kg CO2-eq among different cases, with BCF heavy end fractions ranging from 10% to 60%, which corresponds to a GHG emissions reduction of 2.9% to 74.9% compared with that from traditional bituminous coal power plants. We found a heavy end fraction between 34.8% and 37.3% is required to meet the Clean Power Plan's emission regulation for new coal-fired power plants. The minimum electricity selling prices are predicted to increase from 8.8 to 14.9 cents/kWh, with heavy end fractions ranging from 30% to 60%. A minimum carbon price of $67.4 ± 13 per metric ton of CO2-eq was estimated to make BCF power commercially viable for the base case. These results suggest that BCF co-firing is an attractive pathway for clean power generation in existing power plants with a potential for significant reductions in carbon emissions.

  20. Basic Information about Mercury

    MedlinePlus

    ... Since mercury occurs naturally in coal and other fossil fuels, when people burn these fuels for energy, ... coal-fired boilers in many industries to generate forms of thermal heat like steam The burning of ...

  1. Development of self-powered wireless high temperature electrochemical sensor for in situ corrosion monitoring of coal-fired power plant.

    PubMed

    Aung, Naing Naing; Crowe, Edward; Liu, Xingbo

    2015-03-01

    Reliable wireless high temperature electrochemical sensor technology is needed to provide in situ corrosion information for optimal predictive maintenance to ensure a high level of operational effectiveness under the harsh conditions present in coal-fired power generation systems. This research highlights the effectiveness of our novel high temperature electrochemical sensor for in situ coal ash hot corrosion monitoring in combination with the application of wireless communication and an energy harvesting thermoelectric generator (TEG). This self-powered sensor demonstrates the successful wireless transmission of both corrosion potential and corrosion current signals to a simulated control room environment. Copyright © 2014 ISA. All rights reserved.

  2. Geomorphology of coal seam fires

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuenzer, Claudia; Stracher, Glenn B.

    2012-02-01

    Coal fires occur in underground natural coal seams, in exposed surface seams, and in coal storage or waste piles. The fires ignite through spontaneous combustion or natural or anthropogenic causes. They are reported from China, India, USA, South Africa, Australia, and Russia, as well as many other countries. Coal fires lead to loss of a valuable resource (coal), the emission of greenhouse-relevant and toxic gases, and vegetation deterioration. A dangerous aspect of the fires is the threat to local mines, industries, and settlements through the volume loss underground. Surface collapse in coal fire areas is common. Thus, coal fires are significantly affecting the evolution of the landscape. Based on more than a decade of experience with in situ mapping of coal fire areas worldwide, a general classification system for coal fires is presented. Furthermore, coal seam fire geomorphology is explained in detail. The major landforms associated with, and induced by, these fires are presented. The landforms include manifestations resulting from bedrock surface fracturing, such as fissures, cracks, funnels, vents, and sponges. Further manifestations resulting from surface bedrock subsidence include sinkholes, trenches, depressions, partial surface subsidence, large surface subsidence, and slides. Additional geomorphologic coal fire manifestations include exposed ash layers, pyrometamorphic rocks, and fumarolic minerals. The origin, evolution, and possible future development of these features are explained, and examples from in situ surveys, as well as from high-resolution satellite data analyses, are presented. The geomorphology of coal fires has not been presented in a systematic manner. Knowledge of coal fire geomorphology enables the detection of underground coal fires based on distinct surface manifestations. Furthermore, it allows judgments about the safety of coal fire-affected terrain. Additionally, geomorphologic features are indicators of the burning stage of fires. Finally, coal fire geomorphology helps to explain landscape features whose occurrence would otherwise not be understood. Although coal fire-induced thermal anomalies and gas release are also indications of coal fire activity, as addressed by many investigators, no assessment is complete without sound geomorphologic mapping of the fire-induced geomorphologic features.

  3. Resource potential for renewable energy generation from co-firing of woody biomass with coal in the Northern U.S.

    Treesearch

    Michael E. Goerndt; Francisco X. Aguilar; Kenneth Skog

    2013-01-01

    Past studies have established measures of co-firing potential at varying spatial scales to assess opportunities for renewable energy generation from woody biomass. This study estimated physical availability, within ecological and public policy constraints, and associated harvesting and delivery costs of woody biomass for co-firing in selected power plants of the...

  4. Near-term capital spending in the North American power industry

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Burt, B.; Mullins, S.

    2007-01-15

    The article provides a snapshot of activity in the four distinct North American electric power generation niches - coal, nuclear, gas and renewables. Consideration of capacity and investment levels are a viable way of comparing growth trends. Coal still remains the fuel of choice for most new North American units. Between now and 2010 some 25 coal-fired units are scheduled to come on-line; another 246 units are in earlier stages of development. In 2005, spending on renewable energy development surpassed investment in gas-fired unit construction for the first time. 4 photos.

  5. Comparative evaluation of solar, fission, fusion, and fossil energy resources. Part 4: Energy from fossil fuels

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Williams, J. R.

    1974-01-01

    The conversion of fossil-fired power plants now burning oil or gas to burn coal is discussed along with the relaxation of air quality standards and the development of coal gasification processes to insure a continued supply of gas from coal. The location of oil fields, refining areas, natural gas fields, and pipelines in the U.S. is shown. The technologies of modern fossil-fired boilers and gas turbines are defined along with the new technologies of fluid-bed boilers and MHD generators.

  6. CONSOL`s perspective on CCT deployment

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Burke, F.P.; Statnick, R.M.

    1997-12-31

    The principal focus of government investment in Clean Coal Technology must be to serve the interests of the US energy consumer. Because of its security of supply and low cost, coal will continue to be the fuel of choice in the existing domestic electricity generating market. The ability of coal to compete for new generating capacity will depend largely on natural gas prices and the efficiency of coal and gas-fired generating options. Furthermore, potential environmental regulations, coupled with utility deregulation, create a climate of economic uncertainty that may limit future investment decisions favorable to coal. Therefore, the federal government, throughmore » programs such as CCT, should promote the development of greenfield and retrofit coal use technology that improves generating efficiency and meets environmental requirements for the domestic electric market.« less

  7. Multi-Attribute Selection of Coal Center Location: A Case Study in Thailand

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuakunrittiwong, T.; Ratanakuakangwan, S.

    2016-11-01

    Under Power Development Plan 2015, Thailand has to diversify its heavily gas-fired electricity generation. The main owner of electricity transmission grids is responsible to implement several coal-fired power plants with clean coal technology. To environmentally handle and economically transport unprecedented quantities of sub-bituminous and bituminous coal, a coal center is required. The location of such facility is an important strategic decision and a paramount to the success of the energy plan. As site selection involves many criteria, Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process or Fuzzy-AHP is applied to select the most suitable location among three candidates. Having analyzed relevant criteria and the potential alternatives, the result reveals that engineering and socioeconomic are important criteria and Map Ta Phut is the most suitable site for the coal center.

  8. Coping with carbon: a near-term strategy to limit carbon dioxide emissions from power stations.

    PubMed

    Breeze, Paul

    2008-11-13

    Burning coal to generate electricity is one of the key sources of atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions; so, targeting coal-fired power plants offers one of the easiest ways of reducing global carbon emissions. Given that the world's largest economies all rely heavily on coal for electricity production, eliminating coal combustion is not an option. Indeed, coal consumption is likely to increase over the next 20-30 years. However, the introduction of more efficient steam cycles will improve the emission performance of these plants over the short term. To achieve a reduction in carbon emissions from coal-fired plant, however, it will be necessary to develop and introduce carbon capture and sequestration technologies. Given adequate investment, these technologies should be capable of commercial development by ca 2020.

  9. Environmental implications of United States coal exports: a comparative life cycle assessment of future power system scenarios.

    PubMed

    Bohnengel, Barrett; Patiño-Echeverri, Dalia; Bergerson, Joule

    2014-08-19

    Stricter emissions requirements on coal-fired power plants together with low natural gas prices have contributed to a recent decline in the use of coal for electricity generation in the United States. Faced with a shrinking domestic market, many coal companies are taking advantage of a growing coal export market. As a result, U.S. coal exports hit an all-time high in 2012, fueled largely by demand in Asia. This paper presents a comparative life cycle assessment of two scenarios: a baseline scenario in which coal continues to be burned domestically for power generation, and an export scenario in which coal is exported to Asia. For the coal export scenario we focus on the Morrow Pacific export project being planned in Oregon by Ambre Energy that would ship 8.8 million tons of Powder River Basin (PRB) coal annually to Asian markets via rail, river barge, and ocean vessel. Air emissions (SOx, NOx, PM10 and CO2e) results assuming that the exported coal is burned for electricity generation in South Korea are compared to those of a business as usual case in which Oregon and Washington's coal plants, Boardman and Centralia, are retrofitted to comply with EPA emissions standards and continue their coal consumption. Findings show that although the environmental impacts of shipping PRB coal to Asia are significant, the combination of superior energy efficiency among newer South Korean coal-fired power plants and lower emissions from U.S. replacement of coal with natural gas could lead to a greenhouse gas reduction of 21% in the case that imported PRB coal replaces other coal sources in this Asian country. If instead PRB coal were to replace natural gas or nuclear generation in South Korea, greenhouse gas emissions per unit of electricity generated would increase. Results are similar for other air emissions such as SOx, NOx and PM. This study provides a framework for comparing energy export scenarios and highlights the importance of complete life cycle assessment in determining net emissions effects resulting from energy export projects and related policy decisions.

  10. 76 FR 23768 - National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants From Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-28

    ...-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units and Standards of Performance for Fossil-Fuel-Fired... Units and Standards of Performance for Fossil-Fuel-Fired Electric Utility, Industrial-Commercial... copy form. The hearing schedules, including lists of speakers, will be posted on EPA's Web Sites http...

  11. 40 CFR 60.45Da - Standard for mercury (Hg).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ...-fired electric utility steam generating unit that burns only lignite, you must not discharge into the... (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Electric Utility... for mercury (Hg). (a) For each coal-fired electric utility steam generating unit other than an IGCC...

  12. Nanominerals, fullerene aggregates, and hazardous elements in coal and coal combustion-generated aerosols: An environmental and toxicological assessment.

    PubMed

    Saikia, Jyotilima; Narzary, Bardwi; Roy, Sonali; Bordoloi, Manobjyoti; Saikia, Prasenjit; Saikia, Binoy K

    2016-12-01

    Studies on coal-derived nanoparticles as well as nano-minerals are important in the context of the human health and the environment. The coal combustion-generated aerosols also affect human health and environmental quality aspects in any coal-fired station. In this study, the feed coals and their combustion-generated aerosols from coal-fired boilers of two tea industry facilities were investigated for the presence of nanoparticles/nano minerals, fullerene aggregates, and potentially hazardous elements (PHEs). The samples were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (TOF-SIMS), High resolution-transmission electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy (HR-TEM/EDS) and Ultra Violet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) to know their extent of environmental risks to the human health when present in coals and aerosols. The feed coals contain mainly clay minerals, whilst glass fragments, spinel, quartz, and other minerals occur in lesser quantities. The PM samples contain potentially hazardous elements (PHEs) like As, Pb, Cd and Hg. Enrichment factor of the trace elements in particulate matters (PMs) was calculated to determine their sources. The aerosol samples were also found to contain nanomaterials and ultrafine particles. The fullerene aggregates along with potentially hazardous elements were also detected in the aerosol samples. The cytotoxicity studies on the coal combustion-generated PM samples show their potential risk to the human health. This detailed investigation on the inter-relationship between the feed coals and their aerosol chemistry will be useful for understanding the extent of environmental hazards and related human health risk. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Application of controllable pulverized-coal rich/lean combustion technology at the Hebi Wanhe Power Generation Co. Ltd.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jianzhong, L.; Xiang, Z.; Junhu, Z.

    1999-07-01

    The No.2 unit (670/H, 200MW) at Hebi Wanhe Power Generation C o. Ltd., was put into use in 1992. This is a coal-fired boiler with tangential fired method. The design coal is Hebi lean coal. To stabilize the combustion without oil at low load, eight original designed burners placed to No. 2 and 3 level on the No.2 boiler were replaced with the controllable pulverized rich/lean ones developed by the Institute for Thermal Power Engineering (ITPE) of Zhejiang University. The practice of successive operation shows that stable combustion can be achieved at 50% load without support oil, even at 45%more » load. The combustible matter in fly ash decreased to 1.12% and 1.17% from 1.83% and 1.32%, respectively at full load (200MW) and half load (100MW). The application has obvious economic benefits.« less

  14. Thermal surface characteristics of coal fires 1 results of in-situ measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Jianzhong; Kuenzer, Claudia

    2007-12-01

    Natural underground coal fires are fires in coal seams occurring subsurface. The fires are ignited through a process named spontaneous combustion, which occurs based on a natural reaction but is usually triggered through human interaction. Coal mining activities expose coal to the air. This leads to the exothermal oxidation of the carbon in the coal with the air's oxygen to CO 2 and - under certain circumstances - to spontaneous combustion. Coal fires occur in many countries world wide - however, currently the Chinese coal mining industry faces the biggest problems with coal fires. Coal fires destroy the valuable resource coal and furthermore lead to many environmental degradation phenomena such as the deterioration of surrounding vegetation, land subsidence and the emission of toxic gasses (CO, N 2O). They additionally contribute to the emission of green house relevant gasses such as CO 2 and CH 4 to the atmosphere. In this paper we present thermal characteristics of coal fires as measured in-situ during a field campaign to the Wuda coal fire area in south-central Inner Mongolia, China. Thermal characteristics include temperature anomaly measurements at the surface, spatial surface temperature profiles of fire areas and unaffected background areas, diurnal temperature profiles, and temperature measurements inside of coal fire induced cracks in the overlying bedrock. For all the measurements the effects of uneven solar heating through influences of slope and aspect are considered. Our findings show that coal fires result in strong or subtle thermal surface anomalies. Especially the latter can easily be influenced by heating of the surrounding background material through solar influences. Temperature variation of background rocks with different albedo, slope, aspect or vegetation cover can substantially influence the detectability of thermal anomalies. In the worst case coal fire related thermal anomalies can be completely masked by solar patterns during the daytime. Thus, night-time analysis is the most suitable for thermal anomaly mapping of underground coal fires, although this is not always feasible. The heat of underground coal fires only progresses very slowly through conduction in the rock material. Anomalies of coal fires completely covered by solid unfractured bedrock are very weak and were only measured during the night. The thermal pattern of underground coal fires manifested on the surface during the daytime is thus the pattern of cracks and vents, which occur due to the volume loss underground and which support radiation and convective energy transport of hot gasses. Inside coal fire temperatures can hardly be measured and can only be recorded if the glowing coal is exposed through a wider crack in the overlaying bedrock. Direct coal fire temperatures measured ranged between 233 °C and 854 °C. The results presented can substantially support the planning of thermal mapping campaigns, analyses of coal fire thermal anomalies in remotely sensed data, and can provide initial and boundary conditions for coal fire related numerical modeling. In a second paper named "Thermal Characteristics of Coal Fires 2: results of measurements on simulated coal fires" [ Zhang J., Kuenzer C., Tetzlaff A., Oettl D., Zhukov B., Wagner W., 2007. Thermal Characteristics of Coal Fires 2: Result of measurements on simulated coal fires. Accepted for publication at Journal of Applied Geophysics. doi:10.1016/j.jappgeo.2007.08.003] we report about thermal characteristics of simulated coal fires simulated under simplified conditions. The simulated set up allowed us to measure even more parameters under undisturbed conditions — especially inside fire temperatures. Furthermore we could demonstrate the differences between open surface coal fires and covered underground coal fires. Thermal signals of coal fires in near range thermal remotely sensed imagery from an observing tower and from an airplane are presented and discussed.

  15. Clean coal : DOE should prepare a comprehensive analysis of the relative costs, benefits, and risks of a range of options for FutureGen

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-03-11

    According to various energy experts, for the foreseeable future, because coal is abundant and relatively inexpensive, it will remain a significant fuel for the generation of electric power in the United States and the world. However, coal-fired power...

  16. Cogeneration Technology Alternatives Study (CTAS). Volume 6: Computer data. Part 1: Coal-fired nocogeneration process boiler, section A

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Knightly, W. F.

    1980-01-01

    About fifty industrial processes from the largest energy consuming sectors were used as a basis for matching a similar number of energy conversion systems that are considered as candidate which can be made available by the 1985 to 2000 time period. The sectors considered included food, textiles, lumber, paper, chemicals, petroleum, glass, and primary metals. The energy conversion systems included steam and gas turbines, diesels, thermionics, stirling, closed cycle and steam injected gas turbines, and fuel cells. Fuels considered were coal, both coal and petroleum based residual and distillate liquid fuels, and low Btu gas obtained through the on site gasification of coal. Computer generated reports of the fuels consumption and savings, capital costs, economics and emissions of the cogeneration energy conversion systems (ECS's) heat and power matched to the individual industrial processes are presented. National fuel and emissions savings are also reported for each ECS assuming it alone is implemented. Two nocogeneration base cases are included: coal fired and residual fired process boilers.

  17. Cogeneration Technology Alternatives Study (CTAS). Volume 6: Computer data. Part 1: Coal-fired nocogeneration process boiler, section B

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Knightly, W. F.

    1980-01-01

    About fifty industrial processes from the largest energy consuming sectors were used as a basis for matching a similar number of energy conversion systems that are considered as candidate which can be made available by the 1985 to 2000 time period. The sectors considered included food, textiles, lumber, paper, chemicals, petroleum, glass, and primary metals. The energy conversion systems included steam and gas turbines, diesels, thermionics, stirling, closed cycle and steam injected gas turbines, and fuel cells. Fuels considered were coal, both coal and petroleum based residual and distillate liquid fuels, and low Btu gas obtained through the on site gasification of coal. Computer generated reports of the fuel consumption and savings, capital costs, economics and emissions of the cogeneration energy conversion systems (ECS's) heat and power matched to the individual industrial processes are presented. National fuel and emissions savings are also reported for each ECS assuming it alone is implemented. Two nocogeneration base cases are included: coal fired and residual fired process boilers.

  18. The Next Generation of leaching Tests

    EPA Science Inventory

    Coal ash and other industrial by-products are used in building, construction, engineering and even agricultural applications. Changes in multi-pollutant control technology at coal-fired power plants and other combustion sources are shifting mercury (Hg) and other constituents of...

  19. 78 FR 285 - Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement for Healy Power Generation Unit #2, Healy, AK

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-03

    ... Valley Electric Association (GVEA) since 1967. Healy Unit 2 is a 50 MW coal- fired steam generator owned by AIDEA, which underwent test operation for two years as part of DOE's Clean Coal Technology Program... RUS. The RUS Electric Program is authorized to make loans and loan guarantees that finance the...

  20. Coal-Powered Electric Generating Unit Efficiency and Reliability Dialogue: Summary Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Taylor, Emmanuel

    Coal continues to play a critical role in powering the Nation’s electricity generation, especially for baseload power plants. With aging coal generation assets facing decreased performance due to the state of the equipment, and with challenges exacerbated by the current market pressures on the coal sector, there are opportunities to advance early-stage technologies that can retrofit or replace equipment components. These changes will eventually result in significant improvements in plant performance once further developed and deployed by industry. Research and development in areas such as materials, fluid dynamics, fuel properties and preparation characteristics, and a new generation of plant controlsmore » can lead to new components and systems that can help improve the efficiency and reliability of coal-fired power plants significantly, allowing these assets to continue to provide baseload power. Coal stockpiles at electricity generation plants are typically large enough to provide 30 to 60 days of power prior to resupply—significantly enhancing the stability and reliability of the U.S. electricity sector. Falling prices for non-dispatchable renewable energy and mounting environmental regulations, among other factors, have stimulated efforts to improve the efficiency of these coal-fired electric generating units (EGUs). In addition, increased reliance on natural gas and non-dispatchable energy sources has spurred efforts to further increase the reliability of coal EGUs. The Coal Powered EGU Efficiency and Reliability Dialogue brought together stakeholders from across the coal EGU industry to discuss methods for improvement. Participants at the event reviewed performance-enhancing innovations in coal EGUs, discussed the potential for data-driven management practices to increase efficiency and reliability, investigated the impacts of regulatory compliance on coal EGU performance, and discussed upcoming challenges for the coal industry. This report documents the key findings and research suggestions discussed at the event. Discussions at the workshop will aid DOE in developing a set of distinct initiatives that can be pursued by government and industry to realize promising technological pursuits. DOE plans to use the results of the Dialogue coupled with ongoing technical analysis of efficiency opportunities within the coal-fired fleet, and additional studies to develop a comprehensive strategy for capitalizing on thermal efficiency improvements. Expected Power Plant Efficiency Improvements include developing cost-effective, efficient, and reliable technologies for boilers, turbines, and sensors and controls to improve the reliability and efficiency of existing coal-based power plants. The Office of Fossil Energy at DOE plans to work with industry to develop knowledge pertaining to advanced technologies and systems that industry can subsequently develop. These technologies and systems will increase reliability, add operational flexibility and improve efficiency, thereby providing more robust power generation infrastructure. The following table lists the research suggestions and questions for further investigation that were identified by participants in each session of the dialogue.« less

  1. CO-FIRING COAL: FEEDLOT AND LITTER BIOMASS (CFB AND CLB) FUELS IN PULVERIZED FUEL AND FIXED BED BURNERS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kalyan Annamalai; John Sweeten; Saqib Mukhtar

    2003-08-28

    Intensive animal feeding operations create large amounts of animal waste that must be safely disposed of in order to avoid environmental degradation. Cattle feedlots and chicken houses are two examples. In feedlots, cattle are confined to small pens and fed a high calorie grain-diet diet in preparation for slaughter. In chicken houses, thousands of chickens are kept in close proximity. In both of these operations, millions of tons of manure are produced every year. The manure could be used as a fuel by mixing it with coal in a 90:10 blend and firing it in an existing coal suspension firedmore » combustion systems. This technique is known as co-firing, and the high temperatures produced by the coal will allow the biomass to be completely combusted. Reburn is a process where a small percentage of fuel called reburn fuel is injected above the NO{sub x} producing, conventional coal fired burners in order to reduce NO{sub x}. The manure could also be used as reburn fuel for reducing NO{sub x} in coal fired plants. An alternate approach of using animal waste is to adopt the gasification process using a fixed bed gasifier and then use the gases for firing in gas turbine combustors. In this report, the cattle manure is referred to as feedlot biomass (FB) and chicken manure as litter biomass (LB). The report generates data on FB and LB fuel characteristics. Co-firing, reburn, and gasification tests of coal, FB, LB, coal: FB blends, and coal: LB blends and modeling on cofiring, reburn systems and economics of use of FB and LB have also been conducted. The biomass fuels are higher in ash, lower in heat content, higher in moisture, and higher in nitrogen and sulfur (which can cause air pollution) compared to coal. Small-scale cofiring experiments revealed that the biomass blends can be successfully fired, and NO{sub x} emissions will be similar to or lower than pollutant emissions when firing coal. Further experiments showed that biomass is twice or more effective than coal when used in a reburning process. Computer simulations for coal: LB blends were performed by modifying an existing computer code to include the drying and phosphorus (P) oxidation models. The gasification studies revealed that there is bed agglomeration in the case of chicken litter biomass due to its higher alkaline oxide content in the ash. Finally, the results of the economic analysis show that considerable fuel cost savings can be achieved with the use of biomass. In the case of higher ash and moisture biomass, the fuel cost savings is reduced.« less

  2. Elemental mercury oxidation in an electrostatic precipitator enhanced with in situ soft X-ray irradiation.

    PubMed

    Jing, He; Wang, Xiaofei; Wang, Wei-Ning; Biswas, Pratim

    2015-04-01

    Corona discharge based techniques are promising approaches for oxidizing elemental mercury (Hg0) in flue gas from coal combustion. In this study, in-situ soft X-rays were coupled to a DC (direct current) corona-based electrostatic precipitator (ESP). The soft X-rays significantly enhanced Hg0 oxidation, due to generation of electrons from photoionization of gas molecules and the ESP electrodes. This coupling technique worked better in the positive corona discharge mode because more electrons were in the high energy region near the electrode. Detailed mechanisms of Hg0 oxidation are proposed and discussed based on ozone generation measurements and Hg0 oxidation behavior observations in single gas environments (O2, N2, and CO2). The effect of O2 concentration in flue gas, as well as the effects of particles (SiO2, TiO2, and KI) was also evaluated. In addition, the performance of a soft X-rays coupled ESP in Hg0 oxidations was investigated in a lab-scale coal combustion system. With the ESP voltage at +10 kV, soft X-ray enhancement, and KI addition, mercury oxidation was maximized. Mercury is a significant-impact atmospheric pollutant due to its toxicity. Coal-fired power plants are the primary emission sources of anthropogenic releases of mercury; hence, mercury emission control from coal-fired power plant is important. This study provides an alternative mercury control technology for coal-fired power plants. The proposed electrostatic precipitator with in situ soft X-rays has high efficiency on elemental mercury conversion. Effects of flue gas conditions (gas compositions, particles, etc.) on performance of this technology were also evaluated, which provided guidance on the application of the technology for coal-fired power plant mercury control.

  3. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Torrens, I.M.; Stenzel, W.C.

    Independent power producers will build a substantial fraction of expected new coal-fired power generation in developing countries over the coming decades. To reduce perceived risk and obtain financing for their projects, they are currently building and plan to continue to build subcritical coal-fired plants with generating efficiency below 40%. Up-to-date engineering assessment leads to the conclusion that supercritical generating technology, capable of efficiencies of up to 45%, can produce electricity at a lower total cost than conventional plants. If such plants were built in Asia over the coming decades, the savings in carbon dioxide emissions over their lifetime would bemore » measured in billions of tons. IPPs perceive supercritical technology as riskier and higher cost than conventional technology. The truth needs to be confirmed by discussions with additional experienced power engineering companies. Better communication among the interested parties could help to overcome the IPP perception issue. Governments working together with industry might be able to identify creative financing arrangements which can encourage the use of more efficient pulverized clean coal technologies, while awaiting the commercialization of advanced clean coal technologies like gasification combined cycle and pressurized fluidized bed combustion.« less

  4. Detection of Coal Fires: A Case Study Conducted on Indian Coal Seams Using Neural Network and Particle Swarm Optimization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Singh, B. B.

    2016-12-01

    India produces majority of its electricity from coal but a huge quantity of coal burns every day due to coal fires and also poses a threat to the environment as severe pollutants. In the present study we had demonstrated the usage of Neural Network based approach with an integrated Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) inversion technique. The Self Potential (SP) data set is used for the early detection of coal fires. The study was conducted over the East Basuria colliery, Jharia Coal Field, Jharkhand, India. The causative source was modelled as an inclined sheet like anomaly and the synthetic data was generated. Neural Network scheme consists of an input layer, hidden layers and an output layer. The input layer corresponds to the SP data and the output layer is the estimated depth of the coal fire. A synthetic dataset was modelled with some of the known parameters such as depth, conductivity, inclination angle, half width etc. associated with causative body and gives a very low misfit error of 0.0032%. Therefore, the method was found accurate in predicting the depth of the source body. The technique was applied to the real data set and the model was trained until a very good correlation of determination `R2' value of 0.98 is obtained. The depth of the source body was found to be 12.34m with a misfit error percentage of 0.242%. The inversion results were compared with the lithologs obtained from a nearby well which corresponds to the L3 coal seam. The depth of the coal fire had exactly matched with the half width of the anomaly which suggests that the fire is widely spread. The inclination angle of the anomaly was 135.510 which resembles the development of the geometrically complex fracture planes. These fractures may be developed due to anisotropic weakness of the ground which acts as passage for the air. As a result coal fires spreads along these fracture planes. The results obtained from the Neural Network was compared with PSO inversion results and were found in complete agreement. PSO technique had already been found a well-established technique to model SP anomalies. Therefore for successful control and mitigation, SP surveys coupled with Neural Network and PSO technique proves to be novel and economical approach along with other existing geophysical techniques. Keywords: PSO, Coal fire, Self-Potential, Inversion, Neural Network

  5. Study on test of coal co-firing for 600MW ultra supercritical boiler with four walls tangential burning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ying, Wu; Yong-lu, Zhong; Guo-mingi, Yin

    2018-06-01

    On account of nine commonly used coals in a Jiangxi Power Plant,two kinds of coal were selected to be applied in coal co-firing test through industrial analysis,elementary analysis and thermogravimetric analysis of coal.During the coal co-firing test,two load points were selected,three coal mixtures were prepared.Moreover,under each coal blending scheme, the optimal oxygen content was obtained by oxygen varying test. At last,by measuring the boiler efficiency and coal consumption of power supply in different coal co-firing schemes, the recommended coal co-firing scheme was obtained.

  6. Drivers of biomass co-firing in U.S. coal-fired power plants

    Treesearch

    Michael E. Goerndt; Francisco X. Aguilar; Kenneth Skog

    2013-01-01

    Substantial knowledge has been generated in the U.S. about the resource base for forest and other residue-derived biomass for bioenergy including co-firing in power plants. However, a lack of understanding regarding power plant-level operations and manager perceptions of drivers of biomass co-firing remains. This study gathered information from U.S. power plant...

  7. Financial vulnerability of the electricity sector to drought, and the impacts of changes in generation mix

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kern, J.

    2015-12-01

    Electric power utilities are increasingly cognizant of the risks water scarcity and rising temperatures pose for generators that use water as a "fuel" (i.e., hydroelectric dams) and generators that use water for cooling (i.e., coal, natural gas and nuclear). At the same time, utilities are under increasing market and policy pressure to retire coal-fired generation, the primary source of carbon emissions in the electric power sector. Due to falling costs of renewables and low natural gas prices, retiring coal fired generation is mostly being replaced with combined cycle natural gas, wind and solar. An immediate benefit of this shift has been a reduction in water withdrawals per megawatt-hour and reduced thermal impacts in surface water systems. In the process of retiring older coal-fired power plants, many of which use water intensive open-loop cooling systems, utilities are making their systems less vulnerable to water scarcity and higher water temperatures. However, it is not clear whether financial risks from water scarcity will decrease as result of this change. In particular, the choice to replace coal with natural gas combined cycle plants leaves utilities financially exposed to natural gas prices, especially during droughts when natural gas generation is used to replace lost hydropower production. Utility-scale solar, while more expensive than natural gas combined cycle generation, gives utilities an opportunity to simultaneously reduce their exposure to water scarcity and fuel price risk. In this study, we assess how switching from coal to natural gas and solar changes a utility's financial exposure to drought. We model impacts on retail prices and a utility's rate of return under current conditions and non-stationarity in natural gas prices and temperature and streamflows to determine whether increased exposure to natural gas prices offsets corresponding gains in water use efficiency. We also evaluate whether utility scale solar is an effective hedge against the combined effects of drought and natural gas price volatility—one that increases costs on average but reduces exposure to large drought-related losses.

  8. Water-carbon trade-off in China's coal power industry.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Chao; Anadon, Laura Diaz; Mo, Hongpin; Zhao, Zhongnan; Liu, Zhu

    2014-10-07

    The energy sector is increasingly facing water scarcity constraints in many regions around the globe, especially in China, where the unprecedented large-scale construction of coal-fired thermal power plants is taking place in its extremely arid northwest regions. As a response to water scarcity, air-cooled coal power plants have experienced dramatic diffusion in China since the middle 2000s. By the end of 2012, air-cooled coal-fired thermal power plants in China amounted to 112 GW, making up 14% of China's thermal power generation capacity. But the water conservation benefit of air-cooled units is achieved at the cost of lower thermal efficiency and consequently higher carbon emission intensity. We estimate that in 2012 the deployment of air-cooled units contributed an additional 24.3-31.9 million tonnes of CO2 emissions (equivalent to 0.7-1.0% of the total CO2 emissions by China's electric power sector), while saving 832-942 million m(3) of consumptive water use (about 60% of the total annual water use of Beijing) when compared to a scenario with water-cooled plants. Additional CO2 emissions from air-cooled plants largely offset the CO2 emissions reduction benefits from Chinese policies of retiring small and outdated coal plants. This water-carbon trade-off is poised to become even more significant by 2020, as air-cooled units are expected to grow by a factor of 2-260 GW, accounting for 22% of China's total coal-fired power generation capacity.

  9. The Application of LANDSAT Multi-Temporal Thermal Infrared Data to Identify Coal Fire in the Khanh Hoa Coal Mine, Thai Nguyen province, Vietnam

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Trinh, Le Hung; Zablotskii, V. R.

    2017-12-01

    The Khanh Hoa coal mine is a surface coal mine in the Thai Nguyen province, which is one of the largest deposits of coal in the Vietnam. Numerous reasons such as improper mining techniques and policy, as well as unauthorized mining caused surface and subsurface coal fire in this area. Coal fire is a dangerous phenomenon which affects the environment seriously by releasing toxic fumes which causes forest fires, and subsidence of infrastructure surface. This article presents study on the application of LANDSAT multi-temporal thermal infrared images, which help to detect coal fire. The results obtained in this study can be used to monitor fire zones so as to give warnings and solutions to prevent coal fire.

  10. Multiplex CARS temperature measurements in a coal-fired MHD environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beiting, E. J.

    1986-01-01

    Multiplex CARS spectra of nitrogen were recorded in an environment that simulates the post-magnet gas stream of a coal-fired MHD generator. The presence of coal fly ash and potassium seed created a weakly ionized, highly luminous medium with a high number density of relatively large (1-50 microns) diameter particles. Maximum temperatures of 2500 K were measured with a spatial resolution of 5 mm. The precision optical alignment necessary for folded BOXCARS phasematching was maintained for the long distances (greater than 10 m) necessary to route the laser beams from the CARS instrument to the combustion facility. The increased luminosity caused by the injection of potassium seed did not impede the recovery of good quality spectra. The coal fly ash particles precipitated laser induced breakdown which, in turn, led to the generation of a coherent interference with N2 spectra. Techniques to overcome this problem are discussed. The accuracy of the temperature measurements are estimated to be + or - 3 percent.

  11. Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions and freshwater consumption of Marcellus shale gas.

    PubMed

    Laurenzi, Ian J; Jersey, Gilbert R

    2013-05-07

    We present results of a life cycle assessment (LCA) of Marcellus shale gas used for power generation. The analysis employs the most extensive data set of any LCA of shale gas to date, encompassing data from actual gas production and power generation operations. Results indicate that a typical Marcellus gas life cycle yields 466 kg CO2eq/MWh (80% confidence interval: 450-567 kg CO2eq/MWh) of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and 224 gal/MWh (80% CI: 185-305 gal/MWh) of freshwater consumption. Operations associated with hydraulic fracturing constitute only 1.2% of the life cycle GHG emissions, and 6.2% of the life cycle freshwater consumption. These results are influenced most strongly by the estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) of the well and the power plant efficiency: increase in either quantity will reduce both life cycle freshwater consumption and GHG emissions relative to power generated at the plant. We conclude by comparing the life cycle impacts of Marcellus gas and U.S. coal: The carbon footprint of Marcellus gas is 53% (80% CI: 44-61%) lower than coal, and its freshwater consumption is about 50% of coal. We conclude that substantial GHG reductions and freshwater savings may result from the replacement of coal-fired power generation with gas-fired power generation.

  12. Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) Engineering Test Facility (ETF) 200 MWe power plant Conceptual Design Engineering Report (CDER)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1981-01-01

    The reference conceptual design of the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) Engineering Test Facility (ETF), a prototype 200 MWe coal-fired electric generating plant designed to demonstrate the commercial feasibility of open cycle MHD, is summarized. Main elements of the design, systems, and plant facilities are illustrated. System design descriptions are included for closed cycle cooling water, industrial gas systems, fuel oil, boiler flue gas, coal management, seed management, slag management, plant industrial waste, fire service water, oxidant supply, MHD power ventilating

  13. Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) Engineering Test Facility (ETF) 200 MWe power plant Conceptual Design Engineering Report (CDER)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    1981-09-01

    The reference conceptual design of the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) Engineering Test Facility (ETF), a prototype 200 MWe coal-fired electric generating plant designed to demonstrate the commercial feasibility of open cycle MHD, is summarized. Main elements of the design, systems, and plant facilities are illustrated. System design descriptions are included for closed cycle cooling water, industrial gas systems, fuel oil, boiler flue gas, coal management, seed management, slag management, plant industrial waste, fire service water, oxidant supply, MHD power ventilating

  14. The impacts of meeting a tight CO2 performance standard on the electric power sector

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hanson, Donald; Schmalzer, David; Nichols, Christopher

    This paper presents innovative modeling of complex interactions among gas-fired generators, coal-fired power plants, and renewables (wind and solar) when pushed hard to reduce CO2 emissions. A hypothetical CO2 technology performance standard, giving rise to a shadow price on CO2 emissions, was specified as part of the study design. In this work we see gas generation rapidly replacing coal generation. To understand the fate of coal based generation, it is important to examine trends at a granular level. An important feature of our model, the Electricity Supply and Investment Model (ESIM) is that it contains a unit inventory with unitmore » characteristics and a memory of how each unit is operated over time. Cycling damages that individual coal units incur are a function of cumulative wear and tear over time. The expected remaining life of a cycled coal unit will depend on the severity of the cycling and for how many years. Deteriorating operating characteristics of a cycled unit over time results in higher operating costs, slipping down the dispatch loading order, and hence an acceleration of cycling damage, that is, a viscous circle of decline. The rate of CFPP retirements will increase for lower gas prices, higher price on CO2 emissions, and greater penetration of variable and intermittent renewables. Published by Elsevier B.V.« less

  15. Cogeneration Technology Alternatives Study (CTAS). Volume 6: Computer data. Part 2: Residual-fired nocogeneration process boiler

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Knightly, W. F.

    1980-01-01

    About fifty industrial processes from the largest energy consuming sectors were used as a basis for matching a similar number of energy conversion systems that are considered as candidate which can be made available by the 1985 to 2000 time period. The sectors considered included food, textiles, lumber, paper, chemicals, petroleum, glass, and primary metals. The energy conversion systems included steam and gas turbines, diesels, thermionics, stirling, closed cycle and steam injected gas turbines, and fuel cells. Fuels considered were coal, both coal and petroleum based residual and distillate liquid fuels, and low Btu gas obtained through the on site gasification of coal. Computer generated reports of the fuel consumption and savings, capital costs, economics and emissions of the cogeneration energy conversion systems (ECS's) heat and power matched to the individual industrial processes are presented. National fuel and emissions savings are also reported for each ECS assuming it alone is implemented. Two nocogeneration base cases are included: coal fired and residual fired process boilers.

  16. N2O FIELD STUDY

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report gives results of measurements of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from coal-fired utility boilers at three electric power generating stations. Six units were tested, two at each site, including sizes ranging from 165 to 700 MW. Several manufacturers and boiler firing type...

  17. Firing of pulverized solvent refined coal

    DOEpatents

    Derbidge, T. Craig; Mulholland, James A.; Foster, Edward P.

    1986-01-01

    An air-purged burner for the firing of pulverized solvent refined coal is constructed and operated such that the solvent refined coal can be fired without the coking thereof on the burner components. The air-purged burner is designed for the firing of pulverized solvent refined coal in a tangentially fired boiler.

  18. Coal Field Fire Fighting - Practiced methods, strategies and tactics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wündrich, T.; Korten, A. A.; Barth, U. H.

    2009-04-01

    Subsurface coal fires destroy millions of tons of coal each year, have an immense impact to the ecological surrounding and threaten further coal reservoirs. Due to enormous dimensions a coal seam fire can develop, high operational expenses are needed. As part of the Sino-German coal fire research initiative "Innovative technologies for exploration, extinction and monitoring of coal fires in Northern China" the research team of University of Wuppertal (BUW) focuses on fire extinction strategies and tactics as well as aspects of environmental and health safety. Besides the choice and the correct application of different extinction techniques further factors are essential for the successful extinction. Appropriate tactics, well trained and protected personnel and the choice of the best fitting extinguishing agents are necessary for the successful extinction of a coal seam fire. The chosen strategy for an extinction campaign is generally determined by urgency and importance. It may depend on national objectives and concepts of coal conservation, on environmental protection (e.g. commitment to green house gases (GHG) reductions), national funding and resources for fire fighting (e.g. personnel, infrastructure, vehicles, water pipelines); and computer-aided models and simulations of coal fire development from self ignition to extinction. In order to devise an optimal fire fighting strategy, "aims of protection" have to be defined in a first step. These may be: - directly affected coal seams; - neighboring seams and coalfields; - GHG emissions into the atmosphere; - Returns on investments (costs of fire fighting compared to value of saved coal). In a further step, it is imperative to decide whether the budget shall define the results, or the results define the budget; i.e. whether there are fixed objectives for the mission that will dictate the overall budget, or whether the limited resources available shall set the scope within which the best possible results shall be achieved. For an effective and efficient fire fighting optimal tactics are requiered and can be divided into four fundamental tactics to control fire hazards: - Defense (digging away the coal, so that the coal can not begin to burn; or forming a barrier, so that the fire can not reach the not burning coal), - Rescue the coal (coal mining of a not burning seam), - Attack (active and direct cooling of burning seam), - Retreat (only monitoring till self-extinction of a burning seam). The last one is used when a fire exceeds the organizational and/or technical scope of a mission. In other words, "to control a coal fire" does not automatically and in all situations mean "to extinguish a coal fire". Best-practice tactics or a combination of them can be selected for control of a particular coal fire. For the extinguishing works different extinguishing agents are available. They can be applied by different application techniques and varying distinctive operating expenses. One application method may be the drilling of boreholes from the surface or covering the surface with low permeability soils. The mainly used extinction agents for coal field fire are as followed: Water (with or without additives), Slurry, Foaming mud/slurry, Inert gases, Dry chemicals and materials and Cryogenic agents. Because of its tremendous dimension and its complexity the worldwide challenge of coal fires is absolutely unique - it can only be solved with functional application methods, best fitting strategies and tactics, organisation and research as well as the dedication of the involved fire fighters, who work under extreme individual risks on the burning coal fields.

  19. Innovative Clean Coal Technology (ICCT). Demonstration of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology for the control of nitrogen oxide (NO{sub x}) emissions from high-sulfur coal-fired boilers: Volume 1. Final report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    1996-10-01

    The objective of this project is to demonstrate and evaluate commercially available Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalysts from U.S., Japanese and European catalyst suppliers on a high-sulfur U.S. coal-fired boiler. SCR is a post-combustion nitrogen oxide (NO.) control technology that involves injecting ammonia into the flue gas generated from coal combustion in an electric utility boiler. The flue gas containing ammonia is then passed through a reactor that contains a specialized catalyst. In the presence of the catalyst, the ammonia reacts with NO. to convert it to nitrogen and water vapor. Although SCR is widely practiced in Japan and Europemore » on gas-, oil-, and low-sulfur coal- fired boilers, there are several technical uncertainties associated with applying SCR to U.S. coals. These uncertainties include: 1) potential catalyst deactivation due to poisoning by trace metal species present in U.S. coals that are not present in other fuels. 2) performance of the technology and effects on the balance-of- plant equipment in the presence of high amounts of SO{sub 2} and SO{sub 3}. 3) performance of a wide variety of SCR catalyst compositions, geometries and methods of manufacturer under typical high-sulfur coal-fired utility operating conditions. These uncertainties were explored by operating nine small-scale SCR reactors and simultaneously exposing different SCR catalysts to flue gas derived from the combustion of high sulfur U.S. coal. In addition, the test facility operating experience provided a basis for an economic study investigating the implementation of SCR technology.« less

  20. Evaluating the CO 2 emissions reduction potential and cost of power sector re-dispatch

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Steinberg, Daniel C.; Bielen, David A.; Townsend, Aaron

    Prior studies of the U.S. electricity sector have recognized the potential to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by substituting generation from coal-fired units with generation from under-utilized and lower-emitting natural gas-fired units; in fact, this type of 're-dispatch' was invoked as one of the three building blocks used to set the emissions targets under the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan. Despite the existence of surplus natural gas capacity in the U.S., power system operational constraints not often considered in power sector policy analyses, such as transmission congestion, generator ramping constraints, minimum generation constraints, planned and unplanned generator outages, andmore » ancillary service requirements, could limit the potential and increase the cost of coal-to-gas re-dispatch. Using a highly detailed power system unit commitment and dispatch model, we estimate the maximum potential for re-dispatch in the Eastern Interconnection, which accounts for the majority of coal capacity and generation in the U.S. Under our reference assumptions, we find that maximizing coal-to-gas re-dispatch yields emissions reductions of 230 million metric tons (Mt), or 13% of power sector emissions in the Eastern Interconnection, with a corresponding average abatement cost of $15-$44 per metric ton of CO2, depending on the assumed supply elasticity of natural gas.« less

  1. MUNICIPAL WASTE COMBUSTION ASSESSMENT: FOSSIL FUEL CO-FIRING

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report identifies refuse derived fuel (RDF) processing operations and various RDF types; describes such fossil fuel co-firing techniques as coal fired spreader stokers, pulverized coal wall fired boilers, pulverized coal tangentially fired boilers, and cyclone fired boilers; ...

  2. Political and technical issues of coal fire extinction in the Kyoto framework

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meyer, U.; Chen-Brauchler, D.; Rüter, H.; Fischer, C.; Bing, K.

    2009-04-01

    It is a highly desirable effort to extinguish as much coal fires as possible in short time to prevent large losses of energy resources and to minimise CO2 and other exhaust gas releases from such sources. Unfortunately, extinguishing coal fires needs massive financial investments, skilled man power, suited technology and a long time. Even mid to small scale coal fires need several months of extinguishing measures and of monitoring time after extinction resulting in expenditures of a minimum of several hundred thousand Euros. Large companies might be willing to spend money for coal fire extinction measures but smaller holdings or regional governments might not have the monetary resources for it. Since there is no law in China that demands coal fire extinction, measures under the Kyoto framework may be applied to sell CO2 certificates for prevented emissions from extinguished coal fires and thus used as a financial stimulus for coal fire extinction activities. The set-up for methodologies and project designs is especially complex for coal fire extinction measures and thus for necessary exploration, evaluation and monitoring using geophysical and remote sensing methods. A brief overview of most important formal and technical aspects is given to outline the conditions for a potentially successful CDM application on coal fires based on geophysical observations and numerical modelling.

  3. Multifaceted processes controlling the distribution of hazardous compounds in the spontaneous combustion of coal and the effect of these compounds on human health.

    PubMed

    Oliveira, Marcos L S; da Boit, Kátia; Pacheco, Fernanda; Teixeira, Elba C; Schneider, Ismael L; Crissien, Tito J; Pinto, Diana C; Oyaga, Rafael M; Silva, Luis F O

    2018-01-01

    Pollution generated by hazardous elements and persistent organic compounds that affect coal fire is a major environmental concern because of its toxic nature, persistence, and potential risk to human health. The coal mining activities are growing in the state of Santa Catarina in Brazil, thus the collateral impacts on the health and economy are yet to be analyzed. In addition, the environment is also enduring the collateral damage as the waste materials directly influence the coal by-products applied in civil constructions. This study was aimed to establish the relationships between the composition, morphology, and structural characteristics of ultrafine particles emitted by coal mine fires. In Brazil, the self-combustions produced by Al-Ca-Fe-Mg-Si coal spheres are rich in chalcophile elements (As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, and Zn), lithophile elements (Ce, Hf, In, La, Th, and U), and siderophile elements (Co, Cr, Mo, Fe, Ni, and V). The relationship between nanomineralogy and the production of hazardous elements as analyzed by advanced methods for the geochemical analysis of different materials were also delineated. The information obtained by the mineral substance analysis may provide a better idea for the understanding of coal-fire development and assessing the response of particular coal in different combustion processes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Essays in environmental and energy economics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hancevic, Pedro I.

    Chapter 1: I measure the impact of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendment on the productivity and output of US coal-fired power generating units. The Act led to power units adopting a number of different pollution abating behaviors, one of which was an input change to lower SO2 emitting coal. A key feature of coal generating units is each one is designed to burn a particular variety of coal, with significant deviations from the targeted coal characteristics resulting in productivity loss. The main innovation is to quantify the effect that switching to cleaner coal had on productivity, output and generation costs. With data spanning over twenty one years, I first compute the unconstrained coal type of each unit and document ensuing deviations caused by switching to cleaner coal. I then incorporate the effect of this deviation directly into a production function to explicitly quantify the resulting productivity loss. Chapter 2: Since the 1990-CAAA was implemented and a market for SO2 emission permits was established, coal-fired power generating units have had to choose among three main compliance alternatives: i) burn high-sulfur coal and buy additional permits to cover the excess emissions, ii) retrofit the boiler and convert it to low-sulfur coal, or iii) adopt a flue gas desulfurization unit (scrubber). The decision problem has dynamic implications driven by the evolution of input, output, and allowance prices and is revised whenever significant changes in the industry occur. I assume output level is randomly and exogenously assigned to each boiler and estimate a structural dynamic discrete choice model to recover the relative compliance costs. Chapter 3: We study a cycle of subsidized energy prices and estimate its welfare impact on households in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Region. A simple framework explains its emergence in terms of the preference of a median household (voter) for receiving transfer gains followed by a future flow of transfer losses. We evaluate actual transfers and welfare effects that a departure of prices of natural gas and electricity generation from opportunity costs since 2003 had on households, and explore the impact of a way back to opportunity cost pricing.

  5. Control strategies of atmospheric mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants in China.

    PubMed

    Tian, Hezhong; Wang, Yan; Cheng, Ke; Qu, Yiping; Hao, Jiming; Xue, Zhigang; Chai, Fahe

    2012-05-01

    Atmospheric mercury (Hg) emission from coal is one of the primary sources of anthropogenic discharge and pollution. China is one of the few countries in the world whose coal consumption constitutes about 70% of total primary energy, and over half of coals are burned directly for electricity generation. Atmospheric emissions of Hg and its speciation from coal-fired power plants are of great concern owing to their negative impacts on regional human health and ecosystem risks, as well as long-distance transport. In this paper, recent trends of atmospheric Hg emissions and its species split from coal-fired power plants in China during the period of 2000-2007 are evaluated, by integrating each plant's coal consumption and emission factors, which are classified by different subcategories of boilers, particulate matter (PM) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) control devices. Our results show that the total Hg emissions from coal-fired power plants have begun to decrease from the peak value of 139.19 t in 2005 to 134.55 t in 2007, though coal consumption growing steadily from 1213.8 to 1532.4 Mt, which can be mainly attributed to the co-benefit Hg reduction by electrostatic precipitators/fabric filters (ESPs/FFs) and wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD), especially the sharp growth in installation of WFGD both in the new and existing power plants since 2005. In the coming 12th five-year-plan, more and more plants will be mandated to install De-NO(x) (nitrogen oxides) systems (mainly selective catalytic reduction [SCR] and selective noncatalytic reduction [SNCR]) for minimizing NO(x) emission, thus the specific Hg emission rate per ton of coal will decline further owing to the much higher co-benefit removal efficiency by the combination of SCR + ESPs/FFs + WFGD systems. Consequently, SCR + ESPs/FFs + WFGD configuration will be the main path to abate Hg discharge from coal-fired power plants in China in the near future. However advanced specific Hg removal technologies are necessary for further reduction of elemental Hg discharge in the long-term.

  6. Adapting sustainable low-carbon techologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants in China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuo, Peter Shyr-Jye

    1997-09-01

    The scientific community is deeply concerned about the effect of greenhouse-gases (GHGs) on global climate change. A major climate shift can result in tragic destruction to our world. Carbon dioxide (COsb2) emissions from coal-fired power plants are major anthropogenic sources that contribute to potential global warming. The People's Republic of China, with its rapidly growing economy and heavy dependence on coal-fired power plants for electricity, faces increasingly serious environmental challenges. This research project seeks to develop viable methodologies for reducing the potential global warming effects and serious air pollution arising from excessive coal burning. China serves as a case study for this research project. Major resolution strategies are developed through intensive literature reviews to identify sustainable technologies that can minimize adverse environmental impacts while meeting China's economic needs. The research thereby contributes technological knowledge to the field of Applied Sciences. The research also integrates modern power generation technologies with China's current and future energy requirements. With these objectives in mind, this project examines how China's environmental issues are related to China's power generation methods. This study then makes strategic recommendations that emphasize low-carbon technologies as sustainable energy generating options to be implemented in China. These low-carbon technologies consist of three options: (1) using cleaner fuels converted from China's plentiful domestic coal resources; (2) applying high-efficiency gas turbine systems for power generation; and (3) integrating coal gasification processes with energy saving combined cycle gas turbine systems. Each method can perform independently, but a combined strategy can achieve the greatest COsb2 reductions. To minimize economic impacts caused by technological changes, this study also addresses additional alternatives that can be implemented in parallel with the proposed technologies. Principal options include promoting wind, solar and biogas as alternative energies; encouraging reforestation; using economic incentives to change energy policies; and gradually replacing obsolete facilities with new power plants. This study finds that the limited capacity and associated costs of alternative energies are the main factors that prevent competition with coal-based energy in China today.

  7. Coal Fires in the United States: A Case Study in Government Inattention

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McCurdy, K. M.

    2006-12-01

    Coal fires occur in all coal producing nations. Like most other environmental problems fires are not confined by political boundaries. Important economic coal seams in the United States are found across the Inter-montaine west, the Midwest, and Appalachia. The age of these deposits differs, as does the grade and sulfur content of the coal, the mining techniques utilized for exploitation of this resource, and the markets in which the coal is traded. Coal fires are ordinary occurrences under extraordinary conditions. Every coal bed exposed in an underground or surface mine has the potential to ignite. These fires are spread thinly over the political geography and over time, so that constituencies rarely coalesce to petition government to address the coal fire problem. Coal fires produce serious problems with long term consequences for society. They threaten mine safety, consume a non-renewable resource, and produce toxic gases with serious health effects for local populations. Additionally, as coal production in the developing world intensifies, these problems worsen. The lack of government attention to coal fires is due to the confluence of at least four independent political factors: 1) The separated powers, federated system in which decisions in the United States are made; 2) Low levels of political energy available in Congress to be expended on coal fires, measured by the magnitude of legislative majorities and seniority; 3) The mid-twentieth century model of scientific and technical information moving indirectly to legislators through the bureaucratic agencies; 4) The chronic and diffuse nature of fires across space and time.

  8. Direct estimation of diffuse gaseous emissions from coal fires: current methods and future directions

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Engle, Mark A.; Olea, Ricardo A.; O'Keefe, Jennifer M. K.; Hower, James C.; Geboy, Nicholas J.

    2013-01-01

    Coal fires occur in nature spontaneously, contribute to increases in greenhouse gases, and emit atmospheric toxicants. Increasing interest in quantifying coal fire emissions has resulted in the adaptation and development of specialized approaches and adoption of numerical modeling techniques. Overview of these methods for direct estimation of diffuse gas emissions from coal fires is presented in this paper. Here we take advantage of stochastic Gaussian simulation to interpolate CO2 fluxes measured using a dynamic closed chamber at the Ruth Mullins coal fire in Perry County, Kentucky. This approach allows for preparing a map of diffuse gas emissions, one of the two primary ways that gases emanate from coal fires, and establishing the reliability of the study both locally and for the entire fire. Future research directions include continuous and automated sampling to improve quantification of gaseous coal fire emissions.

  9. 77 FR 72294 - Reconsideration of Certain New Source and Startup/Shutdown Issues: National Emission Standards...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-12-05

    ... Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants From Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating...-Institutional, and Small Industrial-Commercial- Institutional Steam Generating Units Correction Proposed rule...

  10. Residential Solar PV Systems in the Carolinas: Opportunities and Outcomes.

    PubMed

    Alqahtani, Bandar Jubran; Holt, Kyra Moore; Patiño-Echeverri, Dalia; Pratson, Lincoln

    2016-02-16

    This paper presents a first-order analysis of the feasibility and technical, environmental, and economic effects of large levels of solar photovoltaic (PV) penetration within the services areas of the Duke Energy Carolinas (DEC) and Duke Energy Progress (DEP). A PV production model based on household density and a gridded hourly global horizontal irradiance data set simulates hourly PV power output from roof-top installations, while a unit commitment and real-time economic dispatch (UC-ED) model simulates hourly system operations. We find that the large generating capacity of base-load nuclear power plants (NPPs) without ramping capability in the region limits PV integration levels to 5.3% (6510 MW) of 2015 generation. Enabling ramping capability for NPPs would raise the limit of PV penetration to near 9% of electricity generated. If the planned retirement of coal-fired power plants together with new installations and upgrades of natural gas and nuclear plants materialize in 2025, and if NPPs operate flexibly, then the share of coal-fired electricity will be reduced from 37% to 22%. A 9% penetration of electricity from PV would further reduce the share of coal-fired electricity by 4-6% resulting in a system-wide CO2 emissions rate of 0.33 to 0.40 tons/MWh and associated abatement costs of 225-415 (2015$ per ton).

  11. Design and implementation of the monitoring system for underground coal fires in Xinjiang region, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li-bo, Dang; Jia-chun, Wu; Yue-xing, Liu; Yuan, Chang; Bin, Peng

    2017-04-01

    Underground coal fire (UCF) is serious in Xinjiang region of China. In order to deal with this problem efficiently, a UCF monitoring System, which is based on the use of wireless communication technology and remote sensing images, was designed and implemented by Xinjiang Coal Fire Fighting Bureau. This system consists of three parts, i.e., the data collecting unit, the data processing unit and the data output unit. For the data collecting unit, temperature sensors and gas sensors were put together on the sites with depth of 1.5 meter from the surface of coal fire zone. Information on these sites' temperature and gas was transferred immediately to the data processing unit. The processing unit was developed by coding based on GIS software. Generally, the processed datum were saved in the computer by table format, which can be displayed on the screen as the curve. Remote sensing image for each coal fire was saved in this system as the background for each monitoring site. From the monitoring data, the changes of the coal fires were displayed directly. And it provides a solid basis for analyzing the status of coal combustion of coal fire, the gas emission and possible dominant direction of coal fire propagation, which is helpful for making-decision of coal fire extinction.

  12. Wood and coal cofiring in Alaska—operational considerations and combustion gas effects for a grate-fired power plant

    Treesearch

    David Nicholls; Zackery Wright; Daisy Huang

    2018-01-01

    Coal is the primary fuel source for electrical power generation in interior Alaska, with more than 600,000 tons burned annually at five different power plants. Woody biomass could be used as part of this fuel mix, offering potential environmental and economic benefits. In this research, debarked chips were cofired with locally mined coal at the Aurora Power Plant...

  13. Thermal Imaging of Subsurface Coal Fires by means of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in the Autonomous Province Xinjiang, PRC

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vasterling, Margarete; Schloemer, Stefan; Fischer, Christian; Ehrler, Christoph

    2010-05-01

    Spontaneous combustion of coal and resulting coal fires lead to very high temperatures in the subsurface. To a large amount the heat is transferred to the surface by convective and conductive transport inducing a more or less pronounced thermal anomaly. During the past decade satellite-based infrared-imaging (ASTER, MODIS) was the method of choice for coal fire detection on a local and regional scale. However, the resolution is by far too low for a detailed analysis of single coal fires which is essential prerequisite for corrective measures (i.e. fire fighting) and calculation of carbon dioxide emission based on a complex correlation between energy release and CO2 generation. Consequently, within the framework of the Sino-German research project "Innovative Technologies for Exploration, Extinction and Monitoring of Coal Fires in Northern China", a new concept was developed and successfully tested. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was equipped with a lightweight camera for thermografic (resolution 160 by 120 pixel, dynamic range -20 to 250°C) and for visual imaging. The UAV designed as an octocopter is able to hover at GPS controlled waypoints during predefined flight missions. The application of a UAV has several advantages. Compared to point measurements on the ground the thermal imagery quickly provides the spatial distribution of the temperature anomaly with a much better resolution. Areas otherwise not accessible (due to topography, fire induced cracks, etc.) can easily be investigated. The results of areal surveys on two coal fires in Xinjiang are presented. Georeferenced thermal and visual images were mosaicked together and analyzed. UAV-born data do well compared to temperatures measured directly on the ground and cover large areas in detail. However, measuring surface temperature alone is not sufficient. Simultaneous measurements made at the surface and in roughly 15cm depth proved substantial temperature gradients in the upper soil. Thus the temperature measured at the surface underestimates the energy emitted by the subsurface coal fire. In addition, surface temperature is strongly influenced by solar radiation and the prevailing ambient conditions (wind, temperature, humidity). As a consequence there is no simple correlation between surface and subsurface soil temperature. Efforts have been made to set up a coupled energy transport and energy balance model for the near surface considering thermal conduction, solar irradiation, thermal radiative energy and ambient temperature so far. The model can help to validate space-born and UAV-born thermal imagery and link surface to subsurface temperature but depends on in-situ measurements for input parameter determination and calibration. Results obtained so far strongly necessitate the integration of different data sources (in-situ / remote; point / area; local / medium scale) to obtain a reliable energy release estimation which is then used for coal fire characterization.

  14. Assessment of the Influence of Fractures on the Dynamics of Coal Seam Fires by Numerical Experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wuttke, Manfred W.; Zeng, Qiang

    2016-04-01

    Uncontrolled burning coal seam fires still constitute major problems for the coal industry by destroying the resource, a serious hazard for the local people by severe environmental pollution, and a tremendous threat to the global environment by the emission of greenhouse gases and aerosols. In particular when the seams are lying shallow the alteration of the immediate surrounding of the coal seam fire feeds back on the dynamics of the fire. Thermal stress induced fracturing produces direct connections of the fire zone with the atmosphere. This influences the supply with oxygen, the venting of the exhaust gases, and the dissipation of heat. The first two processes are expected to enhance the fire propagation whereas the latter effect should slow it down. With our dedicated coal seam fire code ACME ("Amendable Coal-fire Modeling Exercise") we study these coupled effects of fractures in simulations of typical coal seam fire scenarios based on data from Xinjiang, China. Fractures are predefined as 1D/2D objects in a 2D/3D model geometry and are opened depending on the passage of the heat wave produced by the coal seam fire.

  15. Gas emissions, minerals, and tars associated with three coal fires, Powder River Basin, USA.

    PubMed

    Engle, Mark A; Radke, Lawrence F; Heffern, Edward L; O'Keefe, Jennifer M K; Hower, James C; Smeltzer, Charles D; Hower, Judith M; Olea, Ricardo A; Eatwell, Robert J; Blake, Donald R; Emsbo-Mattingly, Stephen D; Stout, Scott A; Queen, Gerald; Aggen, Kerry L; Kolker, Allan; Prakash, Anupma; Henke, Kevin R; Stracher, Glenn B; Schroeder, Paul A; Román-Colón, Yomayra; ter Schure, Arnout

    2012-03-15

    Ground-based surveys of three coal fires and airborne surveys of two of the fires were conducted near Sheridan, Wyoming. The fires occur in natural outcrops and in abandoned mines, all containing Paleocene-age subbituminous coals. Diffuse (carbon dioxide (CO(2)) only) and vent (CO(2), carbon monoxide (CO), methane, hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S), and elemental mercury) emission estimates were made for each of the fires. Additionally, gas samples were collected for volatile organic compound (VOC) analysis and showed a large range in variation between vents. The fires produce locally dangerous levels of CO, CO(2), H(2)S, and benzene, among other gases. At one fire in an abandoned coal mine, trends in gas and tar composition followed a change in topography. Total CO(2) fluxes for the fires from airborne, ground-based, and rate of fire advancement estimates ranged from 0.9 to 780mg/s/m(2) and are comparable to other coal fires worldwide. Samples of tar and coal-fire minerals collected from the mouth of vents provided insight into the behavior and formation of the coal fires. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  16. 40 CFR 60.41 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    .... Fossil fuel means natural gas, petroleum, coal, and any form of solid, liquid, or gaseous fuel derived from such materials for the purpose of creating useful heat. Fossil fuel and wood residue-fired steam... PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Fossil-Fuel-Fired Steam Generators § 60.41...

  17. 40 CFR 60.41 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    .... Fossil fuel means natural gas, petroleum, coal, and any form of solid, liquid, or gaseous fuel derived from such materials for the purpose of creating useful heat. Fossil fuel and wood residue-fired steam... PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Fossil-Fuel-Fired Steam Generators § 60.41...

  18. 40 CFR 60.41 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    .... Fossil fuel means natural gas, petroleum, coal, and any form of solid, liquid, or gaseous fuel derived from such materials for the purpose of creating useful heat. Fossil fuel and wood residue-fired steam... PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Fossil-Fuel-Fired Steam Generators § 60.41...

  19. 40 CFR 73.20 - Phase II early reduction credits.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... utility, including generators that are not fossil fuel-fired) that has decreased its total coal-fired... quality of fuel being burned. (c) Initial certification of eligibility. The designated representative of a... reductions in sulfur dioxide emissions; and (2) A report listing all units in the utility system, each fossil...

  20. Impacts of nuclear plant shutdown on coal-fired power generation and infant health in the Tennessee Valley in the 1980s

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Severnini, Edson

    2017-04-01

    The Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011 generated deep public anxiety and uncertainty about the future of nuclear energy. However, differently to fossil fuel plants, nuclear plants produce virtually no greenhouse gas emissions or air pollutants during power generation. Here we show the effect on air pollution and infant health in the context of the temporary closure of nuclear plants by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in the 1980s. After the Three Mile Island accident in 1979, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission intensified inspections throughout the nation, leading to the shutdown of two large nuclear power plants in the TVA area. In response to that shutdown, electricity generation shifted one to one to coal-fired power plants within TVA, increasing particle pollution in counties where they were located. Consequently, infant health may have deteriorated in the most affected places, indicating deleterious effects to public health.

  1. High-resolution inventory of technologies, activities, and emissions of coal-fired power plants in China from 1990 to 2010

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, F.; Zhang, Q.; Tong, D.; Zheng, B.; Li, M.; Huo, H.; He, K. B.

    2015-07-01

    This paper, which focuses on emissions from China's coal-fired power plants during 1990-2010, is the second in a series of papers that aims to develop high-resolution emission inventory for China. This is the first time that emissions from China's coal-fired power plants were estimated at unit level for a 20 year period. This inventory is constructed from a unit-based database compiled in this study, named the China coal-fired Power plant Emissions Database (CPED), which includes detailed information on the technologies, activity data, operation situation, emission factors, and locations of individual units and supplements with aggregated data where unit-based information is not available. Between 1990 and 2010, compared to a 479 % growth in coal consumption, emissions from China's coal-fired power plants increased by 56, 335 and 442 % for SO2, NOx and CO2, respectively, and decreased by 23 % for PM2.5. Driven by the accelerated economy growth, large power plants were constructed throughout the country after 2000, resulting in dramatic growth in emissions. Growth trend of emissions has been effective curbed since 2005 due to strengthened emission control measures including the installation of flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) systems and the optimization of the generation fleet mix by promoting large units and decommissioning small ones. Compared to previous emission inventories, CPED significantly improved the spatial resolution and temporal profile of power plant emission inventory in China by extensive use of underlying data at unit level. The new inventory developed in this study will enable a close examination for temporal and spatial variations of power plant emissions in China and will help to improve the performances of chemical transport models by providing more accurate emission data.

  2. Oxidation and carbonisation of coals: a case study of coal fire affected coals from the Wuda coalfield, Inner Mongolia, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kus, Jolanta; Meyer, Uwe; Ma, Jianwei; Chen-Brauchler, Dai

    2010-05-01

    At the coalfield of Wuda (Inner Mongolia, PR China) extensive underground coal fires cause widespread thermal and oxidative effects in coal seams. Within phase B of the Coal Fire Research Project of the Sino-German Initiative, methods for innovative fire-extinguishing technologies were investigated in multifaceted research approaches. Extensive investigations of oxidative and thermally affected coal seams in coal fire zone 18 were conducted in 2008 prior to application of new fire-extinguishing methods. We present results from the outcrop of coal seam No. 4 in the fire zone 18. The coal of seam No. 4 is of Early Permian age and belongs stratigraphically to the Shanxi Formation. The unaffected coal displays a high volatile bituminous A rank with a background value of random vitrinite reflectance ranging from 0.90 to 0.96 % Rr. Coal channel samples were coallected at actively extracted coal faces along multiple profiles with surface temperatures ranging from about 50° to 600°C. Microscopic examinations revealed a variety of products of coal exposure to the fire. Within coal samples, a marked rise in vitrinite reflectance from background values to 5.55% Rr (6.00 % Rmax) is encountered. In addition, a number of coal samples showed suppressed vitrinite reflectances ranging between 0.82 to 0.88% Rr. Further, seemingly heat unaffected coal samples display intensive development of oxidations rims at coal grain edges and cracks as well as shrinkage cracks and formation of iron oxides/hydroxides. Instead, thermally affected coal samples with higher coalification grade are further characterised by development of macropores (devolatilisation pores) in vitrinitic streaks, transformation of liptinite to meta-liptinite and micrinite as well as by natural coke particles of mostly porous nature and fine to coarse grained anisotropic mosaic. Coal petrographic investigations confirmed a hypothesis that both, oxidations as well as low temperature carbonisation govern the thermal regime in the coal fire zone 18. The occurrence of various thermal alteration products indicates temperatures in the range of 500-700°C.

  3. Mechanised spraying device a novel technology for spraying fire protective coating material in the benches of opencast coal mines for preventing spontaneous combustion

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    R.V.K. Singh; V.K. Singh

    2004-10-15

    Spontaneous combustion in coal mines plays a vital role in occurrences of fire. Fire in coal, particularly in opencast mines, not only causes irreparable loss of national wealth but damages the surface structure and pollutes the environment. The problem of spontaneous combustion/fire in opencast coal benches is acute. Presently over 75% of the total production of coal in Indian mines is being carried out by opencast mining. Accordingly a mechanised spraying device has been developed for spraying the fire protective coating material for preventing spontaneous combustion in coal benches of opencast mines jointly by Central Mining Research Institute, Dhanbad andmore » M/s Signum Fire Protection (India) Pvt. Ltd., Nagpur under Science & Technology (S&T) project funded by Ministry of Coal, Govt. of India. The objective of this paper is to describe in detail about the mechanised spraying device and its application for spraying fire protective coating material in the benches of opencast coal mines for preventing spontaneous combustion/fire.« less

  4. Monitoring subsurface coal fires in Jharia coalfield using observations of land subsidence from differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar (DInSAR)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gupta, Nishant; Syed, Tajdarul H.; Athiphro, Ashiihrii

    2013-10-01

    Coal fires in the Jharia coalfield pose a serious threat to India's vital resource of primary coking coal and the regional environment. In order to undertake effective preventative measures, it is critical to detect the occurrence of subsurface coal fires and to monitor the extent of the existing ones. In this study, Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperature Radar (DInSAR) technique has been utilized to monitor subsurface coal fires in the Jharia coalfield. Results showed that majority of the coal fire-related subsidence were concentrated on the eastern and western boundaries of the coalfield. The magnitude of subsidence observed was classified into high (10-27.8 mm), low (0-10 mm) and upliftment (-10-0 mm). The results were strongly supported by in situ observations and satellite-based thermal imagery analysis. Major subsidence was observed in the areas with repeated sightings of coal fire. Further, the study highlighted on the capability of the methodology for predicting potential coal fire zones on the basis of land surface subsidence only. The results from this study have major implications for demarcating the hazardous coal fire areas as well as effective implementation of public safety measures.

  5. Electrical Resistivity Tomography for coal fire mapping over Jharia coal field, India

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pal, S. K.; Kumar, S.; Bharti, A. K.; Pathak, V. K.; Kumar, R.

    2016-12-01

    Over the decades, coal fires are serious global concern posing grievous hazards to the valuable energy resources, local environments and human life. The coal seam and coal mine fires may be initiated due to improper mining activities, exothermic reactions, lighting, forest fire and other anthropic activities, which burn the coal and may continue underground for decades. The burning of concealed coal seams is a complex process involving numerous ill-defined parameters. Generally, the coal exhibits resistivity of 100 to 500Ωm at normal temperature conditions. During the pyrolysis process, at temperatures greater than 6500C coal became a good conductor with a resistivity of approximately 1 Ωm. The present study deals with the mapping of coal fire over Jharia coal field, India using Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT). A state-of-the-art 61-channel 64 electrode FlashRES-Universal ERT data acquisition system has been used for data acquisition in the field. The ERT data have been collected using Gradient array and processed in FlashRES Universal survey data checking program for removing noisy data. Then, filtered output data have been inverted using a 2.5D resistivity inversion program. Low resistivity anomalies over 80m-125m and 320m-390m along the profile are inferred to be active coal fire in seam- XVI at a depth of 25m -35m(Figure 1). High resistivity anomaly over 445m - 510m at a depth of 25m -35m has been delineated, due to void associated with complete combustion of seam- XVI coal, followed by char and ash formation resulting from the coal seam fire. Results prove the efficacy of the ERT study comprising Gradient array for coal fire mapping over, Jharia coal field, India.

  6. CO(2), CO, and Hg emissions from the Truman Shepherd and Ruth Mullins coal fires, eastern Kentucky, USA.

    PubMed

    O'Keefe, Jennifer M K; Henke, Kevin R; Hower, James C; Engle, Mark A; Stracher, Glenn B; Stucker, J D; Drew, Jordan W; Staggs, Wayne D; Murray, Tiffany M; Hammond, Maxwell L; Adkins, Kenneth D; Mullins, Bailey J; Lemley, Edward W

    2010-03-01

    Carbon dioxide (CO(2)), carbon monoxide (CO), and mercury (Hg) emissions were quantified for two eastern Kentucky coal-seam fires, the Truman Shepherd fire in Floyd County and the Ruth Mullins fire in Perry County. This study is one of the first to estimate gas emissions from coal fires using field measurements at gas vents. The Truman Shepherd fire emissions are nearly 1400t CO(2)/yr and 16kg Hg/yr resulting from a coal combustion rate of 450-550t/yr. The sum of CO(2) emissions from seven vents at the Ruth Mullins fire is 726+/-72t/yr, suggesting that the fire is consuming about 250-280t coal/yr. Total Ruth Mullins fire CO and Hg emissions are estimated at 21+/-1.8t/yr and >840+/-170g/yr, respectively. The CO(2) emissions are environmentally significant, but low compared to coal-fired power plants; for example, 3.9x10(6)t CO(2)/yr for a 514-MW boiler in Kentucky. Using simple calculations, CO(2) and Hg emissions from coal-fires in the U.S. are estimated at 1.4x10(7)-2.9x10(8)t/yr and 0.58-11.5t/yr, respectively. This initial work indicates that coal fires may be an important source of CO(2), CO, Hg and other atmospheric constituents.

  7. Dilution-based emissions sampling from stationary sources: Part 2--Gas-fired combustors compared with other fuel-fired systems.

    PubMed

    England, Glenn C; Watson, John G; Chow, Judith C; Zielinska, Barbara; Chang, M C Oliver; Loos, Karl R; Hidy, George M

    2007-01-01

    With the recent focus on fine particle matter (PM2.5), new, self-consistent data are needed to characterize emissions from combustion sources. Such data are necessary for health assessment and air quality modeling. To address this need, emissions data for gas-fired combustors are presented here, using dilution sampling as the reference. The dilution method allows for collection of emitted particles under conditions simulating cooling and dilution during entry from the stack into the air. The sampling and analysis of the collected particles in the presence of precursor gases, SO2 nitrogen oxide, volatile organic compound, and NH3 is discussed; the results include data from eight gas fired units, including a dual-fuel institutional boiler and a diesel engine powered electricity generator. These data are compared with results in the literature for heavy-duty diesel vehicles and stationary sources using coal or wood as fuels. The results show that the gas-fired combustors have very low PM2.5 mass emission rates in the range of approximately 10(-4) lb/million Btu (MMBTU) compared with the diesel backup generator with particle filter, with approximately 5 x 10(-3) lb/MMBTU. Even higher mass emission rates are found in coal-fired systems, with rates of approximately 0.07 lb/MMBTU for a bag-filter-controlled pilot unit burning eastern bituminous coal. The characterization of PM2.5 chemical composition from the gas-fired units indicates that much of the measured primary particle mass in PM2.5 samples is organic or elemental carbon and, to a much less extent, sulfate. Metal emissions are quite low compared with the diesel engines and the coal- or wood-fueled combustors. The metals found in the gas-fired combustor particles are low in concentration, similar in concentration to ambient particles. The interpretation of the particulate carbon emissions is complicated by the fact that an approximately equal amount of particulate carbon (mainly organic carbon) is found on the particle collector and a backup filter. It is likely that measurement artifacts, mostly adsorption of volatile organic compounds on quartz filters, are positively biasing "true" particulate carbon emission results.

  8. Comment on "Effect of coal-fired power generation on visibility in a nearby National Park (Terhorst and Berkman, 2010)"

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    White, W. H.; Farber, R. J.; Malm, W. C.; Nuttall, M.; Pitchford, M. L.; Schichtel, B. A.

    2012-08-01

    Few electricity generating stations received more environmental scrutiny during the last quarter of the twentieth century than did the Mohave Power Project (MPP), a coal-fired facility near Grand Canyon National Park. Terhorst and Berkman (2010) examine regional aerosol monitoring data collected before and after the plant's 2006 retirement for retrospective evidence of MPP's impact on visibility in the Park. The authors' technical analysis is thoughtfully conceived and executed, but is misleadingly presented as discrediting previous studies and their interpretation by regulators. In reality the Terhorst-Berkman analysis validates a consensus on MPP's visibility impact that was established years before its closure, in a collaborative assessment undertaken jointly by Federal regulators and MPP's owners.

  9. Contribution of Emissions from Coal-fired Power Plants in Chungcheongnam-do to PM2.5 Concentrations in South Korea during the 2016 KORUS-AQ

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    You, S.; Kim, S.; Kim, B. U.; Kim, H. C.; Lim, Y. J.

    2017-12-01

    In recent years, high concentration events of particulate matter (PM) are frequently found in South Korea, and air pollutants emitted from coal-fired power plants are known to aggravate PM concentrations. Geographically, large point sources such as major thermal power generation facilities are located in Chungcheongnam-do (CN), which is adjacent to the Seoul Metropolitan Area. Air pollutants emitted from these power generation facilities have an influence on PM2.5 concentrations in CN and downwind areas. In this study, 3-D photochemical simulation using CMAQ was performed to spatiotemporally analyze the contribution of the emission amount from coal-fired power plants in CN to PM2.5 concentrations in the area and downwind areas, and zero-out contribution was calculated through additional BFM simulations. Prior to this, the model results and the input data were evaluated through the comparison using the aerial observation (DC-8, King-Air) carried out during the KORUS-AQ filed campaign, which was the simulation period, and land data including the Olympic Park data. CREATE 2015 and Clean Air Policy Support System (CAPSS) 2013 were used for Northeast and South Korean anthropogenic emissions. The modeled mean PM2.5 concentration in CN was about 27.8 ㎍/㎥ during the period. Modeled contributions of CN's coal-fired power plant emissions to Seoul, Incheon, and the Gyeonggi-do area was 0.15㎍/㎥, 0.03㎍/㎥, and 0.16㎍/㎥, respectively during the episode.

  10. Use of circulating-fluidized-bed combustors in compressed-air energy storage systems

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nakhamkin, M.; Patel, M.

    1990-07-01

    This report presents the result of a study conducted by Energy Storage and Power Consultants (ESPC), with the objective to develop and analyze compressed air energy storage (CAES) power plant concepts which utilize coal-fired circulating fluidized bed combustors (CFBC) for heating air during generating periods. The use of a coal-fired CFBC unit for indirect heating of the compressed air, in lieu of the current turbomachinery combustors, would eliminate the need for expensive premium fuels by a CAES facility. The CAES plant generation heat rate is approximately one-half of that for a conventional steam condensing power plant. Therefore, the required CFBCmore » heat generation capacity and capital costs would be lower per kW of power generation capacity. Three CAES/CFBC concepts were identified as the most promising, and were optimized using specifically developed computerized procedures. These concepts utilize various configurations of reheat turbomachinery trains specifically developed for CAES application as parts of the integrated CAES/CFBC plant concepts. The project team concluded that the optimized CAES/CFBC integrated plant concepts present a potentially attractive alternative to conventional steam generation power plants using CFBC or pulverized coal-fired boilers. A comparison of the results from the economic analysis performed on three concepts suggests that one of them (Concept 3) is the preferred concept. This concept has a two shaft turbomachinery train arrangement, and provides for load management functions by the compressor-electric motor train, and continuous base load operation of the turboexpander-electric generator train and the CFBC unit. 6 refs., 30 figs., 14 tabs.« less

  11. Viability of Carbon Capture and Sequestration Retrofits for Existing Coal-Fired Power Plants under an Emission Trading Scheme.

    PubMed

    Talati, Shuchi; Zhai, Haibo; Morgan, M Granger

    2016-12-06

    Using data on the coal-fired electric generating units (EGUs) in Texas we assess the economic feasibility of retrofitting existing units with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) in order to comply with the Clean Power Plan's rate-based emission standards under an emission trading scheme. CCS with 90% capture is shown to be more economically attractive for a range of existing units than purchasing emission rate credits (ERCs) from a trading market at an average credit price above $28 per MWh under the final state standard and $35 per MWh under the final national standard. The breakeven ERC trading prices would decrease significantly if the captured CO 2 were sold for use in enhanced oil recovery, making CCS retrofits viable at lower trading prices. The combination of ERC trading and CO 2 use can greatly reinforce economic incentives and market demands for CCS and hence accelerate large-scale deployment, even under scenarios with high retrofit costs. Comparing the levelized costs of electricity generation between CCS retrofits and new renewable plants under the ERC trading scheme, retrofitting coal-fired EGUs with CCS may be significantly cheaper than new solar plants under some market conditions.

  12. Modeling new coal projects: supercritical or subcritical?

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Carrino, A.J.; Jones, R.B.

    Decisions made on new build coal-fired plants are driven by several factors - emissions, fuel logistics and electric transmission access all provide constraints. The crucial economic decision whether to build supercritical or subcritical units often depends on assumptions concerning the reliability/availability of each technology, the cost of on-fuel operations including maintenance, the generation efficiencies and the potential for emissions credits at some future value. Modeling the influence of these key factors requires analysis and documentation to assure the assets actually meet the projected financial performance. This article addresses some of the issue related to the trade-offs that have the potentialmore » to be driven by the supercritical/subcritical decision. Solomon Associates has been collecting cost, generation and reliability data on coal-fired power generation assets for approximately 10 years using a strict methodology and taxonomy to categorize and compare actual plant operations data. This database provides validated information not only on performance, but also on alternative performance scenarios, which can provide useful insights in the pro forma financial analysis and models of new plants. 1 ref., 1 fig., 3 tabs.« less

  13. The Economic Impact of Coal Mining in New Mexico

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Peach, James; Starbuck, C.

    2009-06-01

    The economic impact of coal mining in New Mexico is examined in this report. The analysis is based on economic multipliers derived from an input-output model of the New Mexico economy. The direct, indirect, and induced impacts of coal mining in New Mexico are presented in terms of output, value added, employment, and labor income for calendar year 2007. Tax, rental, and royalty income to the State of New Mexico are also presented. Historical coal production, reserves, and price data are also presented and discussed. The impacts of coal-fired electricity generation will be examined in a separate report.

  14. ADVANCES IN CONTROL OF PM2..5 AND PM2..5 PRECURSORS GENERATED BY THE COMBUSTION OF PULVERIZED COAL

    EPA Science Inventory

    Particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) is of concern due to adverse health effects associated with elevated ambient mass concentrations of PM2.5. PM2.5 from coal-fired utility boilers is composed of directly emitted (primary) particles and...

  15. THE ROLE OF COAL PROPERTIES AND COMBUSTION CONDITIONS IN THE CAPTURE OF MERCURY BY FLY ASH AND SORBENTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U. S. fleet of coal-fired power plants, with generating capacity of just over 300 GW, is known to be the major anthropogenic source of domestic mercury (Hg) emissions. As such, in March 2005, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated the Clean Air Mercury R...

  16. Life cycle assessment of sewage sludge co-incineration in a coal-based power station.

    PubMed

    Hong, Jingmin; Xu, Changqing; Hong, Jinglan; Tan, Xianfeng; Chen, Wei

    2013-09-01

    A life cycle assessment was conducted to evaluate the environmental and economic effects of sewage sludge co-incineration in a coal-fired power plant. The general approach employed by a coal-fired power plant was also assessed as control. Sewage sludge co-incineration technology causes greater environmental burden than does coal-based energy production technology because of the additional electricity consumption and wastewater treatment required for the pretreatment of sewage sludge, direct emissions from sludge incineration, and incinerated ash disposal processes. However, sewage sludge co-incineration presents higher economic benefits because of electricity subsidies and the income generating potential of sludge. Environmental assessment results indicate that sewage sludge co-incineration is unsuitable for mitigating the increasing pressure brought on by sewage sludge pollution. Reducing the overall environmental effect of sludge co-incineration power stations necessitates increasing net coal consumption efficiency, incinerated ash reuse rate, dedust system efficiency, and sludge water content rate. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Retrofitted coal-fired firetube boiler and method employed therewith

    DOEpatents

    Wagoner, Charles L.; Foote, John P.

    1995-01-01

    A coal-fired firetube boiler and a method for converting a gas-fired firetube boiler to a coal-fired firetube boiler, the converted boiler including a plurality of combustion zones within the firetube and controlled stoichiometry within the combustion zones.

  18. An approach of surface coal fire detection from ASTER and Landsat-8 thermal data: Jharia coal field, India

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roy, Priyom; Guha, Arindam; Kumar, K. Vinod

    2015-07-01

    Radiant temperature images from thermal remote sensing sensors are used to delineate surface coal fires, by deriving a cut-off temperature to separate coal-fire from non-fire pixels. Temperature contrast of coal fire and background elements (rocks and vegetation etc.) controls this cut-off temperature. This contrast varies across the coal field, as it is influenced by variability of associated rock types, proportion of vegetation cover and intensity of coal fires etc. We have delineated coal fires from background, based on separation in data clusters in maximum v/s mean radiant temperature (13th band of ASTER and 10th band of Landsat-8) scatter-plot, derived using randomly distributed homogeneous pixel-blocks (9 × 9 pixels for ASTER and 27 × 27 pixels for Landsat-8), covering the entire coal bearing geological formation. It is seen that, for both the datasets, overall temperature variability of background and fires can be addressed using this regional cut-off. However, the summer time ASTER data could not delineate fire pixels for one specific mine (Bhulanbararee) as opposed to the winter time Landsat-8 data. The contrast of radiant temperature of fire and background terrain elements, specific to this mine, is different from the regional contrast of fire and background, during summer. This is due to the higher solar heating of background rocky outcrops, thus, reducing their temperature contrast with fire. The specific cut-off temperature determined for this mine, to extract this fire, differs from the regional cut-off. This is derived by reducing the pixel-block size of the temperature data. It is seen that, summer-time ASTER image is useful for fire detection but required additional processing to determine a local threshold, along with the regional threshold to capture all the fires. However, the winter Landsat-8 data was better for fire detection with a regional threshold.

  19. Feasibility of a medium-size central cogenerated energy facility, energy management memorandum

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Porter, R. W.

    1982-09-01

    The thermal-economic feasibility was studied of a medium-size central cogenerated energy facility designed to serve five varied industries. Generation options included one dual-fuel diesel and one gas turbine, both with waste heat boilers, and five fired boilers. Fuels included natural gas, and for the fired-boiler cases, also low-sulphur coal and municipal refuse. The fired-boiler cogeneration systems employed back-pressure steam turbines. For coal and refuse, the option of steam only without cogeneration was also assessed. The refuse-fired cases utilized modular incinerators. The options provided for a wide range of steam and electrical capacities. Deficient steam was assumed generated independently in existing equipment. Excess electrical power over that which could be displaced was assumed sold to Commonwealth Edison Company under PURPA (Public Utility Regulator Policies Act). The facility was assumed operated by a mutually owned corporation formed by the cogenerated power users. The economic analysis was predicted on currently applicable energy-investment tax credits and accelerated depreciation for a January 1985 startup date. Based on 100% equity financing, the results indicated that the best alternative was the modular-incinerator cogeneration system.

  20. CO-FIRING COAL, FEEDLOT, AND LITTER BIOMASS (CFB AND LFB) FUELS IN PULVERIZED FUEL AND FIXED BED BURNERS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kalyan Annamalai; John Sweeten; Saqib Mukhtar

    2002-01-15

    Intensive animal feeding operations create large amounts of animal waste that must be safely disposed of in order to avoid environmental degradation. Cattle feedlots and chicken houses are two examples. In feedlots, cattle are confined to small pens and fed a high calorie grain diet in preparation for slaughter. In chicken houses, thousands of chickens are kept in close proximity. In both of these operations, millions of tons of manure are produced every year. In this project a co-firing technology is proposed which would use manure that cannot be used for fertilizer, for power generation. Since the animal manure hasmore » economic uses as both a fertilizer and as a fuel, it is properly referred to as feedlot biomass (FB) for cow manure, or litter biomass (LB) for chicken manure. The biomass will be used a as a fuel by mixing it with coal in a 90:10 blend and firing it in existing coal fired combustion devices. This technique is known as co-firing, and the high temperatures produced by the coal will allow the biomass to be completely combusted. Therefore, it is the goal of the current research to develop an animal biomass cofiring technology. A cofiring technology is being developed by performing: (1) studies on fundamental fuel characteristics, (2) small scale boiler burner experiments, (3) gasifier experiments, (4) computer simulations, and (5) an economic analysis. The fundamental fuel studies reveal that biomass is not as high a quality fuel as coal. The biomass fuels are higher in ash, higher in moisture, higher in nitrogen and sulfur (which can cause air pollution), and lower in heat content than coal. Additionally, experiments indicate that the biomass fuels have higher gas content, release gases more readily than coal, and less homogeneous. Small-scale boiler experiments revealed that the biomass blends can be successfully fired, and NO{sub x} pollutant emissions produced will be similar to or lower than pollutant emissions when firing coal. This is a surprising result as the levels of N are higher in the biomass fuel than in coal. Further experiments showed that biomass is twice or more effective than coal when used in a reburning process to reduce NO{sub x} emissions. Since crushing costs of biomass fuels may be prohibitive, stoker firing may be cost effective; in order simulate such a firing, future work will investigate the performance of a gasifier when fired with larger sized coal and biomass. It will be a fixed bed gasifier, and will evaluate blends, coal, and biomass. Computer simulations were performed using the PCGC-2 code supplied by BYU and modified by A&M with three mixture fractions for handling animal based biomass fuels in order to include an improved moisture model for handling wet fuels and phosphorus oxidation. Finally the results of the economic analysis show that considerable savings can be achieved with the use of biomass. In the case of higher ash and moisture biomass, the fuel cost savings will be reduced, due to increased transportation costs. A spreadsheet program was created to analyze the fuel savings for a variety of different moisture levels, ash levels, and power plant operating parameters.« less

  1. Evidence of Human Health Impacts from Uncontrolled Coal Fires in Jharia, India

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dhar, U.; Balogun, A. H.; Finkelman, R.; Chakraborty, S.; Olanipekun, O.; Shaikh, W. A.

    2017-12-01

    Uncontrolled coal fires and burning coal waste piles have been reported from dozens of countries. These fires can be caused by spontaneous combustion, sparks from machinery, lightning strikes, grass or forest fires, or intentionally. Both underground and surface coal fires mobilize potentially toxic elements such as sulfur, arsenic, selenium, fluorine, lead, and mercury as well as dangerous organic compounds such as benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene and deadly gases such as CO2 and CO. Despite the serious health problems that can be caused by uncontrolled coal fires it is rather surprising that there has been so little research and documentation of their health impacts. Underground coal fires in the Jharia region of India where more than a million people reside, have been burning for 100 years. Numerous villages exist above the underground fires exposing the residents daily to dangerous emissions. Local residents near the fire affected areas do their daily chores without concern about the intensity of nearby fires. During winter children enjoy the heat of the coal fires oblivious to the potentially harmful emissions. To determine if these uncontrolled coal fires have caused health problems we developed a brief questionnaire on general health indices and administered it to residents of the Jharia region. Sixty responses were obtained from residents of two villages, one proximal to the coal fires and one about 5 miles away from the fires. The responses were statistically analyzed using SAS 9.4. It was observed that at a significance level of 5%, villagers who lived more than 5 miles away from the fires had a 98.3% decreased odds of having undesirable health outcomes. This brief survey indicates the risk posed by underground coal fires and how it contributes to the undesirable health impacts. What remains is to determine the specific health issues, what components of the emissions cause the health problems, and what can be done to minimize these problems. Collaboration between geoscientists and public health researchers are essential to assess complex geohealth issues such as those that may be caused by uncontrolled coal fires. This type of multidisciplinary collaboration must be maintained and expanded to include engineers, social scientists, and others to help minimize or avoid these problems.

  2. ESTIMATION OF NEAR SUBSURFACE COAL FIRE GAS EMISSIONS BASED ON GEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATIONS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen-Brauchler, D.; Meyer, U.; Schlömer, S.; Kus, J.; Gundelach, V.; Wuttke, M.; Fischer, C.; Rueter, H.

    2009-12-01

    Spontaneous and industrially caused subsurface coal fires are worldwide disasters that destroy coal resources, cause air pollution and emit a large amount of green house gases. Especially in developing countries, such as China, India and Malaysia, this problem has intensified over the last 15 years. In China alone, 10 to 20 million tons of coal are believed to be lost in uncontrolled coal fires. The cooperation of developing countries and industrialized countries is needed to enforce internationally concerted approaches and political attention towards the problem. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the framework of the Kyoto Protocol may provide an international stage for financial investment needed to fight the disastrous situation. A Sino-German research project for coal fire exploration, monitoring and extinction applied several geophysical approaches in order to estimate the annual baseline especially of CO2 emissions from near subsurface coal fires. As a result of this project, we present verifiable methodologies that may be used in the CDM framework to estimate the amount of CO2 emissions from near subsurface coal fires. We developed three possibilities to approach the estimation based on (1) thermal energy release, (2) geological and geometrical determinations as well as (3) direct gas measurement. The studies involve the investigation of the physical property changes of the coal seam and bedrock during different burning stages of a underground coal fire. Various geophysical monitoring methods were applied from near surface to determine the coal volume, fire propagation, temperature anomalies, etc.

  3. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    The NOXSO Process uses a regenerable sorbent that removes SO{sub 2} and NO{sub x} simultaneously from flue gas. The sorbent is a stabilized {gamma}-alumina bed impregnated with sodium carbonate. The process was successfully tested at three different scales, equivalent to 0.017, 0.06 and 0.75 MW of flue gas generated from a coal-fired power plant. The Proof-of-Concept (POC) Test is the last test prior to a full-scale demonstration. A slip stream of flue gas equivalent to a 5 MW coal-fired power plant was used for the POC test. This paper summarizes the NOXSO POC plant and its test results.

  4. Quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from coal fires using airborne and ground-based methods

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Engle, M.A.; Radke, L.F.; Heffern, E.L.; O'Keefe, J.M.K.; Smeltzer, C.D.; Hower, J.C.; Hower, J.M.; Prakash, A.; Kolker, A.; Eatwell, R.J.; ter, Schure A.; Queen, G.; Aggen, K.L.; Stracher, G.B.; Henke, K.R.; Olea, R.A.; Roman-Colon, Y.

    2011-01-01

    Coal fires occur in all coal-bearing regions of the world and number, conservatively, in the thousands. These fires emit a variety of compounds including greenhouse gases. However, the magnitude of the contribution of combustion gases from coal fires to the environment is highly uncertain, because adequate data and methods for assessing emissions are lacking. This study demonstrates the ability to estimate CO2 and CH4 emissions for the Welch Ranch coal fire, Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA, using two independent methods: (a) heat flux calculated from aerial thermal infrared imaging (3.7-4.4td-1 of CO2 equivalent emissions) and (b) direct, ground-based measurements (7.3-9.5td-1 of CO2 equivalent emissions). Both approaches offer the potential for conducting inventories of coal fires to assess their gas emissions and to evaluate and prioritize fires for mitigation. ?? 2011.

  5. Quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from coal fires using airborne and ground-based methods

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Engle, Mark A.; Radke, Lawrence F.; Heffern, Edward L.; O'Keefe, Jennifer M.K.; Smeltzer, Charles; Hower, James C.; Hower, Judith M.; Prakash, Anupma; Kolker, Allan; Eatwell, Robert J.; ter Schure, Arnout; Queen, Gerald; Aggen, Kerry L.; Stracher, Glenn B.; Henke, Kevin R.; Olea, Ricardo A.; Román-Colón, Yomayara

    2011-01-01

    Coal fires occur in all coal-bearing regions of the world and number, conservatively, in the thousands. These fires emit a variety of compounds including greenhouse gases. However, the magnitude of the contribution of combustion gases from coal fires to the environment is highly uncertain, because adequate data and methods for assessing emissions are lacking. This study demonstrates the ability to estimate CO2 and CH4 emissions for the Welch Ranch coal fire, Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA, using two independent methods: (a) heat flux calculated from aerial thermal infrared imaging (3.7–4.4 t d−1 of CO2 equivalent emissions) and (b) direct, ground-based measurements (7.3–9.5 t d−1 of CO2 equivalent emissions). Both approaches offer the potential for conducting inventories of coal fires to assess their gas emissions and to evaluate and prioritize fires for mitigation.

  6. Impacts of the Minamata convention on mercury emissions and global deposition from coal-fired power generation in Asia.

    PubMed

    Giang, Amanda; Stokes, Leah C; Streets, David G; Corbitt, Elizabeth S; Selin, Noelle E

    2015-05-05

    We explore implications of the United Nations Minamata Convention on Mercury for emissions from Asian coal-fired power generation, and resulting changes to deposition worldwide by 2050. We use engineering analysis, document analysis, and interviews to construct plausible technology scenarios consistent with the Convention. We translate these scenarios into emissions projections for 2050, and use the GEOS-Chem model to calculate global mercury deposition. Where technology requirements in the Convention are flexibly defined, under a global energy and development scenario that relies heavily on coal, we project ∼90 and 150 Mg·y(-1) of avoided power sector emissions for China and India, respectively, in 2050, compared to a scenario in which only current technologies are used. Benefits of this avoided emissions growth are primarily captured regionally, with projected changes in annual average gross deposition over China and India ∼2 and 13 μg·m(-2) lower, respectively, than the current technology case. Stricter, but technologically feasible, mercury control requirements in both countries could lead to a combined additional 170 Mg·y(-1) avoided emissions. Assuming only current technologies but a global transition away from coal avoids 6% and 36% more emissions than this strict technology scenario under heavy coal use for China and India, respectively.

  7. Retrofitted coal-fired firetube boiler and method employed therewith

    DOEpatents

    Wagoner, C.L.; Foote, J.P.

    1995-07-04

    A coal-fired firetube boiler and a method for converting a gas-fired firetube boiler to a coal-fired firetube boiler are disclosed. The converted boiler includes a plurality of combustion zones within the firetube and controlled stoichiometry within the combustion zones. 19 figs.

  8. Reports of coal’s terminal decline may be exaggerated

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Edenhofer, Ottmar; Steckel, Jan Christoph; Jakob, Michael; Bertram, Christoph

    2018-02-01

    We estimate the cumulative future emissions expected to be released by coal power plants that are currently under construction, announced, or planned. Even though coal consumption has recently declined and plans to build new coal-fired capacities have been shelved, constructing all these planned coal-fired power plants would endanger national and international climate targets. Plans to build new coal-fired power capacity would likely undermine the credibility of some countries’ (Intended) Nationally Determined Contributions submitted to the UNFCCC. If all the coal-fired power plants that are currently planned were built, the carbon budget for reaching the 2 °C temperature target would nearly be depleted. Propositions about ‘coal’s terminal decline’ may thereby be premature. The phase-out of coal requires dedicated and well-designed policies. We discuss the political economy of policy options that could avoid a continued build-up of coal-fired power plants.

  9. Mercury emission trend influenced by stringent air pollutants regulation for coal-fired power plants in Korea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pudasainee, Deepak; Kim, Jeong-Hun; Seo, Yong-Chil

    2009-12-01

    Regulatory control of mercury emission from anthropogenic sources has become a global concern in the recent past. Coal-fired power plants are one of the largest sources of anthropogenic mercury emission into the atmosphere. This paper summarizes the current reducing trend of mercury emission as co-beneficial effect by more stringent regulation changes to control primary air pollutants with introducing test results from the commercial coal-fired facilities and suggesting a guideline for future regulatory development in Korea. On average, mercury emission concentrations ranged 16.3-2.7 μg Sm -3, 2.4-1.1 μg Sm -3, 3.1-0.7 μg Sm -3 from anthracite coal-fired power plants equipped with electrostatic precipitator (ESP), bituminous coal-fired power plants with ESP + flue gas desulphurization (FGD) and bituminous coal-fired power plants with selective catalytic reactor (SCR) + cold side (CS) - ESP + wet FGD, respectively. Among the existing air pollution control devices, the best configuration for mercury removal in coal-fired power plants was SCR + CS - ESP + wet FGD, which were installed due to the stringent regulation changes to control primary air pollutants emission such as SO 2, NOx and dust. It was estimated that uncontrolled and controlled mercury emission from coal-fired power plants as 10.3 ton yr -1 and 3.2 ton yr -1 respectively. After the installation of ESP, FGD and SCR system, following the enforcement of the stringent regulation, 7.1 ton yr -1 of mercury emission has been reduced (nearly 69%) from coal-fired power plants as a co-benefit control. Based on the overall study, a sample guideline including emission limits were suggested which will be applied to develop a countermeasure for controlling mercury emission from coal-fired power plants.

  10. CO2, CO, and Hg emissions from the Truman Shepherd and Ruth Mullins coal fires, eastern Kentucky, USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    O'Keefe, Jennifer M.K.; Henke, Kevin R.; Hower, James C.; Engle, Mark A.; Stracher, Glenn B.; Stucker, J.D.; Drew, Jordan W.; Staggs, Wayne D.; Murray, Tiffany M.; Hammond, Maxwell L.; Adkins, Kenneth D.; Mullins, Bailey J.; Lemley, Edward W.

    2010-01-01

    Carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and mercury (Hg) emissions were quantified for two eastern Kentucky coal-seam fires, the Truman Shepherd fire in Floyd County and the Ruth Mullins fire in Perry County. This study is one of the first to estimate gas emissions from coal fires using field measurements at gas vents. The Truman Shepherd fire emissions are nearly 1400 t CO2/yr and 16 kg Hg/yr resulting from a coal combustion rate of 450–550 t/yr. The sum of CO2 emissions from seven vents at the Ruth Mullins fire is 726 ± 72 t/yr, suggesting that the fire is consuming about 250–280 t coal/yr. Total Ruth Mullins fire CO and Hg emissions are estimated at 21 ± 1.8 t/yr and > 840 ± 170 g/yr, respectively. The CO2emissions are environmentally significant, but low compared to coal-fired power plants; for example, 3.9 × 106 t CO2/yr for a 514-MW boiler in Kentucky. Using simple calculations, CO2 and Hg emissions from coal-fires in the U.S. are estimated at 1.4 × 107–2.9 × 108 t/yr and 0.58–11.5 t/yr, respectively. This initial work indicates that coal fires may be an important source of CO2, CO, Hg and other atmospheric constituents.

  11. Cogeneration Technology Alternatives Study (CTAS). Volume 1: Summary report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gerlaugh, H. E.; Hall, E. W.; Brown, D. H.; Priestley, R. R.; Knightly, W. F.

    1980-01-01

    Large savings can be made in industry by cogenerating electric power and process heat in single energy conversion systems rather than separately in utility plants and in process boilers. About fifty industrial processes from the largest energy consuming sectors were used as a basis for matching a similar number of energy conversion systems that are considered as candidates which can be made available by the 1985 to 2000 time period. The sectors considered included food, textiles, lumber, paper, chemicals, petroleum, glass, and primary metals. The energy conversion systems included steam and gas turbines, diesels, thermionics, stirling, closed-cycle and steam injected gas turbines, and fuel cells. Fuels considered were coal, both coal and petroleum-based residual and distillate liquid fuels, and low Btu gas obtained through the on-site gasification of coal. An attempt was made to use consistent assumptions and a consistent set of ground rules for determining performance and cost in individual plants and on a national level. It was found that: (1) atmospheric and pressurized fluidized bed steam turbine systems were the most attractive of the direct coal-fired systems; and (2) open-cycle gas turbines with heat recovery steam generators and combined-cycles with NO(x) emission reduction and moderately increased firing temperatures were the most attractive of the coal-derived liquid-fired systems.

  12. Geology of coal fires: case studies from around the world

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Glenn B. Stracher

    2008-01-15

    Coal fires are preserved globally in the rock record as burnt and volume-reduced coal seams and by pyrometamorphic rocks, explosion breccias, clinker, gas-vent-mineral assemblages, fire-induced faulting, ground fissures, slump blocks, and sinkholes. Coal fires are responsible for coronary and respiratory diseases and fatalities in humans, as well as arsenic and fluorine poisoning. Their heat energy, toxic fumes, and solid by-products of combustion destroy floral and faunal habitats while polluting the air, water, and soil. This volume includes chapters devoted to spontaneous combustion and greenhouse gases, gas-vent mineralogy and petrology, paralavas and combustion metamorphic rocks, geochronology and landforms, magnetic signatures andmore » geophysical modeling, remote-sensing detection and fire-depth estimation of concealed fires, and coal fires and public policy.« less

  13. Regional Haze Plan for Texas and Oklahoma

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    EPA partially approved and partially disapproved the Texas regional haze plan. EPA also finalized a plan to limit sulfur dioxide emissions from eight Texas coal-fired electricity generating facilities

  14. Large-scale biodiesel production using flue gas from coal-fired power plants with Nannochloropsis microalgal biomass in open raceway ponds.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Baohua; Sun, Faqiang; Yang, Miao; Lu, Lin; Yang, Guanpin; Pan, Kehou

    2014-12-01

    The potential use of microalgal biomass as a biofuel source has raised broad interest. Highly effective and economically feasible biomass generating techniques are essential to realize such potential. Flue gas from coal-fired power plants may serve as an inexpensive carbon source for microalgal culture, and it may also facilitate improvement of the environment once the gas is fixed in biomass. In this study, three strains of the genus Nannochloropsis (4-38, KA2 and 75B1) survived this type of culture and bloomed using flue gas from coal-fired power plants in 8000-L open raceway ponds. Lower temperatures and solar irradiation reduced the biomass yield and lipid productivities of these strains. Strain 4-38 performed better than the other two as it contained higher amounts of triacylglycerols and fatty acids, which are used for biodiesel production. Further optimization of the application of flue gas to microalgal culture should be undertaken. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Health Risks of Nuclear Power.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cohen, Bernard L.

    1978-01-01

    Deals with the wastes generated in nuclear power plants and the health risks involved as compared to those of wastes generated by coal-fired plants. Concludes that the risks of nuclear power plants are many times smaller than the risks from alternative energy resources. (GA)

  16. The system-wide economics of a carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage network: Texas Gulf Coast with pure CO2-EOR flood

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    King, Carey W.; Gülen, Gürcan; Cohen, Stuart M.; Nuñez-Lopez, Vanessa

    2013-09-01

    This letter compares several bounding cases for understanding the economic viability of capturing large quantities of anthropogenic CO2 from coal-fired power generators within the Electric Reliability Council of Texas electric grid and using it for pure CO2 enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in the onshore coastal region of Texas along the Gulf of Mexico. All captured CO2 in excess of that needed for EOR is sequestered in saline formations at the same geographic locations as the oil reservoirs but at a different depth. We analyze the extraction of oil from the same set of ten reservoirs within 20- and five-year time frames to describe how the scale of the carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) network changes to meet the rate of CO2 demand for oil recovery. Our analysis shows that there is a negative system-wide net present value (NPV) for all modeled scenarios. The system comes close to breakeven economics when capturing CO2 from three coal-fired power plants to produce oil via CO2-EOR over 20 years and assuming no CO2 emissions penalty. The NPV drops when we consider a larger network to produce oil more quickly (21 coal-fired generators with CO2 capture to produce 80% of the oil within five years). Upon applying a CO2 emissions penalty of 602009/tCO2 to fossil fuel emissions to ensure that coal-fired power plants with CO2 capture remain in baseload operation, the system economics drop significantly. We show near profitability for the cash flow of the EOR operations only; however, this situation requires relatively cheap electricity prices during operation.

  17. Wood and coal cofiring in interior Alaska: utilizing woody biomass from wildland defensible-space fire treatments and other sources.

    Treesearch

    David L. Nicholls; Stephen E. Patterson; Erin Uloth

    2006-01-01

    Cofiring wood and coal at Fairbanks, Alaska, area electrical generation facilities represents an opportunity to use woody biomass from clearings within the borough's wildland-urban interface and from other sources, such as sawmill residues and woody material intended for landfills. Potential benefits of cofiring include air quality improvements, reduced greenhouse...

  18. Feasibility of a small central cogenerated energy facility: Energy management memorandum

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Porter, R. N.

    1982-10-01

    The thermal economic feasibility of a small cogenerated energy facility designed to serve several industries in the Stockyards area was investigated. Cogeneration options included two dual fuel diesels and two gas turbines, all with waste heat boilers, and five fired boilers. Fuels included natural gas, and for the fired boiler cases, also low sulphur coal and municipal refuse. For coal and refuse, the option of steam only without cogeneration was also assessed. The fired boiler cogeneration systems employed back pressure steam turbines. The refuse fired cases utilized electrical capacities, 8500 to 52,400 lbm/hr and 0 to 9.9 MW (e), respectively. Deficient steam was assumed generated independently in existing equipment. Excess electrical power over that which was displaced was sold to Commonwealth Edison Company under PURPA (Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act). The facility was operated by a mutually owned corporation formed by the cogenerated power users.

  19. 40 CFR 63.10011 - How do I demonstrate initial compliance with the emissions limits and work practice standards?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... Hazardous Air Pollutants: Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units Testing and Initial... liquid oil-fired unit, and you use quarterly stack testing for HCl and HF plus site-specific parameter monitoring to demonstrate continuous performance, you must also establish a site-specific operating limit, in...

  20. 40 CFR 63.10011 - How do I demonstrate initial compliance with the emissions limits and work practice standards?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... Hazardous Air Pollutants: Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units Testing and Initial... liquid oil-fired unit, and you use quarterly stack testing for HCl and HF plus site-specific parameter monitoring to demonstrate continuous performance, you must also establish a site-specific operating limit, in...

  1. Understanding selected trace elements behavior in a coal-fired power plant in Malaysia for assessment of abatement technologies.

    PubMed

    Mokhtar, Mutahharah M; Taib, Rozainee M; Hassim, Mimi H

    2014-08-01

    The Proposed New Environmental Quality (Clean Air) Regulation 201X (Draft), which replaces the Malaysia Environmental Quality (Clean Air) 1978, specifies limits to additional pollutants from power generation using fossil fuel. The new pollutants include Hg, HCl, and HF with limits of 0.03, 100, and 15 mg/N-m3 at 6% O2, respectively. These pollutants are normally present in very small concentrations (known as trace elements [TEs]), and hence are often neglected in environmental air quality monitoring in Malaysia. Following the enactment of the new regulation, it is now imperative to understand the TEs behavior and to assess the capability of the existing abatement technologies to comply with the new emission limits. This paper presents the comparison of TEs behavior of the most volatile (Hg, Cl, F) and less volatile (As, Be, Cd, Cr, Ni, Se, Pb) elements in subbituminous and bituminous coal and coal combustion products (CCP) (i.e., fly ash and bottom ash) from separate firing of subbituminous and bituminous coal in a coal-fired power plant in Malaysia. The effect of air pollution control devices configuration in removal of TEs was also investigated to evaluate the effectiveness of abatement technologies used in the plant. This study showed that subbituminous and bituminous coals and their CCPs have different TEs behavior. It is speculated that ash content could be a factor for such diverse behavior In addition, the type of coal and the concentrations of TEs in feed coal were to some extent influenced by the emission of TEs in flue gas. The electrostatic precipitator (ESP) and seawater flue gas desulfurization (FGD) used in the studied coal-fired power plant were found effective in removing TEs in particulate and vapor form, respectively, as well as complying with the new specified emission limits. Implications: Coals used by power plants in Peninsular Malaysia come from the same supplier (Tenaga Nasional Berhad Fuel Services), which is a subsidiary of the Malaysia electricity provider (Tenaga Nasional Berhad). Therefore, this study on trace elements behavior in a coal-fired power plant in Malaysia could represent emission from other plants in Peninsular Malaysia. By adhering to the current coal specifications and installation of electrostatic precipitator (ESP) and flue gas desulfurization, the plants could comply with the limits specified in the Malaysian Department of Environment (DOE) Scheduled Waste Guideline for bottom ash and fly ash and the Proposed New Environmental Quality (Clean Air) Regulation 201X (Draft).

  2. RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) Utilization in a Navy Stoker Coal-Fired Boiler.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-10-01

    the energy production in any coal-fired boiler conversion consideration. The selection of the actual RDF to be used in a converted boiler should be... industrial boilers by gathering information from the Navy Energy and Environmental Support Activity, engineering field divi- sions, and field...activities. Currently the Navy has 27 industrial size boilers firing coal as a primary fuel and 10 firing coal as a secondary fuel. The four principal factors

  3. Long-term energy and climate implications of carbon capture and storage deployment strategies in the US coal-fired electricity fleet.

    PubMed

    Sathre, Roger; Masanet, Eric

    2012-09-04

    To understand the long-term energy and climate implications of different implementation strategies for carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the US coal-fired electricity fleet, we integrate three analytical elements: scenario projection of energy supply systems, temporally explicit life cycle modeling, and time-dependent calculation of radiative forcing. Assuming continued large-scale use of coal for electricity generation, we find that aggressive implementation of CCS could reduce cumulative greenhouse gas emissions (CO(2), CH(4), and N(2)O) from the US coal-fired power fleet through 2100 by 37-58%. Cumulative radiative forcing through 2100 would be reduced by only 24-46%, due to the front-loaded time profile of the emissions and the long atmospheric residence time of CO(2). The efficiency of energy conversion and carbon capture technologies strongly affects the amount of primary energy used but has little effect on greenhouse gas emissions or radiative forcing. Delaying implementation of CCS deployment significantly increases long-term radiative forcing. This study highlights the time-dynamic nature of potential climate benefits and energy costs of different CCS deployment pathways and identifies opportunities and constraints of successful CCS implementation.

  4. Characterization of open-cycle coal-fired MHD generators. Quarterly technical summary report No. 6, October 1--December 31, 1977. [PACKAGE code

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kolb, C.E.; Yousefian, V.; Wormhoudt, J.

    1978-01-30

    Research has included theoretical modeling of important plasma chemical effects such as: conductivity reductions due to condensed slag/electron interactions; conductivity and generator efficiency reductions due to the formation of slag-related negative ion species; and the loss of alkali seed due to chemical combination with condensed slag. A summary of the major conclusions in each of these areas is presented. A major output of the modeling effort has been the development of an MHD plasma chemistry core flow model. This model has been formulated into a computer program designated the PACKAGE code (Plasma Analysis, Chemical Kinetics, And Generator Efficiency). The PACKAGEmore » code is designed to calculate the effect of coal rank, ash percentage, ash composition, air preheat temperatures, equivalence ratio, and various generator channel parameters on the overall efficiency of open-cycle, coal-fired MHD generators. A complete description of the PACKAGE code and a preliminary version of the PACKAGE user's manual are included. A laboratory measurements program involving direct, mass spectrometric sampling of the positive and negative ions formed in a one atmosphere coal combustion plasma was also completed during the contract's initial phase. The relative ion concentrations formed in a plasma due to the methane augmented combustion of pulverized Montana Rosebud coal with potassium carbonate seed and preheated air are summarized. Positive ions measured include K/sup +/, KO/sup +/, Na/sup +/, Rb/sup +/, Cs/sup +/, and CsO/sup +/, while negative ions identified include PO/sub 3//sup -/, PO/sub 2//sup -/, BO/sub 2//sup -/, OH/sup -/, SH/sup -/, and probably HCrO/sub 3/, HMoO/sub 4//sup -/, and HWO/sub 3//sup -/. Comparison of the measurements with PACKAGE code predictions are presented. Preliminary design considerations for a mass spectrometric sampling probe capable of characterizing coal combustion plasmas from full scale combustors and flow trains are presented and discussed.« less

  5. 40 CFR 60.4151 - Establishment of accounts.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Hg Allowance Tracking System § 60.4151 Establishment of... obligation to review or evaluate the sufficiency of such documents, if submitted. (2) Authorization of Hg...

  6. Mercury emission from coal seam fire at Wuda, Inner Mongolia, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liang, Yanci; Liang, Handong; Zhu, Shuquan

    2014-02-01

    The underground coal seam fire in the Wuda, Inner Mongolia of china is one of the most serious coal fires in the world with a history over 50 years and endangers the neighboring downwind urban area. To investigate the potential mercury emission and migration from the coal seam fire, in situ real-time measurement of total gaseous mercury (TGM) concentration using Lumex RA-915 + mercury analyzer were implemented on the fire zone and the urban area. The results show an average TGM concentration of 464 ng m-3 in the fumes released from surface vents and cracks on the fire zone, which leads to an elevated TGM concentration of 257 ng m-3 (211-375 ng m-3) in the near-surface air at the fire zone and 89 ng m-3 (23-211 ng m-3) at the peripheral area. The average TGM concentration in the adjoining downwind urban area of Wuda is 33 ng m-3. This result suggests that the coal seam fire may not only contribute to the global mercury inventory but also be a novel source for mercury pollution in the urban areas. The scenario of urban areas being adjacent to coal seam fires is not limited to Wuda but relatively common in northern China and elsewhere. Whether there are other cities under influence of coal seam fires merits further investigation.

  7. Spatial and temporal variability of atmospheric mercury concentrations emitted from a coal-fired power plant in Mexico.

    PubMed

    García, Gilberto Fuentes; Álvarez, Humberto Bravo; Echeverría, Rodolfo Sosa; de Alba, Sergio Rosas; Rueda, Víctor Magaña; Dosantos, Ernesto Caetano; Cruz, Gustavo Vázquez

    2017-09-01

    Atmospheric mercury in the environment as a result of the consumption of fossil fuels, such as coal used in electricity generation, has gained increased attention worldwide because of its toxicity, atmospheric persistence, and bioaccumulation. Determining or predicting the concentration of this pollutant in ambient air is essential for determining sensitive areas requiring health protection. This study investigated the spatiotemporal variability of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) concentrations and its dry deposition surrounding the Presidente Plutarco Elías Calles (CETEPEC) coal-fired power plant, located on Mexico's Pacific coast. The CALPUFF dispersion model was applied on the basis of the daily consumption of coal during 2013 for each generating unit in the power plant and considering the local scale. The established 300-ng/m 3 annual average risk factor considered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (U.S. DHHS) and Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) must not be exceeded to meet satisfactory air quality levels. An area of 65 × 60 km was evaluated, and the results show that the risk level for mercury vapor was not exceeded because the annual average concentration was 2.8 ng/m 3 . Although the predicted risk level was not exceeded, continuous monitoring studies of GEM and of particulates in the atmosphere, soil, and water may be necessary to identify the concentration of this pollutant, specifically that resulting from coal-fired power plants operated in environmental areas of interest in Mexico. The dry mercury deposition was low in the study area; according to the CALPUFF model, the annual average was 1.40E-2 ng/m 2 /sec. These results represent a starting point for Mexico's government to implement the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which Mexico signed in 2013. The obtained concentrations of mercury from a bigger coal-fired plant in Mexico, through the application of the CALPUFF dispersion model by the mercury emissions, are below the level recommended according to the US Department of Health and Human Services and Integrated Risk Information System. These results provide evidence of important progress in the planning and installation to the future of monitoring mercury stations in the area of interest.

  8. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wolfmeyer, J.C.; Jowers, C.; Weinstein, R.E.

    As the power industry moves toward increased competition, low operating costs become increasingly important for continued profitability. This paper provides an overview of the plant concept evaluation of using an emerging coal-fired technology for repowering one of Duke Energy steam generating stations. The paper describes the results of a US Department of Energy (DOE) conceptual design evaluation of an early commercial repowering application of advanced circulating pressurized fluidized bed combustion combined cycle technology (APFBC). The paper provides a review of the DOE study and summarizes the preliminary results. It shows the prospects for APFBC repowering, and discusses how this mightmore » be an attractive option for a wide range of existing power plants, when added baseload coal-fired generation is needed. This paper presents an APFBC concept under development by DOE and equipment manufacturers. This all-coal technology has projected energy efficiency in the 42 to 46% HHV (43 to 48% LHV) range and environmental emissions superior to New Source Performance Standards (NSPS). A DOE-sponsored Clean Coal Technology (CCT) demonstration program will pioneer the first commercial APFBC demonstration in year 2001. That 170 MWe APFBC CCT demonstration will use all new equipment, and become the City of Lakeland's C.D. McIntosh, Jr. steam plant Unit 4. This paper's concept evaluation is for a larger implementation. A Westinghouse W501F combustion turbine modified for APFBC operation is considered for use to produce a 300+MWe class APFBC combined cycle. At this size, APFBC has a wide application for repowering many existing units in America, Here, APFBC would repower an existing generation station, the Duke Energy Company's Dan River steam station. Repowering concepts are presented for APFBC repowering of Unit 3. The existing coal-fired Unit 3 has an output of about 150 MWe. When repowered with APFBC, this unit is boosted to about 280 MWe output, with high-energy efficiency.« less

  9. IMPACT OF AIR POLLUTION ON VEGETATION NEAR THE COLUMBIA GENERATING STATION - WISCONSIN POWER PLANT IMPACT STUDY

    EPA Science Inventory

    The impact of air pollution from the coal-fired Columbia Generating Station upon vegetation was investigated. Air monitoring of 03 and 02 documented levels that occurred before and with operation of the generating station. Field sampling of alfalfa, lichens, and white pines was u...

  10. FETC/EPRI Biomass Cofiring Cooperative Agreement. Quaterly technical report, January 1-March 30m 1997

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hughes, E.; Tillman, D.

    1997-12-01

    Cofiring is considered to be the most promising near-term approach to fossil C0{sub 2} emissions mitigation through biomass usage. Consequently FETC and EPRI have entered into a cooperative agreement: `Cofiring Biomass and Waste-Derived fuels in Electric Utility Coal- Fired Boilers.` This agreement supports sixteen (16) EPRI research projects, each contributing to the commercialization of systems to address greenhouse gas emissions. These projects include: (1) cofiring combustion testing at the Seward Generating Station of GPU Genco; (2) fuel preparation testing at the Greenidge Generating Station of NYSEG; (3) precommercial testing of cofiring at the Allen and Colbert Fossil Plants of TVA;more » (4) testing of switchgrass cofiring at the Blount St. Station of Madison Gas & Electric; (5) high percentage biomass cofiring with Southern Company; (6) urban wood waste cofiring at the supercritical cyclone boiler at Michigan City Generating Station of Northern Indiana Public Service Co. (NIPSCO); (7) evaluation of switchgrass cofiring with Nebraska Public Power District at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, CA; (8) waste plastics cofiring with Duke Power in a tangentially-fired pulverized coal (PC) boiler; (9) cofiring a mixture of plastics, fiber, and pulp industry wastes with South Carolina Electric and Gas; (10) urban wood waste cofiring evaluation and testing by the University of Pittsburgh in stoker boilers; (11) assessment of toxic emissions from cofiring of wood and coal; (12) development of fuel and power plant models for analysis and interpretation of cofiring results; (13) analysis of C0{sub 2} utilization in algal systems for wastewater treatment; (14) combustion testing and combustor development focusing on high percentage cofiring; (15) analysis of problems and potential solutions to the sale of flyash from coal-fired boilers practicing cofiring; and (16) analysis of C0{sub 2} capture and disposal systems. During the second quarter of this contract, from January 1, 1997 through March 31, 1997, significant progress has been made on these projects. This progress focuses upon analysis of data from the cofiring tests, construction of systems to promote additional cofiring tests, and initiation of tasks evaluating alternatives to cofiring. This report contains a brief description of the progress made during the second quarter of the contract, focusing upon test results from the Seward Generating Station, where parametric testing at a wall-fired PC boiler was used to evaluate cofiring using separate feeding of wood and coal to the energy generation system.« less

  11. Environmental control implications of generating electric power from coal. 1977 technology status report. Appendix D. Assessment of NO/sub x/ control technology for coal fired utility boilers. [Low-excess-air, staged combustion, flu gas recirculation and burner design

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1977-12-01

    An NOx control technology assessment study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of low-excess-air firing, staged combustion, flue gas recirculation, and current burner/boiler designs as applied to coal-fired utility boilers. Significant variations in NOx emissions exist with boiler type, firing method, and coal type, but a relative comparison of emissions control performance, cost, and operational considerations is presented for each method. The study emphasized the numerous operational factors that are of major importance to the user in selecting and implementing a combustion modification technique. Staged combustion and low-excess-air operation were identified as the most cost-effective methods for existing units. Closemore » control of local air/fuel ratios and rigorous combustion equipment maintenance are essential to the success of both methods. Flue gas recirculation is relatively ineffective and has the added concern of tube erosion. More research is needed to resolve potential corrosion concerns with low-NOx operating modes. Low-NOx burners in conjunction with a compartmentalized windbox are capable of meeting a 0.6-lb/million Btu emission level on new units. Advanced burner designs are being developed to meet research emission goals of approximately 0.25 lb/MBtu.« less

  12. High-resolution inventory of technologies, activities, and emissions of coal-fired power plants in China from 1990 to 2010

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, F.; Zhang, Q.; Tong, D.; Zheng, B.; Li, M.; Huo, H.; He, K. B.

    2015-12-01

    This paper, which focuses on emissions from China's coal-fired power plants during 1990-2010, is the second in a series of papers that aims to develop a high-resolution emission inventory for China. This is the first time that emissions from China's coal-fired power plants were estimated at unit level for a 20-year period. This inventory is constructed from a unit-based database compiled in this study, named the China coal-fired Power plant Emissions Database (CPED), which includes detailed information on the technologies, activity data, operation situation, emission factors, and locations of individual units and supplements with aggregated data where unit-based information is not available. Between 1990 and 2010, compared to a 479 % growth in coal consumption, emissions from China's coal-fired power plants increased by 56, 335, and 442 % for SO2, NOx, and CO2, respectively, and decreased by 23 and 27 % for PM2.5 and PM10 respectively. Driven by the accelerated economic growth, large power plants were constructed throughout the country after 2000, resulting in a dramatic growth in emissions. The growth trend of emissions has been effectively curbed since 2005 due to strengthened emission control measures including the installation of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems and the optimization of the generation fleet mix by promoting large units and decommissioning small ones. Compared to previous emission inventories, CPED significantly improved the spatial resolution and temporal profile of the power plant emission inventory in China by extensive use of underlying data at unit level. The new inventory developed in this study will enable a close examination of temporal and spatial variations of power plant emissions in China and will help to improve the performances of chemical transport models by providing more accurate emission data.

  13. 40 CFR 60.4154 - Compliance with Hg budget emissions limitation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... Times for Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Hg Allowance Tracking System § 60.4154 Compliance.... (f) Administrator's action on submissions. (1) The Administrator may review and conduct independent...

  14. 40 CFR 60.4154 - Compliance with Hg budget emissions limitation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Times for Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Hg Allowance Tracking System § 60.4154 Compliance.... (f) Administrator's action on submissions. (1) The Administrator may review and conduct independent...

  15. Overview of Advanced Turbine Systems Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Webb, H. A.; Bajura, R. A.

    The US Department of Energy initiated a program to develop advanced gas turbine systems to serve both central power and industrial power generation markets. The Advanced Turbine Systems (ATS) Program will lead to commercial offerings by the private sector by 2002. ATS will be developed to fire natural gas but will be adaptable to coal and biomass firing. The systems will be: highly efficient (15 percent improvement over today's best systems); environmentally superior (10 percent reduction in nitrogen oxides over today's best systems); and cost competitive (10 percent reduction in cost of electricity). The ATS Program has five elements. Innovative cycle development will lead to the demonstration of systems with advanced gas turbine cycles using current gas turbine technology. High temperature development will lead to the increased firing temperatures needed to achieve ATS Program efficiency goals. Ceramic component development/demonstration will expand the current DOE/CE program to demonstrate industrial-scale turbines with ceramic components. Technology base will support the overall program by conducting research and development (R&D) on generic technology issues. Coal application studies will adapt technology developed in the ATS program to coal-fired systems being developed in other DOE programs.

  16. Implications of Lower Natural Gas Prices for Electric Generators in the Southeast, The

    EIA Publications

    2009-01-01

    This supplement to the Energy Information Administration's (EIA) May 2009 Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) focuses on changes in the utilization of coal- and natural-gas-fired generation capacity in the electric utility sector as the differential between delivered fuel prices narrows.

  17. 40 CFR 60.4113 - Certificate of representation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Hg Designated Representative for Hg Budget Sources § 60.4113... authority nor the Administrator shall be under any obligation to review or evaluate the sufficiency of such...

  18. 40 CFR 60.4113 - Certificate of representation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Hg Designated Representative for Hg Budget Sources § 60.4113... authority nor the Administrator shall be under any obligation to review or evaluate the sufficiency of such...

  19. 40 CFR 60.4152 - Responsibilities of Hg authorized account representative.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... and Compliance Times for Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Hg Allowance Tracking System § 60... Allowance Tracking System account, all submissions to the Administrator pertaining to the account, including...

  20. Improved heat recovery and high-temperature clean-up for coal-gas fired combustion turbines

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Barthelemy, N.M.; Lynn, S.

    1991-07-01

    This study investigates the performance of an Improved Heat Recovery Method (IHRM) applied to a coal-gas fired power-generating system using a high-temperature clean-up. This heat recovery process has been described by Higdon and Lynn (1990). The IHRM is an integrated heat-recovery network that significantly increases the thermal efficiency of a gas turbine in the generation of electric power. Its main feature is to recover both low- and high-temperature heat reclaimed from various gas streams by means of evaporating heated water into combustion air in an air saturation unit. This unit is a packed column where compressed air flows countercurrently tomore » the heated water prior to being sent to the combustor, where it is mixed with coal-gas and burned. The high water content of the air stream thus obtained reduces the amount of excess air required to control the firing temperature of the combustor, which in turn lowers the total work of compression and results in a high thermal efficiency. Three designs of the IHRM were developed to accommodate three different gasifying process. The performances of those designs were evaluated and compared using computer simulations. The efficiencies obtained with the IHRM are substantially higher those yielded by other heat-recovery technologies using the same gasifying processes. The study also revealed that the IHRM compares advantageously to most advanced power-generation technologies currently available or tested commercially. 13 refs., 34 figs., 10 tabs.« less

  1. Economic assessment of coal-burning locomotives: Topical report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1986-02-01

    The General Electric Company embarked upon a study to evaluate various alternatives for the design and manufacture a coal fired locomotive considering various prime movers, but retaining the electric drive transmission. The initial study was supported by the Burlington-Northern and Norfolk-Southern railroads, and included the following alternatives: coal fired diesel locomotive; direct fired gas turbine locomotives; direct fired gas turbine locomotive with steam injection; raw coal gasifier gas turbine locomotive; and raw coal fluid bed steam turbine locomotive. All alternatives use the electric drive transmission and were selected for final evaluation. The first three would use a coal water slurrymore » as a fuel, which must be produced by new processing plants. Therefore, use of a slurry would require a significant plant capital investment. The last two would use classified run-of-the-mine (ROM) coal with much less capital expenditure. Coal fueling stations would be required but are significantly lower in capital cost than a coal slurry plant. For any coal fired locomotive to be commercially viable, it must pass the following criteria: be technically feasible and environmentally acceptable; meet railroads' financial expectations; and offer an attractive return to the locomotive manufacturer. These three criteria are reviewed in the report.« less

  2. Fire Risk Assessment of Some Indian Coals Using Radial Basis Function (RBF) Technique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nimaje, Devidas; Tripathy, Debi Prasad

    2017-04-01

    Fires, whether surface or underground, pose serious and environmental problems in the global coal mining industry. It is causing huge loss of coal due to burning and loss of lives, sterilization of coal reserves and environmental pollution. Most of the instances of coal mine fires happening worldwide are mainly due to the spontaneous combustion. Hence, attention must be paid to take appropriate measures to prevent occurrence and spread of fire. In this paper, to evaluate the different properties of coals for fire risk assessment, forty-nine in situ coal samples were collected from major coalfields of India. Intrinsic properties viz. proximate and ultimate analysis; and susceptibility indices like crossing point temperature, flammability temperature, Olpinski index and wet oxidation potential method of Indian coals were carried out to ascertain the liability of coal to spontaneous combustion. Statistical regression analysis showed that the parameters of ultimate analysis provide significant correlation with all investigated susceptibility indices as compared to the parameters of proximate analysis. Best correlated parameters (ultimate analysis) were used as inputs to the radial basis function network model. The model revealed that Olpinski index can be used as a reliable method to assess the liability of Indian coals to spontaneous combustion.

  3. Impacts of the Minamata Conventionon on Mercury Emissions and Global Deposition from Coal-Fired Power Generation in Asia

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Giang, Amanda; Stokes, Leah C.; Streets, David G.

    We explore implications of the United Nations Minamata Convention on Mercury for emissions from Asian coal-fired power generation, and resulting changes to deposition worldwide by 2050. We use engineering analysis, document analysis, and interviews to construct plausible technology scenarios consistent with the Convention. We translate these scenarios into emissions projections for 2050, and use the GEOS-Chem model to calculate global mercury deposition. Where technology requirements in the Convention are flexibly defined, under a global energy and development scenario that relies heavily on coal, we project similar to 90 and 150 Mg.y(-1) of avoided power sector emissions for China and India,more » respectively, in 2050, compared to a scenario in which only current technologies are used. Benefits of this avoided emissions growth are primarily captured regionally, with projected changes in annual average gross deposition over China and India similar to 2 and 13 mu g.m(-2) lower, respectively, than the current technology case. Stricter, but technologically feasible, mercury control requirements in both countries could lead to a combined additional 170 Mg.y(-1) avoided emissions. Assuming only current technologies but a global transition away from coal avoids 6% and 36% more emissions than this strict technology scenario under heavy coal use for China and India, respectively.« less

  4. Demonstration of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology for the control of nitrogen oxide (NO sub x ) emissions from high-sulfur coal-fired boilers: Innovative Clean Coal Technology (ICCT)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1992-05-01

    The objective of this project is to demonstrate and evaluate commercially available Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalysts from US, Japanese and European catalyst suppliers on a high-sulfur US coal-fired boiler. SCR is a post-combustion nitrogen oxide (NO{sub x}) control technology that involves injecting ammonia into the flue gas generated from coal combustion in an electric utility boiler. The flue gas containing ammonia is then passed through a reactor that contains a specialized catalyst. In the presence of the catalyst, the amonia reacts with NO{sub x} to convert it to nitrogen and water vapor. Although SCR is widely practiced in Japanmore » and Europe, there are numerous technical uncertainties associated with applying SCR to US coals. These uncertainties include: (1) potential catalyst deactivation due to poisoning by trace metal species present in US coals that are not present in other fuels. (2) performance of the technology and effects on the balance-of-plant equipment in the presence of high amounts of SO, and SO{sub 3}. (3) performance of a wide variety of SCR catalyst compositions, geometries and methods of manufacture under typical high-sulfur coal-fired utility operating conditions. These uncertainties will be explored by constructing a series of small-scale SCR reactors and simultaneously exposing different SCR catalysts to flue gas derived from the combustion of high sulfur US coal. The demonstration will be performed at Gulf Power Company's Plant Crist Unit No. 5 (75 MW capacity) near Pensacola, Florida. The project will be funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE), Southern Company Services, Inc. (SCS on behalf of the entire Southern electric system), and the Electric Power Research Institute.« less

  5. Baseload coal investment decisions under uncertain carbon legislation.

    PubMed

    Bergerson, Joule A; Lave, Lester B

    2007-05-15

    More than 50% of electricity in the U.S. is generated by coal. The U.S. has large coal resources, the cheapest fuel in most areas. Coal fired power plants are likely to continue to provide much of U.S. electricity. However, the type of power plant that should be built is unclear. Technology can reduce pollutant discharges and capture and sequester the CO2 from coal-fired generation. The U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005 provides incentives for large scale commercial deployment of Integrated Coal Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) systems (e.g., loan guarantees and project tax credits). This analysis examines whether a new coal plant should be Pulverized Coal (PC) or IGCC. Do stricter emissions standards (PM, SO2, NOx, Hg) justify the higher costs of IGCC over PC? How does potential future carbon legislation affect the decision to add carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology? Finally, can the impact of uncertain carbon legislation be minimized? We find that SO2, NOx, PM, and Hg emission standards would have to be far more stringent than twice current standards to justify the increased costs of the IGCC system. A C02 tax less than $29/ton would lead companies to continuing to choose PC, paying the tax for emitted CO2. The earlier a decision-maker believes the carbon tax will be imposed and the higher the tax, the more likely companies will choose IGCC w/CCS. Having government announce the date and level of a carbon tax would promote more sensible decisions, but government would have to use a tax or subsidy to induce companies to choose the technology that is best for society.

  6. Evaluation of AFBC co-firing of coal and hospital wastes

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1991-02-01

    The purpose of this program is to expand the use of coal by utilizing CFB (circulating fluidized bed) technology to provide an environmentally safe method for disposing of waste materials. Hospitals are currently experiencing a waste management crisis. In many instances, they are no longer permitted to burn pathological and infectious wastes in incinerators. Older hospital incinerators are not capable of maintaining the stable temperatures and residence times necessary in order to completely destroy toxic substances before release into the atmosphere. In addition, the number of available landfills which can safely handle these substances is decreasing each year. The purposemore » of this project is to conduct necessary research investigating whether the combustion of the hospital wastes in a coal-fired circulating fluidized bed boiler will effectively destroy dioxins and other hazardous substances before release into the atmosphere. If this is proven feasible, in light of the quantity of hospital wastes generated each year, it would create a new market for coal -- possibly 50 million tons/year.« less

  7. Preliminary investigation on the effects of primary airflow to coal particle distribution in coal-fired boilers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Noor, N. A. W. Mohd; Hassan, H.; Hashim, M. F.; Hasini, H.; Munisamy, K. M.

    2017-04-01

    This paper presents an investigation on the effects of primary airflow to coal fineness in coal-fired boilers. In coal fired power plant, coal is pulverized in a pulverizer, and it is then transferred to boiler for combustion. Coal need to be ground to its desired size to obtain maximum combustion efficiency. Coarse coal particle size may lead to many performance problems such as formation of clinker. In this study, the effects of primary airflow to coal particles size and coal flow distribution were investigated by using isokinetic coal sampling and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modelling. Four different primary airflows were tested and the effects to resulting coal fineness were recorded. Results show that the optimum coal fineness distribution is obtained at design primary airflow. Any reduction or increase of air flow rate results in undesirable coal fineness distribution.

  8. Analysis of natural radioactivity in Yatağan coal - fired power plant in Turkey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Altıkulaç, Aydan; Turhan, Şeref; Gümüş, Hasan

    2017-09-01

    Use of the coal in order to generate electricity increases the exposure of people to radiation. In this paper, the activity concentrations of nuclides 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in samples of coal and bottom ash from the Yatagan Coal-Fired thermal power plant determined using gamma ray spectrometer with a NaI(Tl) scintillation detector. The mean activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in the coal were found to be 37.2±2.8 Bqkg-1, 51.8±3.4 Bqkg-1 and 166.7±11.1 Bqkg-1, respectively. Whereas in the bottom ashes, the concentrations of the corresponding radionuclides were found to be 62.2±5.6 Bqkg-1, 87.4±5.9 Bqkg-1 and 221.0 ±12.5 Bqkg-1, respectively. The findings show that bottom ashes show higher activity concentrations of related radionuclide to coal samples. The absorbed gamma dose rate in outdoor air DROUT and annual effective dose rate (AED) from coal were calculated to define radıologıcal rısk. The average findings of annual effective doses were detected as 68.6±5.1 μSvy-1 and 110.3±11.2 μSvy-1, respectively.

  9. 40 CFR 60.4157 - Closing of general accounts.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Hg Allowance Tracking System § 60.4157 Closing of general... Tracking System accounts. (b) If a general account has no allowance transfers in or out of the account for...

  10. Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (NAICS 2211)

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Find EPA regulatory information for electrical utilities, including coal-fired power plants. Includes links to NESHAPs for RICE, stationary combustion engines, fossil fuel waste, cooling water, effluent guidelines. Find information on the MATS rule.

  11. Investigating dynamic underground coal fires by means of numerical simulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wessling, S.; Kessels, W.; Schmidt, M.; Krause, U.

    2008-01-01

    Uncontrolled burning or smoldering of coal seams, otherwise known as coal fires, represents a worldwide natural hazard. Efficient application of fire-fighting strategies and prevention of mining hazards require that the temporal evolution of fire propagation can be sufficiently precise predicted. A promising approach for the investigation of the temporal evolution is the numerical simulation of involved physical and chemical processes. In the context of the Sino-German Research Initiative `Innovative Technologies for Detection, Extinction and Prevention of Coal Fires in North China,' a numerical model has been developed for simulating underground coal fires at large scales. The objective of such modelling is to investigate observables, like the fire propagation rate, with respect to the thermal and hydraulic parameters of adjacent rock. In the model, hydraulic, thermal and chemical processes are accounted for, with the last process complemented by laboratory experiments. Numerically, one key challenge in modelling coal fires is to circumvent the small time steps resulting from the resolution of fast reaction kinetics at high temperatures. In our model, this problem is solved by means of an `operator-splitting' approach, in which transport and reactive processes of oxygen are independently calculated. At high temperatures, operator-splitting has the decisive advantage of allowing the global time step to be chosen according to oxygen transport, so that time-consuming simulation through the calculation of fast reaction kinetics is avoided. Also in this model, because oxygen distribution within a coal fire has been shown to remain constant over long periods, an additional extrapolation algorithm for the coal concentration has been applied. In this paper, we demonstrate that the operator-splitting approach is particularly suitable for investigating the influence of hydraulic parameters of adjacent rocks on coal fire propagation. A study shows that dynamic propagation strongly depends on permeability variations. For the assumed model, no fire exists for permeabilities k < 10-10m2, whereas the fire propagation velocity ranges between 340ma-1 for k = 10-8m2, and drops to lower than 3ma-1 for k = 5 × 10-10m2. Additionally, strong temperature variations are observed for the permeability range 5 × 10-10m2 < k < 10-8m2.

  12. Oxy-fuel combustion of coal and biomass, the effect on radiative and convective heat transfer and burnout

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Smart, John P.; Patel, Rajeshriben; Riley, Gerry S.

    This paper focuses on results of co-firing coal and biomass under oxy-fuel combustion conditions on the RWEn 0.5 MWt Combustion Test Facility (CTF). Results are presented of radiative and convective heat transfer and burnout measurements. Two coals were fired: a South African coal and a Russian Coal under air and oxy-fuel firing conditions. The two coals were also co-fired with Shea Meal at a co-firing mass fraction of 20%. Shea Meal was also co-fired at a mass fraction of 40% and sawdust at 20% with the Russian Coal. An IFRF Aerodynamically Air Staged Burner (AASB) was used. The thermal inputmore » was maintained at 0.5 MWt for all conditions studied. The test matrix comprised of varying the Recycle Ratio (RR) between 65% and 75% and furnace exit O{sub 2} was maintained at 3%. Carbon-in-ash samples for burnout determination were also taken. Results show that the highest peak radiative heat flux and highest flame luminosity corresponded to the lowest recycle ratio. The effect of co-firing of biomass resulted in lower radiative heat fluxes for corresponding recycle ratios. Furthermore, the highest levels of radiative heat flux corresponded to the lowest convective heat flux. Results are compared to air firing and the air equivalent radiative and convective heat fluxes are fuel type dependent. Reasons for these differences are discussed in the main text. Burnout improves with biomass co-firing under both air and oxy-fuel firing conditions and burnout is also seen to improve under oxy-fuel firing conditions compared to air. (author)« less

  13. How DRB-XCL burners and air heater upgrade reduced NO sub x and improved efficiency at a western utility

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Becker, W.; Stalcup, T.; Schild, V.

    1992-01-01

    The Neil Simpson Unit is a 220,000 lb/hr pulverized coal boiler that was designed to fire a local Wyoming subbituminous coal. During the late 1980s, the Wyoming Department of Air Quality imposed emission limits on the Black Hills Power and Light Co., Neil Simpson Station. The new limits required Black Hills power to control not only particulate and sulfur dioxide (SO{sub 2}) emissions, but also nitrogen oxide (NO{sub x}) emissions. At the same time, Black Hills Power initiated an efficiency improvement study at Neil Simpson Station to investigate methods for reducing net electrical generation costs. This paper addresses the plantmore » efficiency and emissions studies, startup activities, the operating problems and successful operating solutions for NO{sub x} control when firing a Wyoming subbituminous coal. Also included is a summary of the post-0retrofit boiler performance data.« less

  14. The Tiptop coal-mine fire, Kentucky: Preliminary investigation of the measurement of mercury and other hazardous gases from coal-fire gas vents

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hower, James C.; Henke, Kevin R.; O'Keefe, Jennifer M.K.; Engle, Mark A.; Blake, Donald R.; Stracher, Glenn B.

    2009-01-01

    Variation in gas temperatures, nearly 300 °C during the January visit to the fire versus < 50 °C in May, demonstrates the large temporal variability in fire intensity at the Tiptop mine. These preliminary results suggest that emissions from coal fires may be important, but additional data are required that address the reasons for significant variations in the composition, flow, and temperature of vent gases.

  15. Arsenic and lead concentrations in the Pond Creek and Fire Clay coal beds, eastern Kentucky coal field

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hower, J.C.; Robertson, J.D.; Wong, A.S.; Eble, C.F.; Ruppert, L.F.

    1997-01-01

    The Middle Pennsylvanian Breathitt Formation (Westphalian B) Pond Creek and Fire Clay coal beds are the 2 largest producing coal beds in eastern Kentucky. Single channel samples from 22 localities in the Pond Creek coal bed were obtained from active coal mines in Pike and Martin Countries, Kentucky, and a total of 18 Fire Clay coal bed channel samples were collected from localities in the central portion of the coal field. The overall objective of this study was to investigate the concentration and distribution of potentially hazardous elements in the Fire Clay and Pond Creek coal beds, with particular emphasis on As and Pb, 2 elements that are included in the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments as potential air toxics. The 2 coals are discussed individually as the depositional histories are distinct, the Fire Clay coal bed having more sites where relatively high-S lithologies are encountered. In an effort to characterize these coals, 40 whole channel samples, excluding 1-cm partings, were analyzed for major, minor and trace elements by X-ray fluorescence and proton-induced X-ray emission spectroscopy. Previously analyzed samples were added to provide additional geographic coverage and lithotype samples from one site were analyzed in order to provide detail of vertical elemental trends. The As and Pb levels in the Fire Clay coal bed tend to be higher than in the Pond Creek coal bed. One whole channel sample of the Fire Clay coal bed contains 1156 ppm As (ash basis), with a single lithotype containing 4000 ppm As (ash basis). Most of the As and Pb appears to be associated with pyrite, which potentially can be removed in beneficiation (particularly coarser pyrite). Disseminated finer pyrite may not be completely removable by cleaning. In the examination of pyrite conducted in this study, it does not appear that significant concentration of As or Pb occurs in the finer pyrite forms. The biggest potential problem of As- or Pb-enriched pyrite is, therefore, one of refuse disposal.

  16. Chemical and engineering properties of fired bricks containing 50 weight percent of class F fly ash

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Chou, I.-Ming; Patel, V.; Laird, C.J.; Ho, K.K.

    2001-01-01

    The generation of fly ash during coal combustion represents a considerable solid waste disposal problem in the state of Illinois and nationwide. In fact, the majority of the three million tons of fly ash produced from burning Illinois bituminous coals is disposed of in landfills. The purpose of this study was to obtain a preliminary assessment of the technical feasibility of mitigating this solid waste problem by making fired bricks with the large volume of fly ash generated from burning Illinois coals. Test bricks were produced by the extrusion method with increasing amounts (20-50% by weight) of fly ash as a replacement for conventional raw materials. The chemical characteristics and engineering properties of the test bricks produced with and without 50 wt% of fly ash substitutions were analyzed and compared. The properties of the test bricks containing fly ash were at least comparable to, if not better than, those of standard test bricks made without fly ash and met the commercial specifications for fired bricks. The positive results of this study suggest that further study on test bricks with fly ash substitutions of greater than 50wt% is warranted. Successful results could have an important impact in reducing the waste disposal problem related to class F fly ash while providing the brick industry with a new low cost raw material. Copyright ?? 2001 Taylor & Francis.

  17. 40 CFR 60.4171 - Initial certification and recertification procedures.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... and Compliance Times for Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Monitoring and Reporting § 60.4171... disapproval under paragraph (c)(3)(iv)(C) of this section. The 120-day review period shall not begin before...

  18. 40 CFR 60.4171 - Initial certification and recertification procedures.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... and Compliance Times for Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Monitoring and Reporting § 60.4171... disapproval under paragraph (c)(3)(iv)(C) of this section. The 120-day review period shall not begin before...

  19. MERCURY SPECIATION AND CAPTURE

    EPA Science Inventory

    In December 2000, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) announced its intent to regulate mercury emissions from coal-fired electric utility steam generating plants. Maximum achievable control technology (MACT) requirements are to be proposed by December 2003 and finali...

  20. Study on the coal mixing ratio optimization for a power plant

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jin, Y. A.; Cheng, J. W.; Bai, Q.; Li, W. B.

    2017-12-01

    For coal-fired power plants, the application of blended coal combustion has been a great issue due to the shortage and rising prices of high-rank coal. This paper describes the optimization of blending methods between Xing'an lignite coal, Shaltala lignite coal, Ura lignite coal, and Inner Mongolia bituminous coal. The multi-objective decision-making method based on fuzzy mathematics was used to determine the optimal blending ratio to improve the power plant coal-fired economy.

  1. MHD generator electrode development. Summary report, July 1, 1981-September 30, 1982

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rossing, B.R.; Buckman, R.W. Jr.; Pouchot, W.D.

    Emphasis on this program was the development of and understanding wastage mechanism(s) of metallic electrodes which may be suitable alternatives to platinum anode material for use in long-term open cycle, coal-fired MHD generator operations. The laboratory tests simulate both modes of material wastage observed in MHD electrode operation; i.e., arc erosion (melting/vaporization) and electrochemical corrosion. Based on experimental results from the electrochemical tests at 1473/sup 0/K, the rank order listing of the materials tested for anode applications were platinum, E-Brite 26-1 modified with a five percent addition of platinum, chromium, IN 601, E-Brite 26-1, and 330 stainless steel ranked inmore » decreasing order. The rank order listing based on the arc erosion test was platinum, chromium, E-Brite 26-1, 330 stainless steel, and IN 601. The relative arc erosion resistance of materials based on the AVCO Mark VII generator test results gave a rank order of platinum, 330 stainless steel, IN 601, and E-Brite 26-1. Engineering tests under simulated open-cycle coal-fired MHD operating conditions were performed in the 500 kW Westinghouse Electrode System Test Facility (WESTF). Tests were conducted on candidate metallic anode materials (cold wall) and ceramic anode (hot wall) materials. A ten-hour duration cold wall slagging test was conducted on platinum, E-Brite 26-1, 330 stainless steel and IN 601 and the results were similar to those obtained for those materials in the AVCO Mark VII generator tests. Non-slagging, super hot (>1700/sup 0/C) wall hafnia-rare earth oxide electrodes were tested in a sulfurous, western coal-fired MHD environment. All four ceramic electrode pairs were destroyed. 20 references.« less

  2. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    The anti-coal lobby has mounted a highly successful campaign that has brought the permitting, financing, and construction of new conventional coal-fired plants to a virtual halt. But the coal lobby is not yet ready to concede defeat. With powerful constituents in coal-mining and coal-burning states and influential utilities, mining companies, and railroads, it continues to fight for its survival using any and all gimmicks and scare tactics in the book. The battle is being waged in courtrooms, public forums, media campaigns, and especially in Congress. The problem with the coal lobby is that it refuses to admit that coal combustionmore » to generate electricity is among the chief sources of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions; unless they address this issue honestly, effectively, and immediately, their efforts are going to win few converts in the courts of law or public opinion.« less

  3. Identifying/Quantifying Environmental Trade-offs Inherent in GHG Reduction Strategies for Coal-Fired Power. Environmental Science and Technology

    EPA Science Inventory

    Improvements to coal power plant technology and the co-fired combustion of biomass promise direct greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions for existing coal-fired power plants. Questions remain as to what the reduction potentials are from a life cycle perspective and if it will result in ...

  4. 40 CFR 52.145 - Visibility protection.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... paragraph is applicable to the fossil fuel-fired, steam-generating equipment designated as Units 1, 2, and 3... which are subject to the emission limitation in paragraph (d)(2) of this section, that has accumulated...-generating unit is under repair, and no coal is combusted in the unit. (2) Emission limitation. No owner or...

  5. Logistics, Costs, and GHG Impacts of Utility-Scale Co-Firing with 20% Biomass

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nichol, Corrie Ian

    This study analyzes the possibility that biopower in the U.S. is a cost-competitive option to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In 2009, net greenhouse gas (GHG) emitted in the United States was equivalent to 5,618 million metric tons CO 2, up 5.6% from 1990 (EPA 2011). Coal-fired power generation accounted for 1,748 million metric tons of this total. Intuitively, life-cycle CO 2 emissions in the power sector could be reduced by substituting renewable biomass for coal. If just 20% of the coal combusted in 2009 had been replaced with biomass, CO 2 emissions would have been reduced by 350 millionmore » metric tons, or about 6% of net annual GHG emission. This would have required approximately 225 million tons of dry biomass. Such an ambitious fuel substitution would require development of a biomass feedstock production and supply system tantamount to coal. This material would need to meet stringent specifications to ensure reliable conveyance to boiler burners, efficient combustion, and no adverse impact on heat transfer surfaces and flue gas cleanup operations. Therefore, this report addresses the potential cost/benefit tradeoffs of co-firing 20% specification-qualified biomass (on an energy content basis) in large U.S. coal-fired power plants. The dependence and sensitivity of feedstock cost on source of material, location, supply distance, and demand pressure was established. Subsequently, the dependence of levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) on feedstock costs, power plant feed system retrofit, and impact on boiler performance was determined. Overall life-cycle assessment (LCA) of greenhouse gas emissions saving were next evaluated and compared to wind and solar energy to benchmark the leading alternatives for meeting renewable portfolio standards (or RPS).« less

  6. acme: The Amendable Coal-Fire Modeling Exercise. A C++ Class Library for the Numerical Simulation of Coal-Fires

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wuttke, Manfred W.

    2017-04-01

    At LIAG, we use numerical models to develop and enhance understanding of coupled transport processes and to predict the dynamics of the system under consideration. Topics include geothermal heat utilization, subrosion processes, and spontaneous underground coal fires. Although the details make it inconvenient if not impossible to apply a single code implementation to all systems, their investigations go along similar paths: They all depend on the solution of coupled transport equations. We thus saw a need for a modular code system with open access for the various communities to maximize the shared synergistic effects. To this purpose we develop the oops! ( open object-oriented parallel solutions) - toolkit, a C++ class library for the numerical solution of mathematical models of coupled thermal, hydraulic and chemical processes. This is used to develop problem-specific libraries like acme( amendable coal-fire modeling exercise), a class library for the numerical simulation of coal-fires and applications like kobra (Kohlebrand, german for coal-fire), a numerical simulation code for standard coal-fire models. Basic principle of the oops!-code system is the provision of data types for the description of space and time dependent data fields, description of terms of partial differential equations (pde), their discretisation and solving methods. Coupling of different processes, described by their particular pde is modeled by an automatic timescale-ordered operator-splitting technique. acme is a derived coal-fire specific application library, depending on oops!. If specific functionalities of general interest are implemented and have been tested they will be assimilated into the main oops!-library. Interfaces to external pre- and post-processing tools are easily implemented. Thus a construction kit which can be arbitrarily amended is formed. With the kobra-application constructed with acme we study the processes and propagation of shallow coal seam fires in particular in Xinjiang, China, as well as analyze and interpret results from lab experiments.

  7. 30 CFR 75.1107-13 - Approval of other fire suppression devices.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection Fire Suppression Devices and Fire-Resistant Hydraulic Fluids on Underground Equipment § 75.1107-13 Approval of... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Approval of other fire suppression devices. 75...

  8. Accomplishments of the American-Polish program for elimination of low emissions in Krakow

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Butcher, T.A.; Pierce, B.

    1998-12-31

    Since 1990 the US Department of Energy (DOE) has been involved in a program aimed at reducing air pollution caused by small, coal-fired sources in Poland. The activity is focused on the city of Cracow, Poland with the intention that results will be applicable and extendable to the entire region. The effort under this program has been focused into 5 main areas of interest as follows: (1) energy conservation and extension of central station district heating; (2) replacement of coal- and coke-fired boilers with natural gas-fired boilers; (3) replacement of coal-fired home stoves with electric heating appliances; (4) reduction ofmore » emissions from stoker-fired boiler houses; and (5) reduction of emissions from coal-fired home heating stoves.« less

  9. EFFECTS OF CHANGING COALS ON THE EMISSIONS OF METAL HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS FROM THE COMBUSTION OF PULVERIZED COAL

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report discusses tests conducted at EPA's Air Pollution Prevention and Control Division to evaluate the effects of changing coals on emissions of metal hazardous air pollutants from coal-fired boilers. Six coals were burned in a 29 kW (100,000 Btu/hr) down-fired combustor und...

  10. The Mehrum Coalfire Test Field (MCTF)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Halisch, M.; Wuttke, M. W.; Hesse, Ph.; Han, J.; Kessels, W.

    2009-04-01

    Spontaneous self ignition of coal causes an immense emission of climate relevant gases and affects regional groundwater conditions in such a large scale, that it could not be even rough estimated. This problem occurs all over the world where coal is mined, stored or processed. Keeping these things and also global warming problems in mind, the extinction of such fires becomes a significant task for future climate and environmental protection. In the big arid coal mining belt of the northwest PR China the necessity of environmental as well as resource protection is now realized, leading to increased fire fighting activities. Mostly, the burning coal is partially removed, the surface is insufficiently sealed from oxygen and fire-zones are cooled with valuable fresh water. Such cooling of fire centers is often not sustainable because oxygen rich air may keep on penetrating through the soil surface and reach the cooled down coal which subsequently starts to burn again. Within the Sino-German project "Innovative Technologies for Exploration, Extinction and Monitoring of Coal Fires in North China" numerical models are developed to simulate the propagation of underground coal fires in realistic scenarios. These models will be adapted to new data from lab and field experiments including multiphase transport and phase transition processes. The Mehrum test site is used to set up a small scale in situ coal fire experiment in order to validate and verify the codes as well as to better understand the coal fire genesis. The experiment will be carried out under usage of two coal heaps with a total volume of about 1 m3. At the bottom, a layer of hydraulic conductive coarse gravel has been built in. Within this layer, a special ventilation system for air supplying has been embedded. The exact amount of led in air is measured by high resolution flow rate devices. The coal lies directly above the coarse gravel layer. The heating source is located in the lower forth of the coal layer. Positions of other sensors (temperature sensors, electrodes for geoelectrical measurements, gas probing tubes) are based on first numerical results. The coverage consists of a 10 cm to 15 cm strong layer of sand (middle to fine sand). Extinction of the fire by application of water with additives (e. g. salt) and its implication for the underground convection can finally be tested with these installations.

  11. Developing a byproduct materials information system for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2007-09-01

    Kentucky has numerous coal-fired, electric generating facilities and, as a result, there are abundant byproduct materials being produced from these facilities that have environmental, engineering, and economic potential as materials for use in common...

  12. 75 FR 75492 - Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the One Nevada...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-03

    ... postpone the coal- fired power generation facilities associated with the EEC in its proposal until carbon capture technology becomes commercially feasible. On July 29, 2009, the BLM published in the Federal...

  13. Coal fired air turbine cogeneration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Foster-Pegg, R. W.

    Fuel options and generator configurations for installation of cogenerator equipment are reviewed, noting that the use of oil or gas may be precluded by cost or legislation within the lifetime of any cogeneration equipment yet to be installed. A coal fueled air turbine cogenerator plant is described, which uses external combustion in a limestone bed at atmospheric pressure and in which air tubes are sunk to gain heat for a gas turbine. The limestone in the 26 MW unit absorbs sulfur from the coal, and can be replaced by other sorbents depending on types of coal available and stringency of local environmental regulations. Low temperature combustion reduces NOx formation and release of alkali salts and corrosion. The air heat is exhausted through a heat recovery boiler to produce process steam, then can be refed into the combustion chamber to satisfy preheat requirements. All parts of the cogenerator are designed to withstand full combustion temperature (1500 F) in the event of air flow stoppage. Costs are compared with those of a coal fired boiler and purchased power, and it is shown that the increased capital requirements for cogenerator apparatus will yield a 2.8 year payback. Detailed flow charts, diagrams and costs schedules are included.

  14. Cogeneration Technology Alternatives Study (CTAS). Volume 6: Computer data. Part 1: Coal-fired nocogeneration process boiler, section A

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Knightly, W. F.

    1980-01-01

    Various advanced energy conversion systems (ECS) are compared with each other and with current technology systems for their savings in fuel energy, costs, and emissions in individual plants and on a national level. About fifty industrial processes from the largest energy consuming sectors were used as a basis for matching a similar number of energy conversion systems that are considered as candidates which can be made available by the 1985 to 2000 time period. The sectors considered included food, textiles, lumber, paper, chemicals, petroleum, glass, and primary metals. The energy conversion systems included steam and gas turbines, diesels, thermionics, stirling, closed cycle and steam injected gas turbines, and fuel cells. Fuels considered were coal, both coal and petroleum based residual and distillate liquid fuels, and low Btu gas obtained through the on-site gasification of coal. Computer generated reports of the fuel consumption and savings, capital costs, economics and emissions of the cogeneration energy conversion systems (ECS's) heat and power matched to the individual industrial processes are presented for coal fired process boilers. National fuel and emissions savings are also reported for each ECS assuming it alone is implemented.

  15. CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMISSION REDUCTIONS FROM THE COAL-FIRED POWER SECTOR IN GROWING ECONOMIES: THE CASE OF COAL-FIRED ELECTRIC UTILITY PLANTS IN RUSSIA

    EPA Science Inventory

    China, Russia and India together contribute over one-fourth of the total global greenhouse gas emissions from the combustion of fossil-fuels. This paper focuses on the Russian coal-fired power sector, and identifies potential opportunities for reducing emissions. The Russian powe...

  16. Parametric analysis of closed cycle magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) power plants

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Owens, W.; Berg, R.; Murthy, R.; Patten, J.

    1981-01-01

    A parametric analysis of closed cycle MHD power plants was performed which studied the technical feasibility, associated capital cost, and cost of electricity for the direct combustion of coal or coal derived fuel. Three reference plants, differing primarily in the method of coal conversion utilized, were defined. Reference Plant 1 used direct coal fired combustion while Reference Plants 2 and 3 employed on site integrated gasifiers. Reference Plant 2 used a pressurized gasifier while Reference Plant 3 used a ""state of the art' atmospheric gasifier. Thirty plant configurations were considered by using parametric variations from the Reference Plants. Parametric variations include the type of coal (Montana Rosebud or Illinois No. 6), clean up systems (hot or cold gas clean up), on or two stage atmospheric or pressurized direct fired coal combustors, and six different gasifier systems. Plant sizes ranged from 100 to 1000 MWe. Overall plant performance was calculated using two methodologies. In one task, the channel performance was assumed and the MHD topping cycle efficiencies were based on the assumed values. A second task involved rigorous calculations of channel performance (enthalpy extraction, isentropic efficiency and generator output) that verified the original (task one) assumptions. Closed cycle MHD capital costs were estimated for the task one plants; task two cost estimates were made for the channel and magnet only.

  17. Heavy metal distribution in soils near Palapye, Botswana: An evaluation of the environmental impact of coal mining and combustion on soils in a semi-arid region

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Zhai, M.; Totolo, O.; Modisi, M.P.; Finkelman, R.B.; Kelesitse, S.M.; Menyatso, M.

    2009-01-01

    Morupule Colliery near Palapye in eastern Botswana is the only coalmine in production in Botswana at present. Its coal is mainly used in the nearby coal-fired Morupule Power Station, which generates approximately 1,000 GWh of electricity per annum. After more than 30 years mining and more than 20 years of combustion, the sedimentation of outlet fly ash from the Morupule Power Station has increased concentrations of Cr, Ni, Zn and As by 13, 2.5, 16 and 5 ppm, respectively, in the fine portion (<53 ??m) of surface soils for approximately 9 km downwind. Elements that have higher concentrations in coal have stronger small-particle association during coal combustion and are less mobile in surface soils, thus showing stronger contaminations in surface soils around the coal-fired plant. Although the degree of contamination of Cr, Ni, Zn and As from coal combustion in the Palapye area at present is low, it is necessary to monitor concentrations of these elements in surface soils routinely in the future. This study also reveals moderate Pb and Zn contaminations in the Palapye area. The former is due to the use of leaded petroleum in motor vehicle traffic and the latter is mainly due to the use of galvanized iron sheets in construction. ?? 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

  18. Heavy metal distribution in soils near Palapye, Botswana: an evaluation of the environmental impact of coal mining and combustion on soils in a semi-arid region.

    PubMed

    Zhai, Mingzhe; Totolo, Otlogetswe; Modisi, Motsoptse P; Finkelman, Robert B; Kelesitse, Sebueng M; Menyatso, Mooketsi

    2009-12-01

    Morupule Colliery near Palapye in eastern Botswana is the only coalmine in production in Botswana at present. Its coal is mainly used in the nearby coal-fired Morupule Power Station, which generates approximately 1,000 GWh of electricity per annum. After more than 30 years mining and more than 20 years of combustion, the sedimentation of outlet fly ash from the Morupule Power Station has increased concentrations of Cr, Ni, Zn and As by 13, 2.5, 16 and 5 ppm, respectively, in the fine portion (<53 μm) of surface soils for approximately 9 km downwind. Elements that have higher concentrations in coal have stronger small-particle association during coal combustion and are less mobile in surface soils, thus showing stronger contaminations in surface soils around the coal-fired plant. Although the degree of contamination of Cr, Ni, Zn and As from coal combustion in the Palapye area at present is low, it is necessary to monitor concentrations of these elements in surface soils routinely in the future. This study also reveals moderate Pb and Zn contaminations in the Palapye area. The former is due to the use of leaded petroleum in motor vehicle traffic and the latter is mainly due to the use of galvanized iron sheets in construction.

  19. Evaluation of AFBC co-firing of coal and hospital wastes. Technical report, January 1989--August 1990

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1991-02-01

    The purpose of this program is to expand the use of coal by utilizing CFB (circulating fluidized bed) technology to provide an environmentally safe method for disposing of waste materials. Hospitals are currently experiencing a waste management crisis. In many instances, they are no longer permitted to burn pathological and infectious wastes in incinerators. Older hospital incinerators are not capable of maintaining the stable temperatures and residence times necessary in order to completely destroy toxic substances before release into the atmosphere. In addition, the number of available landfills which can safely handle these substances is decreasing each year. The purposemore » of this project is to conduct necessary research investigating whether the combustion of the hospital wastes in a coal-fired circulating fluidized bed boiler will effectively destroy dioxins and other hazardous substances before release into the atmosphere. If this is proven feasible, in light of the quantity of hospital wastes generated each year, it would create a new market for coal -- possibly 50 million tons/year.« less

  20. Development of Flexi-Burn™ CFB Power Plant to Meet the Challenge of Climate Change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hackt, Horst; Fant, Zhen; Seltzert, Andrew; Hotta, Arto; Erikssoni, Timo; Sippu, Ossi

    Carbon-dioxide capture and storage (CCS) offers the potential for major reductions in carbon- dioxide emissions of fossil fuel-based power generation in the fairly short term, and oxyfuel combustion is one of the identified CCS technology options. Foster Wheeler (FW) is working on reduction of carbon-dioxide with its integrated Flexi-Burn™ CFB technology. The proven high efficiency circulating fluidized-bed (CFB) technology, when coupled with air separation units and carbon purification units, offers a solution for carbon dioxide reduction both in re-powering and in greenfield power plants. CFB technology has the advantages over pulverized coal technology of a more uniform furnace heat flux, increased fuel flexibility and offers the opportunity to further reduce carbon dioxide emissions by co-firing coal with bio-fuels. Development and design of an integrated Flexi-Bum™ CFB steam generator and balance of plant system was conducted for both air mode and oxyfuel mode. Through proper configuration and design, the same steam generator can be switched from air mode to oxyfuel mode without the need for unit shutdown for modifications. The Flexi-Burn™ CFB system incorporates features to maximize plant efficiency and power output when operating in the oxy-firing mode through firing more fuel in the same boiler.

  1. Enhanced Combustion Low NOx Pulverized Coal Burner

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    David Towle; Richard Donais; Todd Hellewell

    2007-06-30

    For more than two decades, Alstom Power Inc. (Alstom) has developed a range of low cost, infurnace technologies for NOx emissions control for the domestic U.S. pulverized coal fired boiler market. This includes Alstom's internally developed TFS 2000{trademark} firing system, and various enhancements to it developed in concert with the U.S. Department of Energy. As of the date of this report, more than 270 units representing approximately 80,000 MWe of domestic coal fired capacity have been retrofit with Alstom low NOx technology. Best of class emissions range from 0.18 lb/MMBtu for bituminous coal to 0.10 lb/MMBtu for subbituminous coal, withmore » typical levels at 0.24 lb/MMBtu and 0.13 lb/MMBtu, respectively. Despite these gains, NOx emissions limits in the U.S. continue to ratchet down for new and existing boiler equipment. On March 10, 2005, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR). CAIR requires 25 Eastern states to reduce NOx emissions from the power generation sector by 1.7 million tons in 2009 and 2.0 million tons by 2015. Low cost solutions to meet such regulations, and in particular those that can avoid the need for a costly selective catalytic reduction system (SCR), provide a strong incentive to continue to improve low NOx firing system technology to meet current and anticipated NOx control regulations. The overall objective of the work is to develop an enhanced combustion, low NOx pulverized coal burner, which, when integrated with Alstom's state-of-the-art, globally air staged low NOx firing systems will provide a means to achieve: Less than 0.15 lb/MMBtu NOx emissions when firing a high volatile Eastern or Western bituminous coal, Less than 0.10 lb/MMBtu NOx emissions when firing a subbituminous coal, NOx reduction costs at least 25% lower than the costs of an SCR, Validation of the NOx control technology developed through large (15 MWt) pilot scale demonstration, and Documentation required for economic evaluation and commercial application. During the project performance period, Alstom performed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling and large pilot scale combustion testing in its Industrial Scale Burner Facility (ISBF) at its U.S. Power Plant Laboratories facility in Windsor, Connecticut in support of these objectives. The NOx reduction approach was to optimize near-field combustion to ensure that minimum NOx emissions are achieved with minimal impact on unburned carbon in ash, slagging and fouling, corrosion, and flame stability/turn-down. Several iterations of CFD and combustion testing on a Midwest coal led to an optimized design, which was extensively combustion tested on a range of coals. The data from these tests were then used to validate system costs and benefits versus SCR. Three coals were evaluated during the bench-scale and large pilot-scale testing tasks. The three coals ranged from a very reactive subbituminous coal to a moderately reactive Western bituminous coal to a much less reactive Midwest bituminous coal. Bench-scale testing was comprised of standard ASTM properties evaluation, plus more detailed characterization of fuel properties through drop tube furnace testing and thermogravimetric analysis. Bench-scale characterization of the three test coals showed that both NOx emissions and combustion performance are a strong function of coal properties. The more reactive coals evolved more of their fuel bound nitrogen in the substoichiometric main burner zone than less reactive coal, resulting in the potential for lower NOx emissions. From a combustion point of view, the more reactive coals also showed lower carbon in ash and CO values than the less reactive coal at any given main burner zone stoichiometry. According to bench-scale results, the subbituminous coal was found to be the most amenable to both low NOx, and acceptably low combustibles in the flue gas, in an air staged low NOx system. The Midwest bituminous coal, by contrast, was predicted to be the most challenging of the three coals, with the Western bituminous coal predicted to behave in-between the subbituminous coal and the Midwest bituminous coal. CFD modeling was used to gain insight into the mechanisms governing nozzle tip performance with respect to NOx emissions. The CFD simulations were run as steady state, turbulent, non-reacting flow with heat transfer and focused on predicting the near field mixing and particle dispersion rates. CFD results were used to refine the proposed tip concepts before they were built, as well as to help identify and evaluate possible improvements to the tips for subsequent test weeks.« less

  2. Economic and environmental costs of regulatory uncertainty for coal-fired power plants.

    PubMed

    Patiño-Echeverri, Dalia; Fischbeck, Paul; Kriegler, Elmar

    2009-02-01

    Uncertainty about the extent and timing of CO2 emissions regulations for the electricity-generating sector exacerbates the difficulty of selecting investment strategies for retrofitting or alternatively replacing existent coal-fired power plants. This may result in inefficient investments imposing economic and environmental costs to society. In this paper, we construct a multiperiod decision model with an embedded multistage stochastic dynamic program minimizing the expected total costs of plant operation, installations, and pollution allowances. We use the model to forecast optimal sequential investment decisions of a power plant operator with and without uncertainty about future CO2 allowance prices. The comparison of the two cases demonstrates that uncertainty on future CO2 emissions regulations might cause significant economic costs and higher air emissions.

  3. Liquid-metal magnetohydrodynamic system evaluation. [coal-fired designs

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Holman, R. R.; Lippert, T. E.

    1976-01-01

    The present study emphasizes a direct coal-fired design using a bubbly two-component flow of sodium and argon in the MHD generator and a Rankine steam-bottoming plant. Two basic cycles were studied, corresponding to argon temperatures of 922 and 1089 K at the duct inlet. The MHD duct system consisted of multiple ducts arranged in clusters and separated by iron magnet pole pieces. The ducts, each with an output of about 100 MW, were parallel to the flow, but were connected in series electrically to provide a higher MHD voltage. With channel efficiencies of 80%, a pump efficiency of 90%, and a 45% efficient steam-bottoming plant, the overall efficiency of the 1089 K liquid-metal MHD power plant was 43%.

  4. Deposition of acidifying species in the Waterberg region of South Africa and the potential for stream chemistry impacts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Piketh, S.; Curtis, C.; Pienaar, K.; Khuzwayo, L.; van Zyl, P. G.; Conradie, E.

    2016-12-01

    South Africa is rich in natural resources that include large deposits of coal. As a result more than 90% of the energy in the country is generated by 13 coal fired power stations located on the Highveld region. Over the past 7 years South Africa has experienced severe power shortages which has resulted in the approval of two new mega coal fired power stations each with a 4800 Mw generating capacity. One of these power stations is at Lephalale in the Waterberg. This region is largely dominated by a natural to semi-natural landscape, but some areas have acid sensitive sub-soils (pH < 5.5) rendering their headwater streams vulnerable to acidification. There are only three other important sources of emissions close to Lephalale, a second coal fired power station, a char plant and domestic coal combustion. In an attempt to determine baseline conditions of air pollution, deposition and stream chemistry impacts prior to the commissioning of the new PS the following measurements have been undertaken, ambient concentrations of SO2, NOx, NH3 and O3 (at seven sites since 2010), rain water chemistry ( at one site for 2015 and 2016) and headwater stream vulnerability (2015 and 2016). Concentrations of sodium (Na+), ammonium (NH4+), potassium (K+), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), nitrate 21 (NO3-), chloride (Cl-), sulphate (SO42-) in the rain water will be presented and compared to other long term sites around South Africa. Total deposition of S and N will in the Lephalale region will be presented. At least 30 acid-sensitive headwater streams, many with low pH <6 and low acid neutralizing capacity that are extremely sensitive to acid deposition inputs have been identified. Future deposition in the area of acidifying species will be modelled by including emissions from the new Power station and estimates of the potential impact will be assessed.

  5. Pelletizing/reslurrying as a means of distributing and firing clean coal

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Conkle, H.N.; Raghavan, J.K.; Smit, F.J.

    1991-11-21

    The objective of this study is to develop technology that permits the practical and economic preparation, storage, handling, and transportation of coal pellets, which can be reslurried into Coal water fuels (CWF) suitable for firing in small- and medium-size commercial and industrial boilers, furnaces, and engines. The project includes preparing coal pellets and capsules from wet filter cake that can be economically stored, handled, transported, and reslurried into a CWF that can be suitably atomized and fired at the user site. The wet cakes studied were prepared from ultra-fine (95% -325 mesh) coal beneficiated by advanced froth-flotation techniques. The coalsmore » studied included two eastern bituminous coals, one from Virginia (Elkhorn) and one from Illinois (Illinois No. 6) and one western bituminous coal from Utah (Sky Line coal).« less

  6. Evaluating the fate of metals in air pollution control residues from coal-fired power plants

    EPA Science Inventory

    Changes in air pollution control at coal-fired power plants are shifting mercury (Hg) and other metals from the flue gas at electric utilities to the coal ash. This paper presents data from the characterization of73 coal combustion residues (CCRs) evaluating the composition and c...

  7. Evaluation of Criteria for the Detection of Fires in Underground Conveyor Belt Haulageways.

    PubMed

    Litton, Charles D; Perera, Inoka Eranda

    2012-07-01

    Large-scale experiments were conducted in an above-ground gallery to simulate typical fires that develop along conveyor belt transport systems within underground coal mines. In the experiments, electrical strip heaters, imbedded ~5 cm below the top surface of a large mass of coal rubble, were used to ignite the coal, producing an open flame. The flaming coal mass subsequently ignited 1.83-meter-wide conveyor belts located approximately 0.30 m above the coal surface. Gas samples were drawn through an averaging probe located approximately 20 m downstream of the coal for continuous measurement of CO, CO 2 , and O 2 as the fire progressed through the stages of smoldering coal, flaming coal, and flaming conveyor belt. Also located approximately 20 m from the fire origin and approximately 0.5 m below the roof of the gallery were two commercially available smoke detectors, a light obscuration meter, and a sampling probe for measurement of total mass concentration of smoke particles. Located upstream of the fire origin and also along the wall of the gallery at approximately 14 m and 5 m upstream were two video cameras capable of both smoke and flame detection. During the experiments, alarm times of the smoke detectors and video cameras were measured while the smoke obscuration and total smoke mass were continually measured. Twelve large-scale experiments were conducted using three different types of fire-resistant conveyor belts and four air velocities for each belt. The air velocities spanned the range from 1.0 m/s to 6.9 m/s. The results of these experiments are compared to previous large-scale results obtained using a smaller fire gallery and much narrower (1.07-m) conveyor belts to determine if the fire detection criteria previously developed (1) remained valid for the wider conveyor belts. Although some differences between these and the previous experiments did occur, the results, in general, compare very favorably. Differences are duly noted and their impact on fire detection discussed.

  8. Fuel supply system and method for coal-fired prime mover

    DOEpatents

    Smith, William C.; Paulson, Leland E.

    1995-01-01

    A coal-fired gas turbine engine is provided with an on-site coal preparation and engine feeding arrangement. With this arrangement, relatively large dry particles of coal from an on-site coal supply are micro-pulverized and the resulting dry, micron-sized, coal particulates are conveyed by steam or air into the combustion chamber of the engine. Thermal energy introduced into the coal particulates during the micro-pulverizing step is substantially recovered since the so-heated coal particulates are fed directly from the micro-pulverizer into the combustion chamber.

  9. Demonstration of natural gas reburn for NO{sub x} emissions reduction at Ohio Edison Company`s cyclone-fired Niles Plant Unit Number 1

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Borio, R.W.; Lewis, R.D.; Koucky, R.W.

    1996-04-01

    Electric utility power plants account for about one-third of the NO{sub x} and two-thirds of the SO{sub 2} emissions in the US cyclone-fired boilers, while representing about 9% of the US coal-fired generating capacity, emit about 14% of the NO{sub x} produced by coal-fired utility boilers. Given this background, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Gas Research Institute, the Electric Power Research Institute, the Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center, and the Ohio Coal Development Office sponsored a program led by ABB Combustion Engineering, Inc. (ABB-CE) to demonstrate reburning on a cyclone-fired boiler. Ohio Edison provided Unit No. 1 at their Niles Stationmore » for the reburn demonstration along with financial assistance. The Niles Unit No. 1 reburn system was started up in September 1990. This reburn program was the first full-scale reburn system demonstration in the US. This report describes work performed during the program. The work included a review of reburn technology, aerodynamic flow model testing of reburn system design concepts, design and construction of the reburn system, parametric performance testing, long-term load dispatch testing, and boiler tube wall thickness monitoring. The report also contains a description of the Niles No. 1 host unit, a discussion of conclusions and recommendations derived from the program, tabulation of data from parametric and long-term tests, and appendices which contain additional tabulated test results.« less

  10. 30 CFR 75.1103-11 - Tests of fire hydrants and fire hose; record of tests.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Tests of fire hydrants and fire hose; record of tests. 75.1103-11 Section 75.1103-11 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection § 75.1103-11 Tests of fire hydrants and...

  11. 30 CFR 75.1103-11 - Tests of fire hydrants and fire hose; record of tests.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Tests of fire hydrants and fire hose; record of tests. 75.1103-11 Section 75.1103-11 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection § 75.1103-11 Tests of fire hydrants and...

  12. 30 CFR 75.1103-11 - Tests of fire hydrants and fire hose; record of tests.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Tests of fire hydrants and fire hose; record of tests. 75.1103-11 Section 75.1103-11 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection § 75.1103-11 Tests of fire hydrants and...

  13. 30 CFR 75.1103-11 - Tests of fire hydrants and fire hose; record of tests.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Tests of fire hydrants and fire hose; record of tests. 75.1103-11 Section 75.1103-11 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection § 75.1103-11 Tests of fire hydrants and...

  14. 30 CFR 75.1103-11 - Tests of fire hydrants and fire hose; record of tests.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Tests of fire hydrants and fire hose; record of tests. 75.1103-11 Section 75.1103-11 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection § 75.1103-11 Tests of fire hydrants and...

  15. A review on the mechanism, risk evaluation, and prevention of coal spontaneous combustion in China.

    PubMed

    Kong, Biao; Li, Zenghua; Yang, Yongliang; Liu, Zhen; Yan, Daocheng

    2017-10-01

    In recent years, the ecology, security, and sustainable development of modern mines have become the theme of coal mine development worldwide. However, spontaneous combustion of coal under conditions of oxygen supply and automatic exothermic heating during coal mining lead to coalfield fires. Coal spontaneous combustion (CSC) causes huge economic losses and casualties, with the toxic and harmful gases produced during coal combustion not only polluting the working environment, but also causing great damage to the ecological environment. China is the world's largest coal producer and consumer; however, coal production in Chinese mines is seriously threatened by the CSC risk. Because deep underground mining methods are commonly adopted in Chinese coal mines, coupling disasters are frequent in these mines with the coalfield fires becoming increasingly serious. Therefore, in this study, we analyzed the development mechanism of CSC. The CSC risk assessment was performed from the aspects of prediction, detection, and determination of the "dangerous area" in a coal mine (i.e., the area most susceptible to fire hazards). A new geophysical method for CSC determination is proposed and analyzed. Furthermore, the main methods for CSC fire prevention and control and their advantages and disadvantages are analyzed. To eventually construct CSC prevention and control integration system, future developmental direction of CSC was given from five aspects. Our results can present a reference for the development of CSC fire prevention and control technology and promote the protection of ecological environment in China.

  16. Demonstration of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology for the control of nitrogen oxide (NO{sub x}) emissions from high-sulfur coal-fired boilers: Innovative Clean Coal Technology (ICCT). Quarterly report No. 7, January--March 1992

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1992-05-01

    The objective of this project is to demonstrate and evaluate commercially available Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalysts from US, Japanese and European catalyst suppliers on a high-sulfur US coal-fired boiler. SCR is a post-combustion nitrogen oxide (NO{sub x}) control technology that involves injecting ammonia into the flue gas generated from coal combustion in an electric utility boiler. The flue gas containing ammonia is then passed through a reactor that contains a specialized catalyst. In the presence of the catalyst, the amonia reacts with NO{sub x} to convert it to nitrogen and water vapor. Although SCR is widely practiced in Japanmore » and Europe, there are numerous technical uncertainties associated with applying SCR to US coals. These uncertainties include: (1) potential catalyst deactivation due to poisoning by trace metal species present in US coals that are not present in other fuels. (2) performance of the technology and effects on the balance-of-plant equipment in the presence of high amounts of SO, and SO{sub 3}. (3) performance of a wide variety of SCR catalyst compositions, geometries and methods of manufacture under typical high-sulfur coal-fired utility operating conditions. These uncertainties will be explored by constructing a series of small-scale SCR reactors and simultaneously exposing different SCR catalysts to flue gas derived from the combustion of high sulfur US coal. The demonstration will be performed at Gulf Power Company`s Plant Crist Unit No. 5 (75 MW capacity) near Pensacola, Florida. The project will be funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE), Southern Company Services, Inc. (SCS on behalf of the entire Southern electric system), and the Electric Power Research Institute.« less

  17. Evaluating the sustainability of an energy supply system using renewable energy sources: An energy demand assessment of South Carolina

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Green, Cedric Fitzgerald

    Sustainable energy is defined as a dynamic harmony between the equitable availability of energy-intensive goods and services to all people and the preservation of the earth for future generations. Sustainable energy development continues to be a major focus within the government and regulatory governing bodies in the electric utility industry. This is as a result of continued demand for electricity and the impact of greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generating plants on the environment by way of the greenhouse effect. A culmination of increasing concerns about climate change, the nuclear incident in Fukushima four years ago, and discussions on energy security in a world with growing energy demand have led to a movement for increasing the share of power generation from renewable energy sources. This work studies demand for electricity from primarily residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial customers in South Carolina (SC) and its effect on the environment from coal-fired electricity generating plants. Moreover, this work studies sustainable renewable energy source-options based on the renewable resources available in the state of SC, as viable options to supplement generation from coal-fired electricity generating plants. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants from primarily coal-fired plants will be defined and quantified. Fundamental renewable energy source options will be defined and quantified based on availability and sustainability of SC's natural resources. This work studies the environmental, economic, and technical aspects of each renewable energy source as a sustainable energy option to replace power generation from coal-fired plants. Additionally, social aspect implications will be incorporated into each of the three aspects listed above, as these aspects are explored during the research and analysis. Electricity demand data and alternative energy source-supply data in SC are carried out and are used to develop and run the Sustainable Systems Analysis Algorithm (SSAA) and the multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) decision models. The following alternative energy sources for electricity (kilo- and megawatt output) will be assessed in this paper: solar, biomass and biofuels, hydro, geothermal, onshore wind, offshore wind, tidal, and natural gas. The SSAA methodology, in conjunction with the MCDA model techniques, will be used to obtain sustainable, alternative energy source system options; the system will attempt to balance its three linked aspects (environmental, economic, and technical). The results, based on the Sustainability Directive three-dimensional vector calculations from each alternative energy source option, are presented in this paper. Moving towards sustainability is a dynamically changing process, and the SSAA methodology is a synergist for system modifications that strives for continuous improvement toward the Ideal Sustainability Directive.

  18. 30 CFR 75.1107-16 - Inspection of fire suppression devices.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ...-16 Section 75.1107-16 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection Fire... Systems” (NFPA No. 11A—1970). National Fire Code No. 13A “Care and Maintenance of Sprinkler Systems” (NFPA...

  19. 30 CFR 75.1107-16 - Inspection of fire suppression devices.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ...-16 Section 75.1107-16 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection Fire... Systems” (NFPA No. 11A—1970). National Fire Code No. 13A “Care and Maintenance of Sprinkler Systems” (NFPA...

  20. Geologic history of natural coal-bed fires, Powder River basin, USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Heffern, E.L.; Coates, D.A.

    2004-01-01

    Coal-bed fires ignited by natural processes have baked and fused overlying sediments to form clinker, a hard red or varicolored rock, through much of the northern Great Plains of the United States (USA). The gently dipping coal beds in the region burn when regional downwasting brings them above the local water table. The resulting clinker forms a rim along the exposed edge of the coal bed in an ongoing process through geologic time. The resistant clinker is left capping buttes and ridges after the softer unbaked strata erode away. Clinker outcrops cover more than 4100 km2 in the Powder River basin (PRB), which lies in Wyoming (WY) and Montana (MT). The clinker in place records tens of billions of tons of coal that have burned, releasing gases into the atmosphere. The amount of clinker that has eroded away was at least an order of magnitude greater than the clinker that remains in place. Fission-track and uranium-thorium/ helium ages of detrital zircon crystals in clinker, and paleomagnetic ages of clinker, show that coal beds have burned naturally during at least the past 4 million years (Ma). The oldest in-place clinker that has been dated, collected from a high, isolated, clinker-capped ridge, has a fission track age of 2.8??0.6 Ma. Evidence of erosion and downcutting is also preserved by clinker clasts in gravel terraces. One clinker boulder in a terrace 360 m above the Yellowstone River has a fission track age of 4.0??0.7 Ma. Coal-bed fires are caused by lightning, wildfires, spontaneous combustion, or human activity on coal outcrops and in mines. Miners, government agencies, and ranchers have extinguished thousands of coal bed fires, but natural ignition continues where fresh coal has access to air. At any given time, hundreds of fires, mostly small, are burning. In the Powder River basin, the total amount of coal burned by natural fires in the last 2 Ma is one to two orders of magnitude greater than the total amount of coal removed by mining in the past century. However, current annual rates of coal mining are three to four orders of magnitude greater than estimated prehistoric annual rates of coal consumption by natural fires. ?? 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.

  1. Development of a Field Demonstration for Cost-Effective Low-Grade Heat Recovery and Use Technology Designed to Improve Efficiency and Reduce Water Usage Rates for a Coal-Fired Power Plant

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Noble, Russell; Dombrowski, K.; Bernau, M.

    Coal-based power generation systems provide reliable, low-cost power to the domestic energy sector. These systems consume large amounts of fuel and water to produce electricity and are the target of pending regulations that may require reductions in water use and improvements in thermal efficiency. While efficiency of coal-based generation has improved over time, coal power plants often do not utilize the low-grade heat contained in the flue gas and require large volumes of water for the steam cycle make-up, environmental controls, and for process cooling and heating. Low-grade heat recovery is particularly challenging for coal-fired applications, due in large partmore » to the condensation of acid as the flue gas cools and the resulting potential corrosion of the heat recovery materials. Such systems have also not been of significant interest as recent investments on coal power plants have primarily been for environmental controls due to more stringent regulations. Also, in many regions, fuel cost is still a pass-through to the consumer, reducing the motivation for efficiency improvements. Therefore, a commercial system combining low-grade heat-recovery technologies and associated end uses to cost effectively improve efficiency and/or reduce water consumption has not yet been widely applied. However, pressures from potential new regulations and from water shortages may drive new interest, particularly in the U.S. In an effort to address this issue, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has sought to identify and promote technologies to achieve this goal.« less

  2. Advanced Systems for Preprocessing and Characterizing Coal-Biomass Mixtures as Next-Generation Fuels and Feedstocks

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Karmis, Michael; Luttrell, Gerald; Ripepi, Nino

    The research activities presented in this report are intended to address the most critical technical challenges pertaining to coal-biomass briquette feedstocks. Several detailed investigations were conducted using a variety of coal and biomass feedstocks on the topics of (1) coal-biomass briquette production and characterization, (2) gasification of coal-biomass mixtures and briquettes, (3) combustion of coal-biomass mixtures and briquettes, and (4) conceptual engineering design and economic feasibility of briquette production. The briquette production studies indicate that strong and durable co-firing feedstocks can be produced by co-briquetting coal and biomass resources commonly available in the United States. It is demonstrated that binderlessmore » coal-biomass briquettes produced at optimized conditions exhibit very high strength and durability, which indicates that such briquettes would remain competent in the presence of forces encountered in handling, storage and transportation. The gasification studies conducted demonstrate that coal-biomass mixtures and briquettes are exceptional gasification feedstocks, particularly with regard to the synergistic effects realized during devolatilization of the blended materials. The mixture combustion studies indicate that coal-biomass mixtures are exceptional combustion feedstocks, while the briquette combustion study indicates that the use of blended briquettes reduces NO x, CO 2, and CO emissions, and requires the least amount of changes in the operating conditions of an existing coal-fired power plant. Similar results were obtained for the physical durability of the pilot-scale briquettes compared to the bench-scale tests. Finally, the conceptual engineering and feasibility analysis study for a commercial-scale briquetting production facility provides preliminary flowsheet and cost simulations to evaluate the various feedstocks, equipment selection and operating parameters.« less

  3. Boiler Briquette Coal versus Raw Coal: Part I-Stack Gas Emissions.

    PubMed

    Ge, Su; Bai, Zhipeng; Liu, Weili; Zhu, Tan; Wang, Tongjian; Qing, Sheng; Zhang, Junfeng

    2001-04-01

    Stack gas emissions were characterized for a steam-generating boiler commonly used in China. The boiler was tested when fired with a newly formulated boiler briquette coal (BB-coal) and when fired with conventional raw coal (R-coal). The stack gas emissions were analyzed to determine emission rates and emission factors and to develop chemical source profiles. A dilution source sampling system was used to collect PM on both Teflon membrane filters and quartz fiber filters. The Teflon filters were analyzed gravimetrically for PM 10 and PM 2.5 mass concentrations and by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) for trace elements. The quartz fiber filters were analyzed for organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) using a thermal/optical reflectance technique. Sulfur dioxide was measured using the standard wet chemistry method. Carbon monoxide was measured using an Orsat combustion analyzer. The emission rates of the R-coal combustion (in kg/hr), determined using the measured stack gas concentrations and the stack gas emission rates, were 0.74 for PM 10 , 0.38 for PM 25 , 20.7 for SO 2 , and 6.8 for CO, while those of the BB-coal combustion were 0.95 for PM 10 , 0.30 for PM 2 5 , 7.5 for SO 2 , and 5.3 for CO. The fuel-mass-based emission factors (in g/kg) of the R-coal, determined using the emission rates and the fuel burn rates, were 1.68 for PM 10 , 0.87 for PM 25 , 46.7 for SO 2 , and 15 for CO, while those of the BB-coal were 2.51 for PM 10 , 0.79 for PM 2.5 , 19.9 for SO 2 , and 14 for CO. The task-based emission factors (in g/ton steam generated) of the R-coal, determined using the fuel-mass-based emission factors and the coal/ steam conversion factors, were 0.23 for PM 10 , 0.12 for PM 2.5 , 6.4 for SO 2 , and 2.0 for CO, while those of the BB-coal were 0.30 for PM 10 , 0.094 for PM 2.5 , 2.4 for SO 2 , and 1.7 for CO. PM 10 and PM 2.5 elemental compositions are also presented for both types of coal tested in the study.

  4. Boiler briquette coal versus raw coal: Part I--Stack gas emissions.

    PubMed

    Ge, S; Bai, Z; Liu, W; Zhu, T; Wang, T; Qing, S; Zhang, J

    2001-04-01

    Stack gas emissions were characterized for a steam-generating boiler commonly used in China. The boiler was tested when fired with a newly formulated boiler briquette coal (BB-coal) and when fired with conventional raw coal (R-coal). The stack gas emissions were analyzed to determine emission rates and emission factors and to develop chemical source profiles. A dilution source sampling system was used to collect PM on both Teflon membrane filters and quartz fiber filters. The Teflon filters were analyzed gravimetrically for PM10 and PM2.5 mass concentrations and by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) for trace elements. The quartz fiber filters were analyzed for organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) using a thermal/optical reflectance technique. Sulfur dioxide was measured using the standard wet chemistry method. Carbon monoxide was measured using an Orsat combustion analyzer. The emission rates of the R-coal combustion (in kg/hr), determined using the measured stack gas concentrations and the stack gas emission rates, were 0.74 for PM10, 0.38 for PM2.5, 20.7 for SO2, and 6.8 for CO, while those of the BB-coal combustion were 0.95 for PM10, 0.30 for PM2.5, 7.5 for SO2, and 5.3 for CO. The fuel-mass-based emission factors (in g/kg) of the R-coal, determined using the emission rates and the fuel burn rates, were 1.68 for PM10, 0.87 for PM2.5, 46.7 for SO2, and 15 for CO, while those of the BB-coal were 2.51 for PM10, 0.79 for PM2.5, 19.9 for SO2, and 14 for CO. The task-based emission factors (in g/ton steam generated) of the R-coal, determined using the fuel-mass-based emission factors and the coal/steam conversion factors, were 0.23 for PM10, 0.12 for PM2.5, 6.4 for SO2, and 2.0 for CO, while those of the BB-coal were 0.30 for PM10, 0.094 for PM2.5, 2.4 for SO2, and 1.7 for CO. PM10 and PM2.5 elemental compositions are also presented for both types of coal tested in the study.

  5. Evaluation of detection and response times of fire sensors using an atmospheric monitoring system

    PubMed Central

    Rowland, J.H.; Litton, C.D.; Thomas, R.A.

    2017-01-01

    Atmospheric monitoring systems (AMS) are required when using air from conveyor belt entries to ventilate working sections in U.S. underground coal mines. AMS technology has the potential to increase fire safety mine-wide, but research is needed to determine the detection and response times for fires of a variety of combustible materials. To evaluate the potential of an AMS for fire detection in other areas of a coal mine, a series of full-scale fire experiments were conducted to determine detection and response times from fires of different combustible materials that are found in U.S. underground coal mines, including high- and low-volatility coals, conveyor belts, brattice materials, different types of wood, diesel fuel, and a foam sealant. These experiments were conducted in the Safety Research Coal Mine (SRCM) of the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) located in Pittsburgh, PA, using a commercially available AMS that is typical of current technology. The results showed that through proper selection of sensors and their locations, a mine-wide AMS can provide sufficient early fire warning times and improve the health and safety of miners. PMID:28529442

  6. Evaluation of detection and response times of fire sensors using an atmospheric monitoring system.

    PubMed

    Rowland, J H; Litton, C D; Thomas, R A

    2016-01-01

    Atmospheric monitoring systems (AMS) are required when using air from conveyor belt entries to ventilate working sections in U.S. underground coal mines. AMS technology has the potential to increase fire safety mine-wide, but research is needed to determine the detection and response times for fires of a variety of combustible materials. To evaluate the potential of an AMS for fire detection in other areas of a coal mine, a series of full-scale fire experiments were conducted to determine detection and response times from fires of different combustible materials that are found in U.S. underground coal mines, including high- and low-volatility coals, conveyor belts, brattice materials, different types of wood, diesel fuel, and a foam sealant. These experiments were conducted in the Safety Research Coal Mine (SRCM) of the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) located in Pittsburgh, PA, using a commercially available AMS that is typical of current technology. The results showed that through proper selection of sensors and their locations, a mine-wide AMS can provide sufficient early fire warning times and improve the health and safety of miners.

  7. CONCEPTUAL DESIGN ASSESSMENT FOR THE CO-FIRING OF BIO-REFINERY SUPPLIED LIGNIN PROJECT

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ted Berglund; Jeffrey T. Ranney; Carol L. Babb

    2002-04-01

    The major aspects of this project are proceeding toward completion. Prior to this quarter, design criteria, tentative site selection, facility layout, and preliminary facility cost estimates were completed and issued. Processing of bio-solids was completed, providing material for the pilot operations. Pilot facility hydrolysis production has been completed to produce lignin for co-fire testing and the lignin fuel was washed and dewatered. Both the lignin and bio-solids fuel materials for co-fire testing were sent to the co-fire facility (EERC) for evaluation and co-firing. EERC has received coal typical of the fuel to the TVA-Colbert boilers. This material was used atmore » EERC as baseline material and for mixing with the bio-fuel for combustion testing. All the combustion and fuel handling tests at EERC have been completed. During fuel preparation EERC reported no difficulties in fuel blending and handling. Preliminary co-fire test results indicate that the blending of lignin and bio-solids with the Colbert coal blend generally reduces NO{sub x} emissions, increases the reactivity of the coal, and increases the ash deposition rate on superheater surfaces. Deposits produced from the fuel blends, however, are more friable and hence easier to remove from tube surfaces relative to those produced from the baseline Colbert coal blend. The final co-fire testing report is being prepared at EERC and will be completed by the end of the second quarter of 2002. The TVA-Colbert facility has neared completion of the task to evaluate co-location of the Masada facility on the operation of the power generation facility. The TVA-Colbert fossil plant is fully capable of providing a reliable steam supply. The preferred steam supply connection points and steam pipeline routing have been identified. The environmental review of the pipeline routing has been completed and no major impacts have been identified. Detailed assessment of steam export impacts on the Colbert boiler system have been completed and a cost estimate for the steam supply system was completed. The cost estimate and output and heat rate impacts have been used to determine a preliminary price for the exported steam. TVA is further evaluating the impacts of adding lignin to the coal fuel blend and how the steam cost is impacted by proximity of the Masada biomass facility.« less

  8. FLUE GAS DESULFURIZATION: THE STATE OF THE ART

    EPA Science Inventory

    The paper gives results of a review of commercially available flue gas desulfurization (FGD) technologies that have an established record of full-scale performance. (NOTE: Sulfur dioxide (SO2) scrubbers may be used by coal-fired electrcity generating units to meet the requiremen...

  9. 40 CFR 60.2 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... the purpose of providing steam to a steam-electric generator that would produce electrical energy for... divided solid or liquid material, other than uncombined water, as measured by the reference methods..., magnetohydrodynamics, direct and indirect coal-fired turbines, integrated gasification fuel cells, or as determined by...

  10. 40 CFR 60.2 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... the purpose of providing steam to a steam-electric generator that would produce electrical energy for... divided solid or liquid material, other than uncombined water, as measured by the reference methods..., magnetohydrodynamics, direct and indirect coal-fired turbines, integrated gasification fuel cells, or as determined by...

  11. 40 CFR 60.2 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... the purpose of providing steam to a steam-electric generator that would produce electrical energy for... divided solid or liquid material, other than uncombined water, as measured by the reference methods..., magnetohydrodynamics, direct and indirect coal-fired turbines, integrated gasification fuel cells, or as determined by...

  12. Pelletizing/reslurrying as a means of distributing and firing clean coal. Final quarterly technical progress report No. 5, July 1, 1991--September 30, 1991

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Conkle, H.N.; Raghavan, J.K.; Smit, F.J.

    1991-11-21

    The objective of this study is to develop technology that permits the practical and economic preparation, storage, handling, and transportation of coal pellets, which can be reslurried into Coal water fuels (CWF) suitable for firing in small- and medium-size commercial and industrial boilers, furnaces, and engines. The project includes preparing coal pellets and capsules from wet filter cake that can be economically stored, handled, transported, and reslurried into a CWF that can be suitably atomized and fired at the user site. The wet cakes studied were prepared from ultra-fine (95% -325 mesh) coal beneficiated by advanced froth-flotation techniques. The coalsmore » studied included two eastern bituminous coals, one from Virginia (Elkhorn) and one from Illinois (Illinois No. 6) and one western bituminous coal from Utah (Sky Line coal).« less

  13. Assessment of policy impacts on carbon capture and sequestration and bioenergy for U.S.' coal and natural gas power plants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spokas, K.; Patrizio, P.; Leduc, S.; Mesfun, S.; Kraxner, F.

    2017-12-01

    Reducing electricity-sector emissions relies heavily on countries' abilities to either transition away from carbon-intensive energy generation or to sequester its resultant emissions with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies. The use of biomass energy technologies in conjunction with carbon capture and sequestration (BECCS) presents the opportunity for net reductions in atmospheric carbon dioxide. In this study, we investigate the limitations of several common policy mechanisms to incentivize the deployment of BECCS using the techno-economic spatial optimization model BeWhere (www.iiasa.ac.at/bewhere). We consider a set of coal and natural gas power plants in the United States (U.S.) selected using a screening process that considers capacity, boiler age, and capacity factor for electricity-generation units from the EPA 2014 eGRID database. The set makes up 470 GW of generation, and produces 8,400 PJ and 2.07 GtCO2 annually. Co-firing up to 15% for coal power plants is considered, using woody-biomass residues sourced from certified and managed U.S. forests obtained from the G4M (www.iiasa.ac.at/g4m) and GeoWiki (www.geo-wiki.org) database. Geologic storage is considered with injectivity and geomechanical limitations to ensure safe storage. Costs are minimized under two policy mechanisms: a carbon tax and geologic carbon sequestration credits, such as the Q45 credits. Results show that the carbon tax scenario incentivizes co-firing at low to medium carbon taxes, but is replaced by CCS at higher tax values. Carbon taxes do not strongly incentivize BECCS, as negative emissions associated with sequestering carbon content are not accounted as revenue. On the other hand, carbon credit scenarios result in significant CCS deployment, but lack any incentive for co-firing.

  14. Compositional characteristics of the Fire Clay coal bed in a portion of eastern Kentucky

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hower, J.C.; Andrews, W.M. Jr.; Rimmer, S.M.

    The Fire Clay (Hazard No. 4) coal bed (Middle Pennsylvanian Breathitt Formation) is one of the most extensively mined coal in eastern Kentucky. The coal is used for metallurgical and steam end uses and, with its low sulfur content, should continue to be a prime steam coal. This study focuses on the petrology, mineralogy, ash geochemistry, and palynology of the coal in an eight 7.5-min quadrangle area of Leslie, Perry, Knott, and Letcher counties.

  15. EVALUATION OF UTILITY BOILER RADIANT FURNACE RESIDENCE TIME/TEMPERATURE CHARACTERISTICS: FIELD TESTS AND HEAT TRANSFER MODELING

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report describes an investigation of the adequacy of a modeling approach in predicting the thermal environment and flow field of pulverized-coal-fired utility boilers. Two 420 MWe coal-fired boilers were evaluated: a single-wall-fired unit and a tangentially fired unit, repre...

  16. 30 CFR 77.1108-1 - Type and capacity of firefighting equipment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection § 77.1108-1 Type and capacity of firefighting equipment. Firefighting... capacity for each 1,000 tons of coal processed (average) per shift. (b) Fire extinguishers. Fire extinguishers shall be: (1) Of the appropriate type for the particular fire hazard involved; (2) Adequate in...

  17. 78 FR 6133 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Fire...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-29

    ... for OMB Review; Comment Request; Fire Protection in Underground Coal Mines ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY... information collection request (ICR) revision titled, ``Fire Protection in Underground Coal Mines,'' to the... sections of part 75 require fire drills to be conducted quarterly, equipment to be tested, and a record to...

  18. 30 CFR 75.1101-10 - Water sprinkler systems; fire warning devices at belt drives.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Water sprinkler systems; fire warning devices..., DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection § 75.1101-10 Water sprinkler systems; fire warning devices at belt drives. Each water sprinkler...

  19. 30 CFR 75.1101-10 - Water sprinkler systems; fire warning devices at belt drives.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Water sprinkler systems; fire warning devices..., DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection § 75.1101-10 Water sprinkler systems; fire warning devices at belt drives. Each water sprinkler...

  20. 30 CFR 75.1101-10 - Water sprinkler systems; fire warning devices at belt drives.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Water sprinkler systems; fire warning devices..., DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection § 75.1101-10 Water sprinkler systems; fire warning devices at belt drives. Each water sprinkler...

  1. 30 CFR 75.1101-10 - Water sprinkler systems; fire warning devices at belt drives.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Water sprinkler systems; fire warning devices..., DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection § 75.1101-10 Water sprinkler systems; fire warning devices at belt drives. Each water sprinkler...

  2. 30 CFR 75.1101-10 - Water sprinkler systems; fire warning devices at belt drives.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Water sprinkler systems; fire warning devices..., DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection § 75.1101-10 Water sprinkler systems; fire warning devices at belt drives. Each water sprinkler...

  3. 30 CFR 77.1108-1 - Type and capacity of firefighting equipment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection § 77.1108-1 Type and capacity of firefighting equipment. Firefighting... capacity for each 1,000 tons of coal processed (average) per shift. (b) Fire extinguishers. Fire extinguishers shall be: (1) Of the appropriate type for the particular fire hazard involved; (2) Adequate in...

  4. 30 CFR 75.1103-5 - Automatic fire warning devices; actions and response.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... hours after the belt is stopped, unless an examination for hot rollers and fire is made as prescribed in... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Automatic fire warning devices; actions and... OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire...

  5. 30 CFR 75.1103-5 - Automatic fire warning devices; actions and response.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... hours after the belt is stopped, unless an examination for hot rollers and fire is made as prescribed in... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Automatic fire warning devices; actions and... OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire...

  6. TECHNICAL SUPPORT DOCUMENT: NATIONAL-SCALE MERCURY RISK ASSESSMENT SUPPORTING THE APPROPRIATE AND NECESSARY FINDING FOR COAL- AND OIL-FIRED ELECTRIC GENERATING UNITS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The EPA has completed a national-scale risk assessment for mercury to inform the appropriate and necessary determination for electric utility steam generating unites in the United States (U.S. EGU's), persuant to Section 112(n)(1)(A) of the Clean Air Act. This document describes...

  7. DEVELOPMENT OF A VALIDATED MODEL FOR USE IN MINIMIZING NOx EMISSIONS AND MAXIMIZING CARBON UTILIZATION WHEN CO-FIRING BIOMASS WITH COAL

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Larry G. Felix; P. Vann Bush

    2002-10-26

    This is the eighth Quarterly Technical Report for DOE Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC26-00NT40895. A statement of the project objectives is included in the Introduction of this report. The final biomass co-firing test burn was conducted during this quarter. In this test (Test 14), up to 20% by weight dry switchgrass was comilled with Jim Walters No.7 mine coal and injected through the single-register burner. Jim Walters No.7 coal is a low-volatility, low-sulfur ({approx}0.7% S) Eastern bituminous coal. The results of this test are presented in this quarterly report. Progress has continued to be made in implementing a modeling approach tomore » combine reaction times and temperature distributions from computational fluid dynamic models of the pilot-scale combustion furnace with char burnout and chemical reaction kinetics to predict NO{sub x} emissions and unburned carbon levels in the furnace exhaust. The REI Configurable Fireside Simulator (CFS) is now in regular use. Presently, the CFS is being used to generate CFD calculations for completed tests with Powder River Basin coal and low-volatility (Jim Walters No.7 Mine) coal. Niksa Energy Associates will use the results of these CFD simulations to complete their validation of the NOx/LOI predictive model. Work has started on the project final report.« less

  8. Temporal trends and spatial variation characteristics of primary air pollutants emissions from coal-fired industrial boilers in Beijing, China.

    PubMed

    Xue, Yifeng; Tian, Hezhong; Yan, Jing; Zhou, Zhen; Wang, Junling; Nie, Lei; Pan, Tao; Zhou, Junrui; Hua, Shenbing; Wang, Yong; Wu, Xiaoqing

    2016-06-01

    Coal-fired combustion is recognized as a significant anthropogenic source of atmospheric compounds in Beijing, causing heavy air pollution events and associated deterioration in visibility. Obtaining an accurate understanding of the temporal trends and spatial variation characteristics of emissions from coal-fired industrial combustion is essential for predicting air quality changes and evaluating the effectiveness of current control measures. In this study, an integrated emission inventory of primary air pollutants emitted from coal-fired industrial boilers in Beijing is developed for the period of 2007-2013 using a technology-based approach. Future emission trends are projected through 2030 based on current energy-related and emission control policies. Our analysis shows that there is a general downward trend in primary air pollutants emissions because of the implementation of stricter local emission standards and the promotion by the Beijing municipal government of converting from coal-fired industrial boilers to gas-fired boilers. However, the ratio of coal consumed by industrial boilers to total coal consumption has been increasing, raising concerns about the further improvement of air quality in Beijing. Our estimates indicate that the total emissions of PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NOx, CO and VOCs from coal-fired industrial boilers in Beijing in 2013 are approximately 19,242 t, 13,345 t, 26,615 t, 22,965 t, 63,779 t and 1406 t, respectively. Under the current environmental policies and relevant energy savings and emission control plans, it may be possible to reduce NOx and other air pollutant emissions by 94% and 90% by 2030, respectively, if advanced flue gas purification technologies are implemented and coal is replaced with natural gas in the majority of existing boilers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. LIME SPRAY DRYER FLUE GAS DESULFURIZATION COMPUTER MODEL USERS MANUAL

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report describes a lime spray dryer/baghouse (FORTRAN) computer model that simulates SO2 removal and permits study of related impacts on design and economics as functions of design parameters and operating conditions for coal-fired electric generating units. The model allows ...

  10. 40 CFR 60.41 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Fossil-Fuel-Fired Steam Generators for..., matrix material, clay, and other organic and inorganic material. Fossil fuel means natural gas, petroleum, coal, and any form of solid, liquid, or gaseous fuel derived from such materials for the purpose of...

  11. 40 CFR 60.41 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Fossil-Fuel-Fired Steam Generators for..., matrix material, clay, and other organic and inorganic material. Fossil fuel means natural gas, petroleum, coal, and any form of solid, liquid, or gaseous fuel derived from such materials for the purpose of...

  12. Think global, act local—a power generation case study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dugdale, Pam

    2012-01-01

    This paper describes an exercise completed by sixth form college students to compare the power output from a local coal fired power station with the potential power output from renewable sources including wind farms, solar farms, and the proposed Mersey Tidal Barrage scheme.

  13. CONTROL OF MERCURY EMISSIONS FROM COAL-FIRED ELECTRIC UTILITY BOILERS: INTERIM REPORT

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report provides additional information on mercury (Hg) emissions control following the release of "Study of Hazardous Air Pollutant Emissions from Electric Utility Steam Generating Units--Final Report to Congress" in February 1998. Chapters 1-3 describe EPA's December 2000 de...

  14. 40 CFR 60.4162 - Notification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Emission Guidelines and Compliance Times for Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Hg Allowance Transfers § 60.4162 Notification. (a) Notification of recordation. Within 5 business days of recordation of a Hg allowance transfer under § 60.4161, the Administrator will notify the...

  15. 40 CFR 60.4162 - Notification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Emission Guidelines and Compliance Times for Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Hg Allowance Transfers § 60.4162 Notification. (a) Notification of recordation. Within 5 business days of recordation of a Hg allowance transfer under § 60.4161, the Administrator will notify the...

  16. How to address data gaps in life cycle inventories: a case study on estimating CO2 emissions from coal-fired electricity plants on a global scale.

    PubMed

    Steinmann, Zoran J N; Venkatesh, Aranya; Hauck, Mara; Schipper, Aafke M; Karuppiah, Ramkumar; Laurenzi, Ian J; Huijbregts, Mark A J

    2014-05-06

    One of the major challenges in life cycle assessment (LCA) is the availability and quality of data used to develop models and to make appropriate recommendations. Approximations and assumptions are often made if appropriate data are not readily available. However, these proxies may introduce uncertainty into the results. A regression model framework may be employed to assess missing data in LCAs of products and processes. In this study, we develop such a regression-based framework to estimate CO2 emission factors associated with coal power plants in the absence of reported data. Our framework hypothesizes that emissions from coal power plants can be explained by plant-specific factors (predictors) that include steam pressure, total capacity, plant age, fuel type, and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of the resident nations of those plants. Using reported emission data for 444 plants worldwide, plant level CO2 emission factors were fitted to the selected predictors by a multiple linear regression model and a local linear regression model. The validated models were then applied to 764 coal power plants worldwide, for which no reported data were available. Cumulatively, available reported data and our predictions together account for 74% of the total world's coal-fired power generation capacity.

  17. Geologic, geotechnical, and geophysical properties of core from the Acme Fire-Pit-1 drill hole, Sheridan County, Wyoming

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Collins, Donley S.

    1983-01-01

    A preliminary core study from the Acme Fire-Pit-1 drill hole, Sheridan County, Wyoming, revealed that the upper portion of the core had been baked by a fire confined to the underlying Monarch coal bed. The baked (clinkered) sediment above the Monarch coal bed was determined to have higher point-load strength values (greater than 2 MPa) than the sediment under the burned coal

  18. Soil surface Hg emission flux in coalfield in Wuda, Inner Mongolia, China.

    PubMed

    Li, Chunhui; Liang, Handong; Liang, Ming; Chen, Yang; Zhou, Yi

    2018-06-01

    Hg emission flux from various land covers, such as forests, wetlands, and urban areas, have been investigated. China has the largest area of coalfield in the world, but data of Hg flux of coalfields, especially, those with coal fires, are seriously limited. In this study, Hg fluxes of a coalfield were measured using the dynamic flux chamber (DFC) method, coupled with a Lumex multifunctional Hg analyzer RA-915+ (Lumex Ltd., Russia). The results show that the Hg flux in Wuda coalfield ranged from 4 to 318 ng m -2  h -1 , and the average value for different areas varied, e.g., coal-fire area 99 and 177 ng m -2  h -1 ; no coal-fire area 19 and 32 ng m -2  h -1 ; and backfilling area 53 ng m -2  h -1 . Hg continued to be emitted from an underground coal seam, even if there were no phenomena, such as vents, cracks, and smog, of coal fire on the soil surface. This phenomenon occurred in all area types, i.e., coal-fire area, no coal-fire area, and backfilling area, which is universal in Wuda coalfield. Considering that many coalfields in northern China are similar to Wuda coalfield, they may be large sources of atmospheric Hg. The correlations of Hg emission flux with influence factors, such as sunlight intensity, soil surface temperature, and atmospheric Hg content, were also investigated for Wuda coalfield. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

  19. Supplement a to compilation of air pollutant emission factors. Volume 1. Stationary point and area sources. Fifth edition

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    1996-02-01

    This Supplement to AP-42 addresses pollutant-generating activity from Bituminous and Subbituminous Coal Combustion; Anthracite Coal Combustion; Fuel Oil Combustion; Natural Gas Combustion; Wood Waste Combustion in Boilers; Lignite Combustion; Waste Oil Combustion: Stationary Gas Turbines for Electricity Generation; Heavy-duty Natural Gas-fired Pipeline Compressor Engines; Large Stationary Diesel and all Stationary Dual-fuel engines; Natural Gas Processing; Organic Liquid Storage Tanks; Meat Smokehouses; Meat Rendering Plants; Canned Fruits and Vegetables; Dehydrated Fruits and Vegetables; Pickles, Sauces and Salad Dressing; Grain Elevators and Processes; Cereal Breakfast Foods; Pasta Manufacturing; Vegetable Oil Processing; Wines and Brandy; Coffee Roasting; Charcoal; Coal Cleaning; Frit Manufacturing; Sandmore » and Gravel Processing; Diatomite Processing; Talc Processing; Vermiculite Processing; paved Roads; and Unpaved Roads. Also included is information on Generalized Particle Size Distributions.« less

  20. ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT OF COAL-FIRED HIGH-PERFORMANCE POWER SYSTEMS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Unknown

    1999-02-01

    A High Performance Power System (HIPPS) is being developed. This system is a coal-fired, combined cycle plant with indirect heating of gas turbine air. Foster Wheeler Development Corporation and a team consisting of Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation, Bechtel Corporation, University of Tennessee Space Institute and Westinghouse Electric Corporation are developing this system. In Phase 1 of the project, a conceptual design of a commercial plant was developed. Technical and economic analyses indicated that the plant would meet the goals of the project which include a 47 percent efficiency (HHV) and a 10 percent lower cost of electricity than an equivalentmore » size PC plant. The concept uses a pyrolysis process to convert coal into fuel gas and char. The char is fired in a High Temperature Advanced Furnace (HITAF). The HITAF is a pulverized fuel-fired boiler/air heater where steam is generated and gas turbine air is indirectly heated. The fuel gas generated in the pyrolyzer is then used to heat the gas turbine air further before it enters the gas turbine. The project is currently in Phase 2 which includes engineering analysis, laboratory testing and pilot plant testing. Research and development is being done on the HIPPS systems that are not commercial or being developed on other projects. Pilot plant testing of the pyrolyzer subsystem and the char combustion subsystem are being done separately, and after each experimental program has been completed, a larger scale pyrolyzer will be tested at the Power Systems Development Facility (PSDF) in Wilsonville, AL. The facility is equipped with a gas turbine and a topping combustor, and as such, will provide an opportunity to evaluate integrated pyrolyzer and turbine operation. This report addresses the areas of technical progress for this quarter. A general arrangement drawing of the char transfer system was forwarded to SCS for their review. Structural steel drawings were used to generate a three-dimensional model of the char transfer system including all pressure vessels and major piping components. Experimental testing at the Combustion and Environmental Test Facility continued during this quarter. Performance of the char burner, as benchmarked by flame stability and low NOx, has been exceptional. The burner was operated successfully both without natural gas and supplemental pulverized coal.« less

  1. Evaluation of Criteria for the Detection of Fires in Underground Conveyor Belt Haulageways

    PubMed Central

    Litton, Charles D.; Perera, Inoka Eranda

    2015-01-01

    Large-scale experiments were conducted in an above-ground gallery to simulate typical fires that develop along conveyor belt transport systems within underground coal mines. In the experiments, electrical strip heaters, imbedded ~5 cm below the top surface of a large mass of coal rubble, were used to ignite the coal, producing an open flame. The flaming coal mass subsequently ignited 1.83-meter-wide conveyor belts located approximately 0.30 m above the coal surface. Gas samples were drawn through an averaging probe located approximately 20 m downstream of the coal for continuous measurement of CO, CO2, and O2 as the fire progressed through the stages of smoldering coal, flaming coal, and flaming conveyor belt. Also located approximately 20 m from the fire origin and approximately 0.5 m below the roof of the gallery were two commercially available smoke detectors, a light obscuration meter, and a sampling probe for measurement of total mass concentration of smoke particles. Located upstream of the fire origin and also along the wall of the gallery at approximately 14 m and 5 m upstream were two video cameras capable of both smoke and flame detection. During the experiments, alarm times of the smoke detectors and video cameras were measured while the smoke obscuration and total smoke mass were continually measured. Twelve large-scale experiments were conducted using three different types of fire-resistant conveyor belts and four air velocities for each belt. The air velocities spanned the range from 1.0 m/s to 6.9 m/s. The results of these experiments are compared to previous large-scale results obtained using a smaller fire gallery and much narrower (1.07-m) conveyor belts to determine if the fire detection criteria previously developed (1) remained valid for the wider conveyor belts. Although some differences between these and the previous experiments did occur, the results, in general, compare very favorably. Differences are duly noted and their impact on fire detection discussed. PMID:26566298

  2. Rare earth minerals in a “no tonstein” section of the Dean (Fire Clay) coal, Knox County, Kentucky

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hower, James C.; Berti, Debora; Hochella, Michael F.

    The Dean (Fire Clay) coal in Knox County, Kentucky, does not contain the megascopically-visible ash-fall tonstein present in most other sections of the coal bed. Like the Fire Clay tonstein, a low-ash portion of the coal is enriched in rare earth elements (>2400 ppm, on ash basis). In addition to kaolinite produced in the diagenesis of volcanic glass, transmission electron microscopy studies indicate the coal contains primary kaolinite, LaCeNdTh monazite, barium niobate, native gold, and FeNiCr spinels. The mineral assemblages, particularly the kaolinite-monazite association and its similarity to the tonsteins in coal to the east, demonstrate the coal was subjectmore » to the REE-enriched volcanic ash fall, apparently just at a more dilute level than at locations where the tonstein is present.« less

  3. Rare earth minerals in a “no tonstein” section of the Dean (Fire Clay) coal, Knox County, Kentucky

    DOE PAGES

    Hower, James C.; Berti, Debora; Hochella, Michael F.; ...

    2018-05-03

    The Dean (Fire Clay) coal in Knox County, Kentucky, does not contain the megascopically-visible ash-fall tonstein present in most other sections of the coal bed. Like the Fire Clay tonstein, a low-ash portion of the coal is enriched in rare earth elements (>2400 ppm, on ash basis). In addition to kaolinite produced in the diagenesis of volcanic glass, transmission electron microscopy studies indicate the coal contains primary kaolinite, LaCeNdTh monazite, barium niobate, native gold, and FeNiCr spinels. The mineral assemblages, particularly the kaolinite-monazite association and its similarity to the tonsteins in coal to the east, demonstrate the coal was subjectmore » to the REE-enriched volcanic ash fall, apparently just at a more dilute level than at locations where the tonstein is present.« less

  4. Impact of Heat and Mass Transfer during the Transport of Nitrogen in Coal Porous Media on Coal Mine Fires

    PubMed Central

    Zhou, Fubao

    2014-01-01

    The application of liquid nitrogen injection is an important technique in the field of coal mine fire prevention. However, the mechanism of heat and mass transfer of cryogenic nitrogen in the goaf porous medium has not been well accessed. Hence, the implementation of fire prevention engineering of liquid nitrogen roughly relied on an empirical view. According to the research gap in this respect, an experimental study on the heat and mass transfer of liquid nitrogen in coal porous media was proposed. Overall, the main mechanism of liquid nitrogen fire prevention technology in the coal mine is the creation of an inert and cryogenic atmosphere. Cryogenic nitrogen gas vapor cloud, heavier than the air, would cause the phenomenon of “gravity settling” in porous media firstly. The cryogen could be applicable to diverse types of fires, both in the openings and in the enclosures. Implementation of liquid nitrogen open-injection technique in Yangchangwan colliery achieved the goals of fire prevention and air-cooling. Meanwhile, this study can also provide an essential reference for the research on heat and mass transfer in porous media in the field of thermal physics and engineering. PMID:25054173

  5. Impact of heat and mass transfer during the transport of nitrogen in coal porous media on coal mine fires.

    PubMed

    Shi, Bobo; Zhou, Fubao

    2014-01-01

    The application of liquid nitrogen injection is an important technique in the field of coal mine fire prevention. However, the mechanism of heat and mass transfer of cryogenic nitrogen in the goaf porous medium has not been well accessed. Hence, the implementation of fire prevention engineering of liquid nitrogen roughly relied on an empirical view. According to the research gap in this respect, an experimental study on the heat and mass transfer of liquid nitrogen in coal porous media was proposed. Overall, the main mechanism of liquid nitrogen fire prevention technology in the coal mine is the creation of an inert and cryogenic atmosphere. Cryogenic nitrogen gas vapor cloud, heavier than the air, would cause the phenomenon of "gravity settling" in porous media firstly. The cryogen could be applicable to diverse types of fires, both in the openings and in the enclosures. Implementation of liquid nitrogen open-injection technique in Yangchangwan colliery achieved the goals of fire prevention and air-cooling. Meanwhile, this study can also provide an essential reference for the research on heat and mass transfer in porous media in the field of thermal physics and engineering.

  6. Fired heater for coal liquefaction process

    DOEpatents

    Ying, David H. S.; McDermott, Wayne T.; Givens, Edwin N.

    1985-01-01

    A fired heater for a coal liquefaction process is operated under conditions to maximize the slurry slug frequency and thereby improve the heat transfer efficiency. The operating conditions controlled are (1) the pipe diameter and pipe arrangement, (2) the minimum coal/solvent slurry velocity, (3) the maximum gas superficial velocity, and (4) the range of the volumetric flow velocity ratio of gas to coal/solvent slurry.

  7. Process to improve boiler operation by supplemental firing with thermally beneficiated low rank coal

    DOEpatents

    Sheldon, Ray W.

    2001-01-01

    The invention described is a process for improving the performance of a commercial coal or lignite fired boiler system by supplementing its normal coal supply with a controlled quantity of thermally beneficiated low rank coal, (TBLRC). This supplemental TBLRC can be delivered either to the solid fuel mill (pulverizer) or directly to the coal burner feed pipe. Specific benefits are supplied based on knowledge of equipment types that may be employed on a commercial scale to complete the process. The thermally beneficiated low rank coal can be delivered along with regular coal or intermittently with regular coal as the needs require.

  8. Investigation Of A Mercury Speciation Technique For Flue Gas Desulfurization Materials

    EPA Science Inventory

    Most of the synthetic gypsum generated from wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) scrubbers is currently being used for wallboard production. Because oxidized mercury is readily captured by the wet FGD scrubber, and coal-fired power plants equipped with wet scrubbers desire to bene...

  9. 40 CFR 98.6 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... perfluoropolyether, and any hydrofluoropolyether. Fossil fuel means natural gas, petroleum, coal, or any form of... generator. Emergency equipment means any auxiliary fossil fuel-powered equipment, such as a fire pump, that... the kiln to produce heat to form the clinker product. Feedstock means raw material inputs to a process...

  10. 40 CFR 98.6 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... perfluoropolyether, and any hydrofluoropolyether. Fossil fuel means natural gas, petroleum, coal, or any form of... generator. Emergency equipment means any auxiliary fossil fuel-powered equipment, such as a fire pump, that... the kiln to produce heat to form the clinker product. Feedstock means raw material inputs to a process...

  11. 40 CFR 98.6 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... perfluoropolyether, and any hydrofluoropolyether. Fossil fuel means natural gas, petroleum, coal, or any form of... generator. Emergency equipment means any auxiliary fossil fuel-powered equipment, such as a fire pump, that... the kiln to produce heat to form the clinker product. Feedstock means raw material inputs to a process...

  12. 40 CFR 98.6 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... perfluoropolyether, and any hydrofluoropolyether. Fossil fuel means natural gas, petroleum, coal, or any form of... generator. Emergency equipment means any auxiliary fossil fuel-powered equipment, such as a fire pump, that... the kiln to produce heat to form the clinker product. Feedstock means raw material inputs to a process...

  13. 40 CFR 60.4161 - EPA recordation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ...) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Emission Guidelines and Compliance Times for Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Hg Allowance Transfers § 60.4161 EPA recordation. (a) Within 5 business days (except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section) of receiving a Hg allowance transfer, the...

  14. 40 CFR 60.4161 - EPA recordation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ...) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Emission Guidelines and Compliance Times for Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Hg Allowance Transfers § 60.4161 EPA recordation. (a) Within 5 business days (except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section) of receiving a Hg allowance transfer, the...

  15. EMISSIONS OF SULFUR TRIOXIDE FROM COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Emissions of sulfur trioxide (SO3) are a key component of plume opacity and acid deposition. Consequently, these emissions need to be low enough not to cause opacity violations and acid deposition. Generally, a small fraction of sulfur in coal is converted to SO3 in coal-fired co...

  16. 40 CFR 63.9990 - What are the subcategories of EGUs?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... coal or gasified solid oil-derived fuel. For purposes of compliance, monitoring, recordkeeping, and...) National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam... equal to 8,300 Btu/lb, and (2) EGUs designed for low rank virgin coal. (b) Oil-fired EGUs are...

  17. 40 CFR 63.9990 - What are the subcategories of EGUs?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... coal or gasified solid oil-derived fuel. For purposes of compliance, monitoring, recordkeeping, and...) National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam... equal to 8,300 Btu/lb, and (2) EGUs designed for low rank virgin coal. (b) Oil-fired EGUs are...

  18. 40 CFR 63.9990 - What are the subcategories of EGUs?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... coal or gasified solid oil-derived fuel. For purposes of compliance, monitoring, recordkeeping, and...) National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam... equal to 8,300 Btu/lb, and (2) EGUs designed for low rank virgin coal. (b) Oil-fired EGUs are...

  19. Energy Conversion Alternatives Study (ECAS)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1977-01-01

    ECAS compared various advanced energy conversion systems that can use coal or coal-derived fuels for baseload electric power generation. It was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 consisted of parametric studies. From these results, 11 concepts were selected for further study in Phase 2. For each of the Phase 2 systems and a common set of ground rules, performance, cost, environmental intrusion, and natural resource requirements were estimated. In addition, the contractors defined the state of the associated technology, identified the advances required, prepared preliminary research and development plans, and assessed other factors that would affect the implementation of each type of powerplant. The systems studied in Phase 2 include steam systems with atmospheric- and pressurized-fluidized-bed boilers; combined cycle gas turbine/steam systems with integrated gasifiers or fired by a semiclean, coal derived fuel; a potassium/steam system with a pressurized-fluidized-bed boiler; a closed-cycle gas turbine/organic system with a high-temperature, atmospheric-fluidized-bed furnace; a direct-coal-fired, open- cycle magnetohydrodynamic/steam system; and a molten-carbonate fuel cell/steam system with an integrated gasifier. The sensitivity of the results to changes in the ground rules and the impact of uncertainties in capital cost estimates were also examined.

  20. Paleoecological interpretation of a middle Pennsylvanian coal bed in the central Appalachian basin, U.S.A.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Eble, C.F.; Grady, W.C.

    1990-01-01

    At least 180 small spore species assignable to 62 miospore genera have been identified from the Middle Pennsylvanian Hernshaw coal bed in southern West Virginia, and its stratigraphic equivalent, the Fire Clay coal bed, in eastern Kentucky. The established natural affinities of a majority of these miospore taxa indicate that the Hernshaw-Fire Clay peat swamp supported a diverse flora consisting of arborescent and "herbaceous" lycopods, ferns (tree-like and small varities), calamities and cordaites. Four floral groupings are recognized in the Hernshaw-Fire Clay coal bed. The inferred paleoecology and vertical stratification of each of these four floral groupings is similar in structure to the "phasic" floral communities found in modern domed peat systems, suggesting that the ancient Hernshaw-Fire Clay peat swamp was a domed deposit. Compositional characteristics (petrographic make up, ash yield and sulfur content) associated with the four groupings are consistent with, and support this interpretation. Where uninterrupted by inorganic partings, the Hernshaw-Fire Clay coal bed commonly contains basal coal layers dominated by Lycospora-bearing arborescent lycopods, with successive increments showing a progression to a more fern- and "herbaceous"-lycopod-dominant flora in younger layers. These observations are corroborated by petrographic analyses, which show the bed to be compositionally stratified. Increments dominated by Lycospora have high vitrinite contents, in contrast to increments containing increased percentages of fern- and "herbaceous"-lycopod-affiliated taxa that are enriched in inertinite macerals. The volcanic ash fall, preserved as the flint-clay parting in the Hernshaw-Fire Clay coal bed, had a considerable effect on the development of the ancient Hernshaw-Fire Clay peat swamp. Besides interrupting peat formation, the presence of an inorganic substrate represent a major change in edaphic conditions within the swamp. This disruption is demonstrated by a change in palynflora and by the establishment and proliferation of some plant groups, notably cordaites and calamites, that may have been better adapted to growth on mineral soils. These palynologic and petrographic relationships, thought to be indicative of a domed peat-swamp origin, are not confined to the Hernshaw-Fire Clay coal bed, but appear to be characteristic of many coal beds in the Appalachian basin, and also of coal beds in other basins. ?? 1990.

  1. A Life Cycle Assessment Case Study of Coal-Fired Electricity Generation with Humidity Swing Direct Air Capture of CO2 versus MEA-Based Postcombustion Capture.

    PubMed

    van der Giesen, Coen; Meinrenken, Christoph J; Kleijn, René; Sprecher, Benjamin; Lackner, Klaus S; Kramer, Gert Jan

    2017-01-17

    Most carbon capture and storage (CCS) envisions capturing CO 2 from flue gas. Direct air capture (DAC) of CO 2 has hitherto been deemed unviable because of the higher energy associated with capture at low atmospheric concentrations. We present a Life Cycle Assessment of coal-fired electricity generation that compares monoethanolamine (MEA)-based postcombustion capture (PCC) of CO 2 with distributed, humidity-swing-based direct air capture (HS-DAC). Given suitable temperature, humidity, wind, and water availability, HS-DAC can be largely passive. Comparing energy requirements of HS-DAC and MEA-PCC, we find that the parasitic load of HS-DAC is less than twice that of MEA-PCC (60-72 kJ/mol versus 33-46 kJ/mol, respectively). We also compare other environmental impacts as a function of net greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation: To achieve the same 73% mitigation as MEA-PCC, HS-DAC would increase nine other environmental impacts by on average 38%, whereas MEA-PCC would increase them by 31%. Powering distributed HS-DAC with photovoltaics (instead of coal) while including recapture of all background GHG, reduces this increase to 18%, hypothetically enabling coal-based electricity with net-zero life-cycle GHG. We conclude that, in suitable geographies, HS-DAC can complement MEA-PCC to enable CO 2 capture independent of time and location of emissions and recapture background GHG from fossil-based electricity beyond flue stack emissions.

  2. Status of NO sub x control for coal-fired power plants

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Teixeira, D. P.

    1978-01-01

    The status of technologies for controlling emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from coal-fired power plants is reviewed. A discussion of current technology as well as future NOx control approaches is presented. Advanced combustion approaches are included as well as post-combustion alternatives such as catalytic and noncatalytic ammonia-bases systems and wet scrubbing. Special emphasis is given to unresolved development issues as they relate to practical applications on coal-fired power plants.

  3. Joint Long-Range Energy Study for Greater Fairbanks Military Complex

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-02-01

    be viewed as a two - stage processor of a fuel or feedstock. The feedstock is first gasified using high-temperature plasma heating sys- tems at...Coal-Fired Boilers with New Circulating Fluidized- Bed Boilers (CFBs). EAFB anticipates replacing two current boilers with two new boilers. This...definition to support DD Form 1391 budget level cost estimates for new coal-fired CHPPs at FWA and EAFB and for two new coal-fired CFBs at EAFB • update

  4. Analysis of Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) Processes for Potential Use on Army Coal-Fired Boilers

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-09-01

    TECHNICAL REPORT N-93 September 1980 ANALYSIS OF FLUE GAS DESULFURIZATION (FGD) PROCESSES FOR POTENTIAL USE ON ARMY COAL-FIRED BOILERS TECHNICAL LIBRARY...REFERENCE: Technical Report N-93, Analysis of Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) Ppooesses for Potential Use on Army Coal-Fired Boilers Please take a few...REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE 1. REPORT NUMBER CERL-TR-N-93 2. GOVT ACCESSION NO «. TITLE (end Subtitle) ANALYSIS OF FLUE GAS DESULFURIZATION (FGD

  5. Spatial Distribution and Trend of CH4, NO2, CO and Ozone during 2003-2015 over Coal Fired Power Plants in US

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Azevedo, S. C.; Reyes, C.; Singh, R. P.

    2016-12-01

    Coal fired power plants are the sources of atmospheric pollution and poor air quality in many parts of the world especially in India and China. The greenhouse emissions from the coal fired power plants are considered as threat to the climate and human health. About 572 coal fired power plants (up to 2012) are operational, especially in the mid and eastern parts of US. We have analyzed satellite measured carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3) and meteorological parameters for the period 2003-2015. In this study, we have considered 30 power plants, covering 10 x10surrounding area and over 11 regions of US in a grid of about 50 x50 to 60 x60. In general, most of the coal fired power plants show a decreasing trend of CO, whereas NO2 follow a similar trend over the power plants located in the eastern parts. Our analysis shows that the clean air act is strictly followed by the coal fired power plants in the eastern US compared to power plants located in the mid and western parts. The CH4 concentrations over the eastern parts show higher concentrations compared to mid and western regions in the period 2003-2015. Higher concentrations and seasonal variability of greenhouse gases is dependent on the prevailing meteorological conditions.

  6. DESIGNING AND OPPORTUNITY FUEL WITH BIOMASS AND TIRE-DERIVED FUEL FOR COFIRING AT WILLOW ISLAND GENERATING STATION AND COFIRING SAWDUST WITH COAL AT ALBRIGHT GENERATING STATION

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    K. Payette; D. Tillman

    During the period July 1, 2000-March 31, 2004, Allegheny Energy Supply Co., LLC (Allegheny) conducted an extensive demonstration of woody biomass cofiring at its Willow Island and Albright Generating Stations. This demonstration, cofunded by USDOE and Allegheny, and supported by the Biomass Interest Group (BIG) of EPRI, evaluated the impacts of sawdust cofiring in both cyclone boilers and tangentially-fired pulverized coal boilers. The cofiring in the cyclone boiler--Willow Island Generating Station Unit No.2--evaluated the impacts of sawdust alone, and sawdust blended with tire-derived fuel. The biomass was blended with the coal on its way to the combustion system. The cofiringmore » in the pulverized coal boiler--Albright Generating Station--evaluated the impact of cofiring on emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NO{sub x}) when the sawdust was injected separately into the furnace. The demonstration of woody biomass cofiring involved design, construction, and testing at each site. The results addressed impacts associated with operational issues--capacity, efficiency, and operability--as well as formation and control of airborne emissions such as NO{sub x}, sulfur dioxide (SO{sub 2}2), opacity, and mercury. The results of this extensive program are detailed in this report.« less

  7. Projected configuration of a coal-fired district heating source on the basis of comparative technical-economical optimization analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tańczuk, Mariusz; Radziewicz, Wojciech; Olszewski, Eligiusz; Skorek, Janusz

    2017-10-01

    District heating technologies should be efficient, effective and environmentally friendly. The majority of the communal heating systems in Poland produce district hot water in coal-fired boilers. A large number of them are considerably worn out, low-efficient in the summer time and will not comply with forthcoming regulations. One of the possible solution for such plants is repowering with new CHP systems or new boilers fuelled with fuels alternative to coal. Optimisation analysis of the target configuration of municipal heat generating plant is analysed in the paper. The work concerns repowering the existing conventional heat generating plant according to eight different scenarios of the plant configuration meeting technical and environmental requirements forecasted for the year of 2035. The maximum demand for heat of the system supplied by the plant is 185 MW. Taking into account different technical configurations on one side, and different energy and fuel prices on the other side, the comparative cost-benefits analysis of the assumed scenarios has been made. The basic economical index NPV (net present value) has been derived for each analysed scenario and the results have been compared and discussed. It was also claimed that the scenario with CHP based on ICE engines is optimal.

  8. Current status and prediction of major atmospheric emissions from coal-fired power plants in Shandong Province, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xiong, Tianqi; Jiang, Wei; Gao, Weidong

    2016-01-01

    Shandong is considered to be the top provincial emitter of air pollutants in China due to its large consumption of coal in the power sector and its dense distribution of coal-fired plants. To explore the atmospheric emissions of the coal-fired power sector in Shandong, an updated emission inventory of coal-fired power plants for the year 2012 in Shandong was developed. The inventory is based on the following parameters: coal quality, unit capacity and unit starting year, plant location, boiler type and control technologies. The total SO2, NOx, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and mercury (Hg) emissions are estimated at 705.93 kt, 754.30 kt, 63.99 kt and 10.19 kt, respectively. Larger units have cleaner emissions than smaller ones. The coal-fired units (≥300 MW) are estimated to account for 35.87% of SO2, 43.24% of NOx, 47.74% of PM2.5 and 49.83% of Hg emissions, which is attributed primarily to the improved penetration of desulfurization, LNBs, denitration and dust-removing devices in larger units. The major regional contributors are southwestern cities, such as Jining, Liaocheng, Zibo and Linyi, and eastern cities, such as Yantai and Qindao. Under the high-efficiency control technology (HECT) scenario analysis, emission reductions of approximately 58.61% SO2, 80.63% NOx, 34.20% PM2.5 and 50.08% Hg could be achieved by 2030 compared with a 2012 baseline. This inventory demonstrates why it is important for policymakers and researchers to assess control measure effectiveness and to supply necessary input for regional policymaking and the management of the coal-fired power sector in Shandong.

  9. Physico-chemical and optical properties of combustion-generated particles from coal-fired power plant, automobile and ship engine and charcoal kiln.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Hwajin

    2015-04-01

    Similarities and differences in physico-chemical and optical properties of combustion generated particles from various sources were investigated. Coal-fired power plant, charcoal kiln, automobile and ship engine were major sources, representing combustions of coal, biomass and two different types of diesel, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) equipped with both SEM and HRTEM were used for physico-chemical analysis. Light absorbing properties were assessed using a spectrometer equipped with an integrating sphere. Particles generated from different combustion sources and conditions demonstrate great variability in their morphology, structure and composition. From coal-fired power plant, both fly ash and flue gas were mostly composed of heterogeneously mixed mineral ash spheres, suggesting that the complete combustion was occurred releasing carbonaceous species out at high temperature (1200-1300 °C). Both automobile and ship exhausts from diesel combustions show typical features of soot: concentric circles comprised of closely-packed graphene layers. However, heavy fuel oil (HFO) combusted particles from ship exhaust demonstrate more complex compositions containing different morphology of particles other than soot, e.g., spherical shape of char particles composed of minerals and carbon. Even for the soot aggregates, particles from HFO burning have different chemical compositions; carbon is dominated but Ca (29.8%), S (28.7%), Na(1%), and Mg(1%) are contained, respectively which were not found from particles of automobile emission. This indicates that chemical compositions and burning conditions are significant to determine the fate of particles. Finally, from biomass burning, amorphous and droplet-like carbonaceous particles with no crystallite structure are observed and they are generally formed by the condensation of low volatile species at low-temperature (~300-800 °C) combustion conditions. Depending on burning sources, significantly different optical properties were observed; diesel combustion particles from automobile and ship showed wavelength independent absorbing properties whereas the particles from coal and charcoal kiln combustion showed the enhanced absorption at shorter wavelength which is a brown carbon characteristic. Our findings suggest that source dependent properties and distributions across the globe should be considered when their impacts on climate change and air qualities are discussed.

  10. Fires in Operating or Abandoned Coal Mines or Heaps of Reactive Materials and the Governing Transport and Reaction Processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wuttke, M. W.; Kessels, W.; Wessling, S.; Han, J.

    2007-05-01

    Spontaneous combustion is a world wide problem for technical operations in mining, waste disposal and power plant facilities. The principle driving the combustion is every where the same independent of the different reactive materials: Fresh air with the common oxygen content is getting in contact with the reactive material by human operations. The following reaction process produces heat at a usually low but constant rate. The reactive material in operating or abandoned coal mines, heaps of coal, waste or reactive minerals is most times strongly broken or fractured, such that the atmospheric oxygen can deeply penetrate into the porous or fractured media. Because the strongly broken or fractured medium with air filled pores and fractures is often combined with a low thermal conductivity of the bulk material the produced heat accumulates and the temperature increases with time. If the reactivity strongly increases with temperature, the temperature rise accelerates up to the "combustion temperature". Once the temperature is high enough the combustion process is determined by the oxygen transport to the combustion center rather than the chemical reactivity. Spontaneous combustion is thus a self- amplifying process where an initial small variation in the parameters and the starting conditions can create exploding combustion hot spots in an apparently homogenous material. The phenomenon will be discussed by various examples in the context of the German - Sino coal fire project. A temperature monitoring in hot fracture systems documents the strong influence of the weather conditions on the combustion process. Numerical calculations show the sensitivity of the combustion to the model geometries, the boundary conditions and mainly the permeability. The most used fire fighting operations like covering and water injection are discussed. A new method of using saltwater for fire fighting is presented and discussed. References: Kessels, W., Wessling, S., Li, X., and Wuttke, M. W. Numerical element distinction for reactive transport modeling regarding reaction rate. In Proceedings of MODFLOW and MORE 2006: Managing Groundwater Systems, May 21 - 24, 2006, Golden, CO USA (2006). Kessels, W., Wuttke, M. W., Wessling, S., and Li, X. Coal fires between self ignition and fire fighting: Numerical modeling and basic geophysical measurements. In ERSEC Ecological Book Series - 4 on Coal Fire Research (2007). Wessling, S., Litschke, T., Wiegand, J., Schlömer, S., and Kessels, W. Simulating dynamic subsurface coal fires and its applications. In ERSEC Ecological Book Series - 4 on Coal Fire Reserach (2007). Wessling, S., Kessels, W., Schmidt, M., and Krause, U. Investigating dynamic underground coal fires by means of numerical simulation. Geophys. J. Int. (submitted).

  11. Cost analysis of a coal-fired power plant using the NPV method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumar, Ravinder; Sharma, Avdhesh Kr.; Tewari, P. C.

    2015-12-01

    The present study investigates the impact of various factors affecting coal-fired power plant economics of 210 MW subcritical unit situated in north India for electricity generation. In this paper, the cost data of various units of thermal power plant in terms of power output capacity have been fitted using power law with the help of the data collected from a literature search. To have a realistic estimate of primary components or equipment, it is necessary to include the latest cost of these components. The cost analysis of the plant was carried out on the basis of total capital investment, operating cost and revenue. The total capital investment includes the total direct plant cost and total indirect plant cost. Total direct plant cost involves the cost of equipment (i.e. boiler, steam turbine, condenser, generator and auxiliary equipment including condensate extraction pump, feed water pump, etc.) and other costs associated with piping, electrical, civil works, direct installation cost, auxiliary services, instrumentation and controls, and site preparation. The total indirect plant cost includes the cost of engineering and set-up. The net present value method was adopted for the present study. The work presented in this paper is an endeavour to study the influence of some of the important parameters on the lifetime costs of a coal-fired power plant. For this purpose, parametric study with and without escalation rates for a period of 35 years plant life was evaluated. The results predicted that plant life, interest rate and the escalation rate were observed to be very sensitive on plant economics in comparison to other factors under study.

  12. Modeling the effects of changes in New Source Review on national SO{sub 2} and NOx emissions from electricity-generating units

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    David A. Evans; Benjamin F. Hobbs; Craig Oren

    2007-03-15

    The Clean Air Act establishes New Source Review (NSR) programs that apply to the construction or modification of major stationary emissions sources. In 2002 and 2003, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency revised its rules to narrow the applicability of NSR to facility renovations. Congress then mandated a National Research Council study of the effects of the rules. An electricity-sector model - the Integrated Planning Model (IPM) - was used to explore the possible effects of the equipment replacement provision (ERP), the principal NSR change that was to affect the power-generation industry. The studies focused in particular on coal-fired electricity generatingmore » units, EGUs, for two reasons. First, coal-fired EGUs are important contributors of these pollutants, accounting for approximately 70 and 20% of nations SO{sub 2} and NOx emissions in 2004, respectively. Second, the shares of total capacity of large coal-fired EGUs that lack flue-gas desulfurization to control SO{sub 2} and selective catalytic reduction to reduce NOx emissions are 62 and 63% respectively. Although the analysis cannot predict effects on local emissions, assuming that the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) is implemented, we find that stringent enforcement of the previous NSR rules would likely lead to no or limited decreases in national emissions compared to policies such as ERP. Our results indicate that tighter emissions caps could achieve further decreases in national emissions more cost-effectively than NSR programs. 15 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.« less

  13. Fossil fuels in a sustainable energy future

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bechtel, T.F.

    1995-12-01

    The coal industry in the United States has become a world leader in safety, productivity, and environmental protection in the mining of coal. The {open_quotes}pick-and-shovel{close_quotes} miner with mangled limbs and black lung disease has been replaced by the highly skilled technicians that lead the world in tons per man-hour. The gob piles, polluted streams, and scared land are a thing of the past. The complementary efforts of the DOE and EPRI-funded programs in coal utilization R&D and the Clean Coal Technology Program commercial demonstrations, have positioned the power generation industry to utilize coal in a way that doesn`t pollute themore » air or water, keeps electrical power costs low, and avoids the mountains of waste material. This paper reviews the potential for advanced coal utilization technologies in new power generation applications as well as the repowering of existing plants to increase their output, raise their efficiency, and reduce pollution. It demonstrates the potential for these advanced coal-fueled plants to play a complementary role in future planning with the natural gas and oil fired units currently favored in the market place. The status of the US program to demonstrate these technologies at commercial scale is reviewed in some detail.« less

  14. Ground Penetrating Radar, a Method for Exploration and Monitoring of Coal Fires in China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gundelach, Volker

    2010-05-01

    Due to the climate change it is a global task to fight against gas emission of coal fires. In China exists many burning coal seams which should be extinguished. A Chinese-German initiative tries to find new technologies and solutions to control these fires. Most of the fires are close to the surface in arid areas. In that case GPR is a possible geophysical method to get detailed information about the structure of the soil. Mining activities and the burning coal are leaving voids which collapse or still exist as dangerous areas. With GPR it is possible to detect voids and clefts. Crevices are potential paths for oxygen transport from the surface to the fire. The knowledge of these structures would help to extinguish the fire. The heat of the burning coal changes the permittivity and the conductivity of the rock. This affects the radar signal and makes it possible to separate burning zones from intact zones. Monitoring of the burning zones helps to find optimal solutions for fire extinguishing strategies. Several field campaigns were made in China. One campaign was in the province Xinjiang with a 50 MHz system from Mala on a steep dipping coal seam. Other campaigns were in the Inner Mongolia with 40 MHz to 200 MHz antennae from GSSI on shallow dipping coal seams. The experiences from these measurements will be shown. The surveys were collected in rough terrain. The data from the unshielded antennae contained a lot of effects coming through the air. The limits of detecting crevices with GPR will be demonstrated. Some parts of the measurements over burning coal were influenced by strong anomalies of the magnetization. Modeling of the radar signal helps at the interpretation. Parts of the interpretation from the surveys can be validated by the outcrop of the investigated structures. A spatial visualization of the results is the basis for discussions.

  15. Lichen deterioration about a coal-fired steam electric generating plant

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Schmidt, E.L.; Zeyen, R.J.

    1979-01-01

    A survey of three common epiphytic species of foliose lichens was conducted about a coal-fired steam electric station in North-Central Minnesota during the summer of 1977 to assess general lichen health on a gradient basis from a point-source of air pollution. Health, as judged by abnormal form and color, of nearly 3500 lichen specimens was recorded in 35 vegetation survey plots from a total of 291 trees. Lichen discoloration and degeneration decreased with increased distance from the power plant, and little deterioration was observed beyond 3 miles. Within the plant vicinity, lichen damage was noted on tree boles facing themore » plant which were impacted with fly ash. Maximum damage of lichens followed the pattern of prevailing winds (NW-SE). Sulfur analysis of lichen thalli was not correleated with visible damage distribution tended to decrease at the most distant plots (30 mi. from source). Considering the sensitivity of foliose lichens to declining air quality (especially SO/sub 2/ pollution), pollution sources in the rural environment are bound to affect lichen communities, as this study indicates. More sophisticated lichen surveys coupled with future monitoring of pollution would be a valuable contribution to the general environmental impact assessment of coal-fired electrical energy production. 19 references, 3 figures, 1 table.« less

  16. CHARACTERIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF RESIDUES FROM COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined on December 15, 2000, that regulations are needed to control the risks of mercury air emissions from coal-fired power plants. The thrust of these new regulations is to remove mercury from the air stream of fossil-fuel-fire...

  17. 40 CFR 63.10000 - What are my general requirements for complying with this subpart?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... SOURCE CATEGORIES (CONTINUED) National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Coal- and Oil... of startup and shutdown; however, for coal-fired, liquid oil-fired, or solid oil-derived fuel-fired... associated air pollution control equipment and monitoring equipment, in a manner consistent with safety and...

  18. 40 CFR 63.10000 - What are my general requirements for complying with this subpart?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... SOURCE CATEGORIES (CONTINUED) National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Coal- and Oil... of startup and shutdown; however, for coal-fired, liquid oil-fired, or solid oil-derived fuel-fired... associated air pollution control equipment and monitoring equipment, in a manner consistent with safety and...

  19. Application of ICP-OES for Evaluating Energy Extraction and Production Wastewater Discharge Impacts on Surface Waters in Western Pennsylvania

    EPA Science Inventory

    Oil and gas extraction and coal-fired electrical power generating stations produce wastewaters that are treated and discharged to rivers in Western Pennsylvania with public drinking water system (PDWS) intakes. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) w...

  20. Evaluation of FGD-gypsum to improve forage production and reduce phosphorus lossed from Piedmont soils

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Flue gas desulfurization gypsum (FGD-gypsum), a byproduct from coal fired electricity generators, has the potential for beneficial use in agricultural systems as a soil amendment. Similar to mined gypsum it can improve soil chemical and physical properties and increase crop productivity. FGD-gypsum ...

  1. 40 CFR 96.2 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... limitation for the unit. Fossil fuel means natural gas, petroleum, coal, or any form of solid, liquid, or... in the measurement units required by subpart H of this part. Boiler means an enclosed fossil or other... generation or steam production. Combustion turbine means an enclosed fossil or other fuel-fired device that...

  2. 40 CFR 96.2 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... limitation for the unit. Fossil fuel means natural gas, petroleum, coal, or any form of solid, liquid, or... in the measurement units required by subpart H of this part. Boiler means an enclosed fossil or other... generation or steam production. Combustion turbine means an enclosed fossil or other fuel-fired device that...

  3. 40 CFR 96.2 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... limitation for the unit. Fossil fuel means natural gas, petroleum, coal, or any form of solid, liquid, or... in the measurement units required by subpart H of this part. Boiler means an enclosed fossil or other... generation or steam production. Combustion turbine means an enclosed fossil or other fuel-fired device that...

  4. 40 CFR 96.2 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... limitation for the unit. Fossil fuel means natural gas, petroleum, coal, or any form of solid, liquid, or... in the measurement units required by subpart H of this part. Boiler means an enclosed fossil or other... generation or steam production. Combustion turbine means an enclosed fossil or other fuel-fired device that...

  5. 40 CFR 96.2 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... limitation for the unit. Fossil fuel means natural gas, petroleum, coal, or any form of solid, liquid, or... in the measurement units required by subpart H of this part. Boiler means an enclosed fossil or other... generation or steam production. Combustion turbine means an enclosed fossil or other fuel-fired device that...

  6. Effect of pond ash on pen surface properties

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Maintaining adequate feedlot pen surfaces is expensive. Pond ash (PA), a coal-fired electrical generation by-product, has good support qualities. A study was conducted comparing the performance of pond ash (PA) surfaced pens with soil surface (SS) pens. Four pens of an eight pen series with dimensio...

  7. FLUE GAS DESULFURIZATION: THE STATE OF THE ART

    EPA Science Inventory

    Coal-fired electricity-generating plants may use SO2 scrubbers to meet the requirements of Phase II of the Acid Rain SO2 Reduction Program. Additionally, the use of scrubbers can result in reduction of Hg and other emissions from combustion sources. It is timely, therefore, to ex...

  8. 40 CFR 60.4160 - Submission of Hg allowance transfers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Times for Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Hg Allowance Transfers § 60.4160 Submission of Hg allowance transfers. An Hg authorized account representative seeking recordation of a Hg allowance transfer... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Submission of Hg allowance transfers...

  9. 40 CFR 60.4160 - Submission of Hg allowance transfers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... Times for Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Hg Allowance Transfers § 60.4160 Submission of Hg allowance transfers. An Hg authorized account representative seeking recordation of a Hg allowance transfer... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Submission of Hg allowance transfers...

  10. Distribution and Fate of Mercury in Pulverized Bituminous Coal-Fired Power Plants in Coal Energy-Dominant Huainan City, China.

    PubMed

    Chen, Bingyu; Liu, Guijian; Sun, Ruoyu

    2016-05-01

    A better understanding on the partitioning behavior of mercury (Hg) during coal combustion in large-scale coal-fired power plants is fundamental for drafting Hg-emission control regulations. Two large coal-fired utility boilers, equipped with electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) and a wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) system, respectively, in coal energy-dominant Huainan City, China, were selected to investigate the distribution and fate of Hg during coal combustion. In three sampling campaigns, we found that Hg in bottom ash was severely depleted with a relative enrichment (RE) index <7 %, whereas the RE index for fly ash (9-54%) was comparatively higher and variable. Extremely high Hg was concentrated in gypsum (≤4500 ng/g), which is produced in the WFGD system. Mass balance calculation shows that the shares of Hg in bottom ash, fly ash, WFGD products (gypsum, effluents, sludge), and stack emissions were <2, 17-32, 7-22, and 54-82%, respectively. The Hg-removal efficiencies of ESPs, WFGD, and ESPs + WFGD were 17-32, 10-29, and 36-46%, respectively. The Hg-emission factor of studied boilers was in a high range of 0.24-0.29 g Hg/t coal. We estimated that Hg emissions in all Huainan coal-fired power plants varied from 1.8 Mg in 2003 to 7.3 Mg in 2010.

  11. Firing of pulverized solvent refined coal

    DOEpatents

    Lennon, Dennis R.; Snedden, Richard B.; Foster, Edward P.; Bellas, George T.

    1990-05-15

    A burner for the firing of pulverized solvent refined coal is constructed and operated such that the solvent refined coal can be fired successfully without any performance limitations and without the coking of the solvent refined coal on the burner components. The burner is provided with a tangential inlet of primary air and pulverized fuel, a vaned diffusion swirler for the mixture of primary air and fuel, a center water-cooled conical diffuser shielding the incoming fuel from the heat radiation from the flame and deflecting the primary air and fuel steam into the secondary air, and a watercooled annulus located between the primary air and secondary air flows.

  12. The analysis of parameters of the cryogenic oxygen unit cooperating with power plant to realize oxy-fuel combustion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hnydiuk-Stefan, Anna; Składzień, Jan

    2015-03-01

    The paper examines from the thermodynamic point of view operation of coal fired power unit cooperating with the cryogenic oxygen unit, with a particular emphasis on the characteristic performance parameters of the oxygen unit. The relatively high purity technical oxygen produced in the oxygen unit is then used as the oxidant in the fluidized bed boiler of the modern coal fired power unit with electric power output of approximately 460 MW. The analyzed oxygen unit has a classical two-column structure with an expansion turbine (turboexpander), which allows the use of relatively low pressure initially compressed air. Multivariant calculations were performed, the main result being the loss of power and efficiency of the unit due to the need to ensure adequate driving power to the compressor system of the oxygen generating plant.

  13. Utilization of coal mine ventilation exhaust as combustion air in gas-fired turbines for electric and/or mechanical power generation. Semi-annual topical report, June 1995--August 1995

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    1995-12-01

    Methane emitted during underground coal mining operations is a hazard that is dealt with by diluting the methane with fresh air and exhausting the contaminated air to the atmosphere. Unfortunately this waste stream may contain more than 60% of the methane resource from the coal, and in the atmosphere the methane acts as a greenhouse gas with an effect about 24.5 times greater than CO{sub 2}. Though the waste stream is too dilute for normal recovery processes, it can be used as combustion air for a turbine-generator, thereby reducing the turbine fuel requirements while reducing emissions. Preliminary analysis indicates thatmore » such a system, built using standard equipment, is economically and environmentally attractive, and has potential for worldwide application.« less

  14. Radioactivity of coals and ash and slag wastes at coal-fired thermal power plants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krylov, D. A.; Sidorova, G. P.

    2013-04-01

    This paper presents an analysis of published data on the content of radioactive nuclides in coals originating from various coal deposits, and in ash and slag wastes produced at coal-fired thermal power plants, as well as in fly ash emitted from thermal power plants into the atmosphere. Problems related to the use of coals with an elevated content of natural radionuclides (NRNs) and methods of their solution implemented at the Urtuyskoe coalfield are dealt with. Data on the analysis of Transbaikal coals for the NRN content, as well as weighted mean content of uranium and thorium in coals from the Siberian Region, are given. In order to reduce irradiation of plant personnel and the population of the areas where coal producers and coal-fired thermal power plants are located, it is necessary to organize very careful control of the NRN content in both coals and products of their combustion that are released into the environment. To solve the problem related to the control of radioactivity, the centralized approach and creation of a proper normative base are needed. Experience gained in developing the Urtuyskoe coalfield shows that it is possible to create an efficient system of coal quality control with respect to the radiation hygiene factor and provide protection of the environment and health of the population.

  15. Particle and gas emissions from a simulated coal-burning household fire pit.

    PubMed

    Tian, Linwei; Lucas, Donald; Fischer, Susan L; Lee, S C; Hammond, S Katharine; Koshland, Catherine P

    2008-04-01

    An open fire was assembled with firebricks to simulate the household fire pit used in rural China, and 15 different coals from this area were burned to measure the gaseous and particulate emissions. Particle size distribution was studied with a microorifice uniform-deposit impactor (MOUDI). Over 90% of the particulate mass was attributed to sub-micrometer particles. The carbon balance method was used to calculate the emission factors. Emission factors for four pollutants (particulate matter, CO2, total hydrocarbons, and NOx) were 2-4 times higherfor bituminous coals than for anthracites. In past inventories of carbonaceous emissions used for climate modeling, these two types of coal were not treated separately. The dramatic emission factor difference between the two types of coal warrants attention in the future development of emission inventories.

  16. The adaption of coal quality to furnace structure

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhang, Z.; Shun, X.

    1996-12-31

    This paper gives the research result of coal quality adaption to furnace structure. The designing of a furnace is based on the coal quality that the furnace would fire. If the coal fired in the furnace differs from the design coal, there would be a lot of problems such as flame stability, coal burn-out rate and slagging problem for the furnace during its operation. In order to know the adaptional range of coal quality for an existing furnace the authors had chosen three different furnaces and 18 kinds of coals in their research work. To understand the coal combustion characteristicsmore » they introduce different indexes to show different processes of coal combustion. These indexes include Fz index which demonstrates the coal combustion based on its utility analyzed result, flame stability index, combustion characteristic index and char burn-out index which are based on the analyzed result of thermogravimetric characteristic. As a furnace is built up and set into operation its flame stability, burn-out rate and ash deposition are definite. If a furnace`s fuel changes its structure characteristics and operation condition will change. A relation between coal quality to furnace structure is based on a lot of regressional analysis results of existing furnaces and their fuels. Based on this relation the adaption of coal quality for a furnace are defined and the kinds of coal furnace fired are optimized to its design fuel.« less

  17. 76 FR 1192 - Notice of Lodging of Consent Decree Under the Clean Air Act

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-07

    ..., the Commonwealth will control particulate matter emissions at the facilities by either shutting down coal-fired boilers, installing air emission controls, or converting the coal-fired boilers to natural gas-fired boilers. The Commonwealth will pay a civil penalty of $300,000 for past violations. The...

  18. 40 CFR 63.10000 - What are my general requirements for complying with this subpart?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... Administrator which may include, but is not limited to, monitoring results, review of operation and maintenance... SOURCE CATEGORIES (CONTINUED) National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Coal- and Oil... of startup and shutdown; however, for coal-fired, liquid oil-fired, or solid oil-derived fuel-fired...

  19. Coal-Fired Power Plant Heat Rate Reductions

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    View a report that identifies systems and equipment in coal-fired power plants where efficiency improvements can be realized, and provides estimates of the resulting net plant heat rate reductions and costs for implementation.

  20. Minnesota Power Settlement

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    EPA and DOJ announced a Clean Air Act settlement with Minnesota Power, an ALLETE company based in Duluth, that will cover its three coal-fired power plants and one biomass-and-coal-fired steam and electricity cogeneration plan

  1. Utilization of Envisat/ers SAR Data Over the Jharia Coalfield, India for Subsidence Monitoring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Srivastava, Vinay Kumar

    2012-07-01

    Extended abstract Jharia coalfield the prime coking coal-producing belt in India, started commercial production in 1894. Mining in Jharia coalfield (JCF) is in form of both opencast and underground mining. The area is affected by various environmental hazards such as, coal fire, subsidence, land degradation and toxic gas emissions. Currently, coal fire and subsidence are the major problems in the coalfield and causes continuous changes in topography. Monitoring of such dynamic topographic changes in a hazard-prone mining belt is a critical input for land environmental management. Such temporal topographic changes over span of the time and even short term mining activity within a year could be done from Digital Elevation Model (DEM) generated using various space-borne techniques.. Among all techniques available for generating DEM, SAR Interferometry technique has been successful and effective which offers high resolution spatial detail to a level of few cm. DEM obtained from processing of SAR Interferometry (InSAR) technique using ERS SAR data of April 12 and 13, 1995 provides high spatial resolution images which is useful for monitoring and measuring dynamic changes in land topography. Several workers have successfully InSAR this technique for mapping and monitoring of changes in land surface due to various causes. Using ERS tandem data sets of 16 and 17 May 1996 passes, DInSAR map over the Jharia coal field has been obtained from the interferogram generated by integrating information from ground control points and precise high coherence orbital parameters. Further, using ENVISAT/ ASAR data of June 5 and 6, 2007 and integrating GPS measurements at 4 ground points where corner reflectors were preinstalled for getting bright spots on images and using orbital parameters, a slant range corrected image over the study area has been obtained. shows the plot of differential phases along a particular profile l over a subsidence region in Jharia coal field and the corresponding correlation coefficients. . Further an attempt has been made to delineate subsidence area in Jharia coal field using SAR Interoferometry technique..

  2. Coal Utilization in Schools: Issues and Answers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pusey, Robert H.

    Coal, at one-third the cost of natural gas and one-fifth the cost of oil, is our cheapest source of energy and is also in abundant supply. Because of significant technological advances, coal-fired equipment now approaches the clean and automatic operational characteristics of gas- and oil-fired boilers. For these reasons, and because schools are…

  3. Mercury capture within coal-fired power plant electrostatic precipitators: model evaluation.

    PubMed

    Clack, Herek L

    2009-03-01

    Efforts to reduce anthropogenic mercury emissions worldwide have recently focused on a variety of sources, including mercury emitted during coal combustion. Toward that end, much research has been ongoing seeking to develop new processes for reducing coal combustion mercury emissions. Among air pollution control processes that can be applied to coal-fired boilers, electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) are by far the most common, both on a global scale and among the principal countries of India, China, and the U.S. that burn coal for electric power generation. A previously reported theoretical model of in-flight mercury capture within ESPs is herein evaluated against data from a number of full-scale tests of activated carbon injection for mercury emissions control. By using the established particle size distribution of the activated carbon and actual or estimated values of its equilibrium mercury adsorption capacity, the incremental reduction in mercury concentration across each ESP can be predicted and compared to experimental results. Because the model does not incorporate kinetics associated with gas-phase mercury transformation or surface adsorption, the model predictions representthe mass-transfer-limited performance. Comparing field data to model results reveals many facilities performing at or near the predicted mass-transfer-limited maximum, particularly at low rates of sorbent injection. Where agreement is poor between field data and model predictions, additional chemical or physical phenomena may be responsible for reducing mercury removal efficiencies.

  4. The characterization of PM2.5 composition in flue gasses discharged into the air from selected coal-fueled power plants in Jilin Province, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Ye; Li, Zhi; Wang, Jian; Zhang, Dan; Gao, Yang; Zhang, He

    2018-02-01

    According to the installed capacity, coal type and the kinds of environmental protection facilities of coal-fired power plants in Jilin Province in China, five typical coal-fired units were chosen. PM2.5 from final stack outlet of five typical units was gain by Dekati PM2.5(Finland). The characteristics of PM2.5 composition in flue gases discharged into the air from selected coal-fueled power plants are analyzed in this paper.

  5. Mercury pollution in vegetables, grains and soils from areas surrounding coal-fired power plants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Rui; Wu, Han; Ding, Jing; Fu, Weimin; Gan, Lijun; Li, Yi

    2017-05-01

    Mercury contamination in food can pose serious health risks to consumers and coal-fired power plants have been identified as the major source of mercury emissions. To assess the current state of mercury pollution in food crops grown near coal-fired power plants, we measured the total mercury concentration in vegetables and grain crops collected from farms located near two coal-fired power plants. We found that 79% of vegetable samples and 67% of grain samples exceeded the PTWI's food safety standards. The mercury concentrations of soil samples were negatively correlated with distances from the studied coal-fired power plants, and the mercury contents in lettuce, amaranth, water spinach, cowpea and rice samples were correlated with the mercury contents in soil samples, respectively. Also, the mercury concentrations in vegetable leaves were much higher than those in roots and the mercury content of vegetable leaves decreased significantly after water rinses. Our calculation suggests that probable weekly intake of mercury for local residents, assuming all of their vegetables and grains are from their own farmland, may exceed the toxicologically tolerable values allowed, and therefore long-term consumptions of these contaminated vegetables and grains may pose serious health risks.

  6. Mercury pollution in vegetables, grains and soils from areas surrounding coal-fired power plants

    PubMed Central

    Li, Rui; Wu, Han; Ding, Jing; Fu, Weimin; Gan, Lijun; Li, Yi

    2017-01-01

    Mercury contamination in food can pose serious health risks to consumers and coal-fired power plants have been identified as the major source of mercury emissions. To assess the current state of mercury pollution in food crops grown near coal-fired power plants, we measured the total mercury concentration in vegetables and grain crops collected from farms located near two coal-fired power plants. We found that 79% of vegetable samples and 67% of grain samples exceeded the PTWI’s food safety standards. The mercury concentrations of soil samples were negatively correlated with distances from the studied coal-fired power plants, and the mercury contents in lettuce, amaranth, water spinach, cowpea and rice samples were correlated with the mercury contents in soil samples, respectively. Also, the mercury concentrations in vegetable leaves were much higher than those in roots and the mercury content of vegetable leaves decreased significantly after water rinses. Our calculation suggests that probable weekly intake of mercury for local residents, assuming all of their vegetables and grains are from their own farmland, may exceed the toxicologically tolerable values allowed, and therefore long-term consumptions of these contaminated vegetables and grains may pose serious health risks. PMID:28484233

  7. University coal research/historically black colleges and universities and other minority institutions contractors review meeting

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    2006-07-01

    A variety of papers/posters were presented on topics concerning power generation, including solid oxide fuel cells, hydrogen production, mercury as a combustion product, carbon dioxide separation from flue gas. A total of 31 presentations in slide/overview/viewgraph form and with a separate abstract are available online (one in abstract form only) and 24 poster papers (text). In addition 41 abstracts only are available. Papers of particular interest include: Hydrogen production from hydrogen sulfide in IGCC power plants; Oxidation of mercury in products of coal combustion; Computer aided design of advanced turbine aerofoil alloys for industrial gas turbines in coal fired environments;more » Developing engineered fuel using flyash and biomass; Conversion of hydrogen sulfide in coal gases to elemental sulfur with monolithic catalysts; Intelligent control via wireless sensor networks for advanced coal combustion systems; and Investment of fly ash and activated carbon obtained from pulverized coal boilers (poster).« less

  8. Size distribution of rare earth elements in coal ash

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Scott, Clinton T.; Deonarine, Amrika; Kolker, Allan; Adams, Monique; Holland, James F.

    2015-01-01

    Rare earth elements (REEs) are utilized in various applications that are vital to the automotive, petrochemical, medical, and information technology industries. As world demand for REEs increases, critical shortages are expected. Due to the retention of REEs during coal combustion, coal fly ash is increasingly considered a potential resource. Previous studies have demonstrated that coal fly ash is variably enriched in REEs relative to feed coal (e.g, Seredin and Dai, 2012) and that enrichment increases with decreasing size fractions (Blissett et al., 2014). In order to further explore the REE resource potential of coal ash, and determine the partitioning behavior of REE as a function of grain size, we studied whole coal and fly ash size-fractions collected from three U.S commercial-scale coal-fired generating stations burning Appalachian or Powder River Basin coal. Whole fly ash was separated into , 5 um, to 5 to 10 um and 10 to 100 um particle size fractions by mechanical shaking using trace-metal clean procedures. In these samples REE enrichments in whole fly ash ranges 5.6 to 18.5 times that of feedcoals. Partitioning results for size separates relative to whole coal and whole fly ash will also be reported. 

  9. Evaluation of Switchgrass as a co-firing fuel in the Southeast

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Southern Research Institute

    2001-11-01

    The ''Evaluation of Switchgrass as a Co-Firing Fuel in the Southeast'' is a comprehensive project incorporating the highest yielding variety of switchgrass, unique harvesting methods, detailed parametric evaluations in a state-of-the-art combustion research facility, and a full-scale demonstration in a tangentially-fired Alabama Power Company power boiler. These features were incorporated into the project to reduce the technical and economic risk of yielding a practical renewable energy option for the southeastern US. There are particular incentives for proving the feasibility of switchgrass as a biomass fuel in the southeastern US. Even though agriculture is a predominant industry much of the landmore » in this region is under-utilized, marginal farmland. As a result, some of the poorest counties in the nation are located in this region. The yields of switchgrass are substantially higher in the southeastern US than in other regions. Yield, or productivity, is a critical factor in determining the feasibility of biomass fuel. Yields in small research plots in the region averaged 25.8 Mg/ha (11.5 tons/acre) over the period 1990-1994. Achievable commercial yield in the southeastern US will likely be about 15.7 Mg/ha (7 tons/acre) with currently available varieties. Use of switchgrass as a supplemental fuel for coal-fired utility boilers could create an enormous market for growers. The Southern Company has 23,000 MW of coal-fired capacity in the southeast. If only 1% of this capacity was provided by switchgrass instead of coal, 74,500 ha (184,000 acres) of production would be needed. This would generate 1,288,000 tons of switchgrass which, if valued at $35/ton, would amount to over $45 million.« less

  10. Think Global, Act Local--A Power Generation Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dugdale, Pam

    2012-01-01

    This paper describes an exercise completed by sixth form college students to compare the power output from a local coal fired power station with the potential power output from renewable sources including wind farms, solar farms, and the proposed Mersey Tidal Barrage scheme. (Contains 1 figure, 1 table, and 3 photos.)

  11. Feasibility of mercury removal from simulated flue gas by activated chars made from poultry manures

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Increased emphasis on reduction of mercury emissions from coal fired electric power plants has resulted in environmental regulations that may in the future require application of activated carbons as mercury sorbents for mercury removal. At the same time, the quantity of poultry manure generated eac...

  12. 40 CFR 63.9983 - Are any EGUs not subject to this subpart?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ..., recirculated flue gases or exhaust gases from other sources (such as stationary gas turbines, internal... subject to this subpart. (a) Any unit designated as a stationary combustion turbine, other than an... utility steam generating unit that is not a coal- or oil-fired EGU and combusts natural gas for more than...

  13. 40 CFR 63.9983 - Are any EGUs not subject to this subpart?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ..., recirculated flue gases or exhaust gases from other sources (such as stationary gas turbines, internal... subject to this subpart. (a) Any unit designated as a stationary combustion turbine, other than an... utility steam generating unit that is not a coal- or oil-fired EGU and combusts natural gas for more than...

  14. 40 CFR 63.9983 - Are any EGUs not subject to this subpart?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ..., recirculated flue gases or exhaust gases from other sources (such as stationary gas turbines, internal... subject to this subpart. (a) Any unit designated as a stationary combustion turbine, other than an... utility steam generating unit that is not a coal- or oil-fired EGU and combusts natural gas for more than...

  15. Ecosystem recovery following selenium contamination in a freshwater reservoir

    Treesearch

    A. Dennis Lemly

    1997-01-01

    Belews Lake, North Carolina, was contaminated by selenium in wastewater released from a coal-fired electric generating facility during 1974-1985. Selenium bioaccumulated in aquatic food chains and caused severe reproductive failure and teratogenic deformities in fish. Beginning in 1986, the electric utility company changed its ash disposal practices and selenium-laden...

  16. Comparing soil and pond ash feedlot pen surfaces for environmental management

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Removing manure and replacing soil to maintain pen surfaces is expensive. Pond ash (PA), a coal-fired electrical generation by-product, has good support qualities. A study was conducted comparing the performance of pond ash (PA) surfaced pens with soil surface (SS) pens. Four pens of an eight pen se...

  17. 40 CFR 63.11237 - What definitions apply to this subpart?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... controlled flame combustion in which water is heated to recover thermal energy in the form of steam and/or... this definition. Coal subcategory includes any boiler that burns any solid fossil fuel and no more than... included in this definition. Electric utility steam generating unit (EGU) means a fossil fuel-fired...

  18. 40 CFR 63.11237 - What definitions apply to this subpart?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... controlled flame combustion in which water is heated to recover thermal energy in the form of steam and/or... this definition. Coal subcategory includes any boiler that burns any solid fossil fuel and no more than... included in this definition. Electric utility steam generating unit (EGU) means a fossil fuel-fired...

  19. 40 CFR 52.1881 - Control strategy: Sulfur oxides (sulfur dioxide).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... sulfur oxides. (iii) Fossil fuel means natural gas, refinery fuel gas, coke oven gas, petroleum, coal and any form of solid, liquid, or gaseous fuel derived from such materials. (iv) Fossil fuel-fired steam generating unit means a furnace or boiler used in the process of burning fossil fuel for the purpose of...

  20. 40 CFR 52.1881 - Control strategy: Sulfur oxides (sulfur dioxide).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... sulfur oxides. (iii) Fossil fuel means natural gas, refinery fuel gas, coke oven gas, petroleum, coal and any form of solid, liquid, or gaseous fuel derived from such materials. (iv) Fossil fuel-fired steam generating unit means a furnace or boiler used in the process of burning fossil fuel for the purpose of...

  1. 40 CFR 52.1881 - Control strategy: Sulfur oxides (sulfur dioxide).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... sulfur oxides. (iii) Fossil fuel means natural gas, refinery fuel gas, coke oven gas, petroleum, coal and any form of solid, liquid, or gaseous fuel derived from such materials. (iv) Fossil fuel-fired steam generating unit means a furnace or boiler used in the process of burning fossil fuel for the purpose of...

  2. 40 CFR 52.1881 - Control strategy: Sulfur oxides (sulfur dioxide).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... sulfur oxides. (iii) Fossil fuel means natural gas, refinery fuel gas, coke oven gas, petroleum, coal and any form of solid, liquid, or gaseous fuel derived from such materials. (iv) Fossil fuel-fired steam generating unit means a furnace or boiler used in the process of burning fossil fuel for the purpose of...

  3. 40 CFR 52.1881 - Control strategy: Sulfur oxides (sulfur dioxide).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... sulfur oxides. (iii) Fossil fuel means natural gas, refinery fuel gas, coke oven gas, petroleum, coal and any form of solid, liquid, or gaseous fuel derived from such materials. (iv) Fossil fuel-fired steam generating unit means a furnace or boiler used in the process of burning fossil fuel for the purpose of...

  4. 40 CFR 60.4124 - Hg budget permit revisions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Hg budget permit revisions. 60.4124... Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Permits § 60.4124 Hg budget permit revisions. Except as provided in § 60.4123(b), the permitting authority will revise the Hg Budget permit, as necessary, in...

  5. 40 CFR 60.4121 - Submission of Hg budget permit applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Submission of Hg budget permit... Times for Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Permits § 60.4121 Submission of Hg budget permit applications. (a) Duty to apply. The Hg designated representative of any Hg Budget source required to have a...

  6. Framework of risk assessment in relation to FGD-gypsum use as agricultural amendment

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Due to the concerns by EPA of air pollution from coal fired power plants, the industry are building and retrofitting existing facilities to remove more impurities from the environment. Industry has introduced removal of fly ash contaminates before SO2 removal, allowing generation of FGD-gypsum with...

  7. 77 FR 49830 - Notice of Lodging of Proposed Amendment to the Consent Decree Under the Clean Air Act

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-17

    ... control particulate matter emissions at its Huntingdon, Pennsylvania facility (``the Huntingdon facility'') by either shutting down coal-fired boilers, installing air emission controls on the existing unit, or converting the coal-fired boilers to natural gas-fired boilers by June 30, 2012. The Commonwealth did not...

  8. A Techno-Economic Assessment of Hybrid Cooling Systems for Coal- and Natural-Gas-Fired Power Plants with and without Carbon Capture and Storage.

    PubMed

    Zhai, Haibo; Rubin, Edward S

    2016-04-05

    Advanced cooling systems can be deployed to enhance the resilience of thermoelectric power generation systems. This study developed and applied a new power plant modeling option for a hybrid cooling system at coal- or natural-gas-fired power plants with and without amine-based carbon capture and storage (CCS) systems. The results of the plant-level analyses show that the performance and cost of hybrid cooling systems are affected by a range of environmental, technical, and economic parameters. In general, when hot periods last the entire summer, the wet unit of a hybrid cooling system needs to share about 30% of the total plant cooling load in order to minimize the overall system cost. CCS deployment can lead to a significant increase in the water use of hybrid cooling systems, depending on the level of CO2 capture. Compared to wet cooling systems, widespread applications of hybrid cooling systems can substantially reduce water use in the electric power sector with only a moderate increase in the plant-level cost of electricity generation.

  9. The immersion freezing behavior of ash particles from wood and brown coal burning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grawe, Sarah; Augustin-Bauditz, Stefanie; Hartmann, Susan; Hellner, Lisa; Pettersson, Jan B. C.; Prager, Andrea; Stratmann, Frank; Wex, Heike

    2016-11-01

    It is generally known that ash particles from coal combustion can trigger ice nucleation when they interact with water vapor and/or supercooled droplets. However, data on the ice nucleation of ash particles from different sources, including both anthropogenic and natural combustion processes, are still scarce. As fossil energy sources still fuel the largest proportion of electric power production worldwide, and biomass burning contributes significantly to the global aerosol loading, further data are needed to better assess the ice nucleating efficiency of ash particles. In the framework of this study, we found that ash particles from brown coal (i.e., lignite) burning are up to 2 orders of magnitude more ice active in the immersion mode below -32 °C than those from wood burning. Fly ash from a coal-fired power plant was shown to be the most efficient at nucleating ice. Furthermore, the influence of various particle generation methods on the freezing behavior was studied. For instance, particles were generated either by dispersion of dry sample material, or by atomization of ash-water suspensions, and then led into the Leipzig Aerosol Cloud Interaction Simulator (LACIS) where the immersion freezing behavior was examined. Whereas the immersion freezing behavior of ashes from wood burning was not affected by the particle generation method, it depended on the type of particle generation for ash from brown coal. It was also found that the common practice of treating prepared suspensions in an ultrasonic bath to avoid aggregation of particles led to an enhanced ice nucleation activity. The findings of this study suggest (a) that ash from brown coal burning may influence immersion freezing in clouds close to the source and (b) that the freezing behavior of ash particles may be altered by a change in sample preparation and/or particle generation.

  10. Solid Waste from the Operation and Decommissioning of Power Plants

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Brown, Marilyn Ann; D'Arcy, Daniel; Lapsa, Melissa Voss

    This baseline report examines the solid waste generated by the U.S. electric power industry, including both waste streams resulting from electricity generation and wastes resulting from the decommissioning of power plants. Coal and nuclear plants produce large volumes of waste during electricity generation, and this report describes the policies and procedures for handling these materials. Natural gas and oil-fired power plants face similar waste challenges. Renewables considered in this baseline report include hydropower, wind and solar.

  11. Applicability of the mixture of bituminous coal and anthracite to conventional pulverized coal firing boiler

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Takano, Shin-Ichi; Kiga, Takashi; Miyamae, Shigehiro

    1994-12-31

    In some future, it is expected for Japanese power stations to be hard to get a high-grade coal like a bituminous coal. We conducted therefore pilot scale tests of pulverized blends of bituminous coal and anthracite using a 1.2MWt tunnel furnace in order to evaluate the applicability of the blends of bituminous coal and anthracite to conventional pulverized coal firing boilers. One kind of bituminous coal and two kinds of anthracite, one was of low ash content and another was of high ash content, were prepared for the test. Previously to pilot scale tests, coal properties and ash properties ofmore » the blends of bituminous coal and anthracite were analyzed to estimate the characteristics of combustion, ash deposition, and so on. In the test, we investigated the combustion efficiency, NOx emission, characteristics of ignition stability and grindability changing the blend rate of anthracite. Results of our study indicated that the critical restrictions on the blending rate of anthracite were unburnt carbon in fly ash and NOx emission as for coals tested. The acceptable limitation on blending rate of anthracite was 10 and 20%, respectively for two kinds of conventional pulverized coal fired boiler. Concerning to the grindability, it became worse with increasing the blending rate of anthracite from grindability test using a roller mill, while it became better estimating from HGI.« less

  12. Assessment on the Benefits from Energy Structure Optimization and Coal-fired Emission Control in Beijing: 1998-2013

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zong, Y.; He, K.; Zhang, Q.; Hong, C.

    2016-12-01

    Coal has long been an important energy type of Beijing's energy consumption. Since 1998, to improve urban air quality, Beijing has vigorously promoted the structure optimization of energy consumption. Primary measures included the implementation of strict emission standards for coal-fired power plant boilers, subsidized replacement and after-treatment retrofit of coal-fired boilers, the mandatory application of low-sulfur coal, and the accelerated use of natural gas, imported electricity and other clean energy. This work attempts to assess the emission reduction benefits on measures of three sectors, including replacing with clean energy and application of end-of-pipe control technologies in power plants, comprehensive control on coal-fired boilers and residential heating renovation. This study employs the model of Multi-resolution Emission Inventory for China (MEIC) to quantify emission reductions from upfront measures. These control measures have effectively reduced local emissions of major air pollutants in Beijing. The total emissions of PM2.5, PM10, SO2 and NOX from power plants in Beijing are estimated to have reduced 14.5 kt, 23.7 kt, 45.0 kt and 7.6 kt from 1998 to 2013, representing reductions of 86%, 87%, 85% and 16%, respectively. Totally, 14.3 kt, 24.0 kt, 136 kt and 48.7kt of PM2.5, PM10, SO2 and NOX emissions have been mitigated due to the comprehensive control measures on coal-fired boilers from 1998 to 2013. Residential heating renovation projects by replacing coal with electricity in Beijing's conventional old house areas contribute to emission reductions of 630 t, 870 t, 2070 t and 790 t for PM2.5, PM10, SO2 and NOX, respectively.

  13. Energy consumption and energy-saving potential analysis of pollutant abatement systems in a 1000MW coal-fired power plant.

    PubMed

    Yang, Hang; Zhang, Yongxin; Zheng, Chenghang; Wu, Xuecheng; Chen, Linghong; Gao, Xiang; Fu, Joshua S

    2018-05-10

    The pollutant abatement systems are widely applied in the coal-fired power sector and the energy consumption was considered an important part of the auxiliary power. An energy consumption analysis and assessment model of pollutant abatement systems in a power unit was developed based on the dynamic parameters and technology. The energy consumption of pollutant abatement systems in a 1000 MW coal-fired power unit which meet the ultra-low emission limits and the factors of operating parameters including unit load and inlet concentration of pollutants on the operating power were analyzed. The results show that the total power consumption of the pollutant abatement systems accounted for 1.27% of the gross power generation during the monitoring period. The WFGD system consumed 67% of the rate while the SCR and ESP systems consumed 8.9% and 24.1%. The power consumption rate of pollutant abatement systems decreased with the increase of unit load and increased with the increase of the inlet concentration of pollutants. The operation adjustment was also an effective method to increase the energy efficiency. For example, the operation adjustment of slurry circulation pumps could promote the energy-saving operation of WFGD system. Implication Statement The application of pollutant abatement technologies increases the internal energy consumption of the power plant, which will lead to an increase of power generation costs. The real-time energy consumption of the different pollutant abatement systems in a typical power unit is analyzed based on the dynamic operating data. Further, the influence of different operating parameters on the operating power of the system and the possible energy-saving potential are analyzed.

  14. Potassic zeolites from Brazilian coal ash for use as a fertilizer in agriculture.

    PubMed

    Flores, Camila Gomes; Schneider, Helena; Marcilio, Nilson Romeu; Ferret, Lizete; Oliveira, João Carlos Pinto

    2017-12-01

    Brazilian coal has an ash content ranging from 30 to 50% by weight. Consequently, its use in coal-fired thermoelectric for power production generates a lot of waste. The construction sector is the largest consumer of coal ash, but it cannot absorb the entire amount generated. Thus, other applications for coal ash should be studied in aim to optimize the use of this industrial waste. This research had as focus to synthesize potassic zeolite from of the coal ash into on potassium fertilizer for the grown wheat plant. In this work, it was used a subbituminous coal from Mina do Leão (RS, Brazil) presenting 48.7% ash content on a dry basis. Concerning the synthesis of potassic zeolite, it was adopted the conventional method of hydrothermal treatment with potassium hydroxide. A schedule of experiments was conducted in order to define the optimum condition of zeolite synthesis that was then used an alkaline solution of 5M KOH with a reaction time of 24h at 150°C. According to this procedure, it was obtained a zeolite with a single crystalline phase, identified through X-ray diffraction as Merlinoite. Subsequently, it was performed a set of tests using potassic zeolite asa fertilizer for plants in a greenhouse. The synthesized potassic zeolite showed a good potential for its use as fertilizer in agriculture. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Advanced steam power plant concepts with optimized life-cycle costs: A new approach for maximum customer benefit

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Seiter, C.

    1998-07-01

    The use of coal power generation applications is currently enjoying a renaissance. New highly efficient and cost-effective plant concepts together with environmental protection technologies are the main factors in this development. In addition, coal is available on the world market at attractive prices and in many places it is more readily available than gas. At the economical leading edge, standard power plant concepts have been developed to meet the requirements of emerging power markets. These concepts incorporate the high technological state-of-the-art and are designed to achieve lowest life-cycle costs. Low capital cost, fuel costs and operating costs in combination withmore » shortest lead times are the main assets that make these plants attractive especially for IPPs and Developers. Other aspects of these comprehensive concepts include turnkey construction and the willingness to participate in BOO/BOT projects. One of the various examples of such a concept, the 2 x 610-MW Paiton Private Power Project Phase II in Indonesia, is described in this paper. At the technological leading edge, Siemens has always made a major contribution and was pacemaker for new developments in steam power plant technology. Modern coal-fired steam power plants use computer-optimized process and plant design as well as advanced materials, and achieve efficiencies exceeding 45%. One excellent example of this high technology is the world's largest lignite-fired steam power plant Schwarze Pumpe in Germany, which is equipped with two 800 MW Siemens steam turbine generators with supercritical steam parameters. The world's largest 50-Hz single-shaft turbine generator with supercritical steam parameters rated at 1025 MW for the Niederaussem lignite-fired steam power plant in Germany is a further example of the sophisticated Siemens steam turbine technology and sets a new benchmark in this field.« less

  16. Coal-fired high performance power generating system. Quarterly progress report, October 1, 1994--December 31, 1994

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    1995-08-01

    This report covers work carried out under Task 3, Preliminary R and D, under contract DE-AC22-92PC91155, {open_quotes}Engineering Development of a Coal-Fired High Performance Power Generation System{close_quotes} between DOE Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center and United Technologies Research Center. The goals of the program are to develop a coal-fired high performance power generation system (HIPPS) by the year 2000 that is capable of (1) > 47% thermal efficiency; (2) NO{sub x}, SO{sub x} and particulates {<=}25% NSPS; (3) cost {>=}65% of heat input; (4) all solid wastes benign. In our design consideration, we have tried to render all waste streams benign andmore » if possible convert them to a commercial product. It appears that vitrified slag has commercial values. If the flyash is reinjected through the furnace, along with the dry bottom ash, then the amount of the less valuable solid waste stream (ash) can be minimized. A limitation on this procedure arises if it results in the buildup of toxic metal concentrations in either the slag, the flyash or other APCD components. We have assembled analytical tools to describe the progress of specific toxic metals in our system. The outline of the analytical procedure is presented in the first section of this report. The strengths and corrosion resistance of five candidate refractories have been studied in this quarter. Some of the results are presented and compared for selected preparation conditions (mixing, drying time and drying temperatures). A 100 hour pilot-scale stagging combustor test of the prototype radiant panel is being planned. Several potential refractory brick materials are under review and five will be selected for the first 100 hour test. The design of the prototype panel is presented along with some of the test requirements.« less

  17. CONTROLLING MULTIPLE EMISSIONS FROM COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The paper presents and analyzes nine existing and novel control technologies designed to achieve multipollutant emissions reductions. It provides an evaluation of multipollutant emission control technologies that are potentially available for coal-fired power plants of 25 MW capa...

  18. Carbon dioxide emission factors for U.S. coal by origin and destination

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Quick, J.C.

    2010-01-01

    This paper describes a method that uses published data to calculate locally robust CO2 emission factors for U.S. coal. The method is demonstrated by calculating CO2 emission factors by coal origin (223 counties, in 1999) and destination (479 power plants, in 2005). Locally robust CO2 emission factors should improve the accuracy and verification of greenhouse gas emission measurements from individual coal-fired power plants. Based largely on the county origin, average emission factors for U.S. lignite, subbituminous, bituminous, and anthracite coal produced during 1999 were 92.97,91.97,88.20, and 98.91 kg CO2/GJgross, respectively. However, greater variation is observed within these rank classes than between them, which limits the reliability of CO2 emission factors specified by coal rank. Emission factors calculated by destination (power plant) showed greater variation than those listed in the Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID), which exhibit an unlikely uniformity that is inconsistent with the natural variation of CO2 emission factors for U.S. coal. ?? 2010 American Chemical Society.

  19. High Temperature Behavior of Cr3C2-NiCr Coatings in the Actual Coal-Fired Boiler Environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bhatia, Rakesh; Sidhu, Hazoor Singh; Sidhu, Buta Singh

    2015-03-01

    Erosion-corrosion is a serious problem observed in steam-powered electricity generation plants, and industrial waste incinerators. In the present study, four compositions of Cr3C2-(Ni-20Cr) alloy coating powder were deposited by high-velocity oxy-fuel spray technique on T-91 boiler tube steel. The cyclic studies were performed in a coal-fired boiler at 1123 K ± 10 K (850 °C ± 10 °C). X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray analysis and elemental mapping analysis techniques were used to analyze the corrosion products. All the coatings deposited on T-91 boiler tube steel imparted hot corrosion resistance. The 65 pctCr3C2 -35 pct (Ni-20Cr)-coated T-91 steel sample performed better than all other coated samples in the given environment.

  20. Sulfur-bearing coatings on fly ash from a coal-fired power plant: Composition, origin, and influence on ash alteration

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fishman, N.S.; Rice, C.A.; Breit, G.N.; Johnson, R.D.

    1999-01-01

    Fly ash samples collected from two locations in the exhaust stream of a coal-fired power plant differ markedly with respect to the abundance of thin (???0.1 ??m) sulfur-rich surface coatings that are observable by scanning electron microscopy. The coatings, tentatively identified as an aluminum-potassium-sulfate phase, probably form upon reaction between condensed sulfuric acid aerosols and glass surfaces, and are preferentially concentrated on ash exposed to exhaust stream gases for longer. The coatings are highly soluble and if sufficiently abundant, can impart an acidic pH to solutions initially in contact with ash. These observations suggest that proposals for ash use and predictions of ash behavior during disposal should consider the transient, acid-generating potential of some ash fractions and the possible effects on initial ash leachability and alteration. ?? 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.

  1. Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) Engineering Test Facility (ETF) 200 MWe power plant. Conceptual Design Engineering Report (CDER). Volume 2: Engineering. Volume 3: Costs and schedules

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    1981-09-01

    Engineering design details for the principal systems, system operating modes, site facilities, and structures of an engineering test facility (ETF) of a 200 MWE power plant are presented. The ETF resembles a coal-fired steam power plant in many ways. It is analogous to a conventional plant which has had the coal combustor replaced with the MHD power train. Most of the ETF components are conventional. They can, however, be sized or configured differently or perform additional functions from those in a conventional coal power plant. The boiler not only generates steam, but also performs the functions of heating the MHD oxidant, recovering seed, and controlling emissions.

  2. Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) Engineering Test Facility (ETF) 200 MWe power plant. Conceptual Design Engineering Report (CDER). Volume 2: Engineering. Volume 3: Costs and schedules

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1981-01-01

    Engineering design details for the principal systems, system operating modes, site facilities, and structures of an engineering test facility (ETF) of a 200 MWE power plant are presented. The ETF resembles a coal-fired steam power plant in many ways. It is analogous to a conventional plant which has had the coal combustor replaced with the MHD power train. Most of the ETF components are conventional. They can, however, be sized or configured differently or perform additional functions from those in a conventional coal power plant. The boiler not only generates steam, but also performs the functions of heating the MHD oxidant, recovering seed, and controlling emissions.

  3. Behavior of fluorine and chlorine in Spanish coal fired power plants with pulverized coal boilers and fluidized bed boiler.

    PubMed

    López-Vilariño, J M; Fernández-Martínez, G; Turnes-Carou, I; Muinategui-Lorenzo, S; López-Mahía, P; Prada-Rodríguez, D

    2003-06-01

    Behavior and contents of fluorine and chlorine in coal feedstock, combustion wastes (slag and fly ash) and emissions were studied in five conventional coal fired power plants and in a fluidized bed coal power plant. The halide levels found in the used coal were quite low. Mass balances and emission factors were calculated. The volatility of these elements makes the gaseous emission the main target between the residues. The influence of combustion parameters is not clearly established. Several analytical techniques (ion selective electrodes, capillary electrophoresis and ion chromatography) are employed to determinate the halide concentration in the different samples taken in the power plants studied (coal, slag, fly ash and flue gases).

  4. Emissions During Co-Firing of RDF-5 with Coal in a 22 t/h Steam Bubbling Fluidized Bed Boiler

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wan, Hou-Peng; Chen, Jia-Yuan; Juch, Ching-I.; Chang, Ying-Hsi; Lee, Hom-Ti

    The co-firing of biomass and fossil fuel in the same power plant is one of the most important issues when promoting the utilization of renewable energy in the world. Recently, the co-firing of coal together with biomass fuel, such as "densified refuse derived fuel" (d-RDF or RDF-5) or RPF (refuse paper & plastic fuel) from waste, has been considered as an environmentally sound and economical approach to both waste remediation and energy production in the world. Because of itscomplex characteristics when compared to fossil fuel, potential problems, such as combustion system stability, the corrosion of heat transfer tubes, the qualities of the ash, and the emissionof pollutants, are major concerns when co-firing the biomass fuel with fossil fuel in a traditional boiler. In this study, co-firing of coal with RDF-5 was conducted in a 22t/h bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) steam boiler to investigate the feasibility of utilizing RDF-5 as a sustainable fuels in a commercial coal-fired steam BFB boiler. The properties of the fly ash, bottom ash, and the emission of pollutants are analyzed and discussed in this study.

  5. [Predicting low NOx combustion property of a coal-fired boiler].

    PubMed

    Zhou, Hao; Mao, Jianbo; Chi, Zuohe; Jiang, Xiao; Wang, Zhenhua; Cen, Kefa

    2002-03-01

    More attention was paid to the low NOx combustion property of the high capacity tangential firing boiler, but the NOx emission and unburned carbon content in fly ash of coal burned boiler were complicated, they were affected by many factors, such as coal character, boiler's load, air distribution, boiler style, burner style, furnace temperature, excess air ratio, pulverized coal fineness and the uniformity of the air and coal distribution, etc. In this paper, the NOx emission property and unburned carbon content in fly ash of a 600 MW utility tangentially firing coal burned boiler was experimentally investigated, and taking advantage of the nonlinear dynamics characteristics and self-learning characteristics of artificial neural network, an artificial neural network model on low NOx combustion property of the high capacity boiler was developed and verified. The results illustrated that such a model can predicate the NOx emission concentration and unburned carbon content under various operating conditions, if combined with the optimization algorithm, the operator can find the best operation condition of the low NOx combustion.

  6. Constructing a sustainable power sector in China: current and future emissions of coal-fired power plants from 2010 to 2030

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tong, D.; Zhang, Q.

    2017-12-01

    As the largest energy infrastructure in China, power sector consumed more coal than any other sector and threatened air quality and greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement target. In this work, we assessed the evolution of coal-fired power plants in China during 2010-2030 and the evolution of associated emissions for the same period by using a unit-based emission projection model which integrated the historical power plants information, turnover of the future power plant fleet, and the evolution of end-of-pipe control technologies. We found that, driven by the stringent environmental legislation, SO2, NOx, and PM2.5 emissions from China's coal-fired power plants decreased by 49%, 45%, and 24% respectively during 2010-2015, comparing to 14% increase of coal consumption and 15% increase in CO2 emissions. We estimated that under current national energy development planning, coal consumption and CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants will continue to increase until 2030, in which against the China's Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) targets. Early retirement of old and low-efficient power plants will cumulatively reduce 2.2 Pg CO2 emissions from the baseline scenario during 2016-2030, but still could not curb CO2 emissions from the peak before 2030. Owing to the implementation of "near zero" emission control policy, we projected that emissions of air pollutants will significantly decrease during the same period under all scenarios, indicating the decoupling trends of air pollutants and CO2 emissions. Although with limited direct emission reduction benefits, increasing operating hours of power plants could avoid 236 GW of new power plants construction, which could indirectly reduce emissions embodied in the construction activity. Our results identified a more sustainable pathway for China's coal-fired power plants, which could reduce air pollutant emissions, improve the energy efficiency, and slow down the construction of new units. However, continuous construction of new coal-fired power plants driven by increased electricity demand would pose a potential threat to climate change mitigation and China's peak carbon pledge, and more aggressive CO2 emission reduction policy should be implemented in the future.

  7. MERCURY CONTROL IN MUNICIPAL WASTE COMBUSTORS AND COAL-FIRED UTILITIES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Control of mercury (Hg) emissions from municipal waste combustors (MWCs) and coal-fired utilities has attracted attention due to current and potential regulations. Among several techniques evaluated for Hg control, dry sorbent injection (primarily injection of activated carbon) h...

  8. Economic comparison of fabric filters and electrostatic precipitators for particulate control on coal-fired utility boilers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cukor, P. M.; Chapman, R. A.

    1978-01-01

    The uncertainties and associated costs involved in selecting and designing a particulate control device to meet California's air emission regulations are considered. The basic operating principles of electrostatic precipitators and fabric filters are discussed, and design parameters are identified. The size and resulting cost of the control device as a function of design parameters is illustrated by a case study for an 800 MW coal-fired fired utility boiler burning a typical southwestern subbituminous coal. The cost of selecting an undersized particulate control device is compared with the cost of selecting an oversized device.

  9. Co-firing coal and biomass blends and their influence on the post-combustion CO2 capture installation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Więckol-Ryk, Angelika; Smoliński, Adam

    2017-10-01

    Co-firing of biomass with coal for energy production is a well-known technology and plays an important role in the electricity sector. The post-combustion capture integrated with biomass-fired power plants (Bio-CCS) seems to be a new alternative for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This study refers to the best known and advanced technology for post-combustion CO2 capture (PCC) based on a chemical absorption in monoethanolamine (MEA). The co-firing of hard coal with four types of biomass was investigated using a laboratory fixed bed reactor system. The comparison of gaseous products emitted from the combustion of coal and different biomass blends were determined using gas chromatography. Research proved that co-firing of biomass in fossil fuel power plants is beneficial for PCC process. It may also reduce the corrosion of CO2 capture installation. The oxygen concentration in the flue gases from hard coal combustion was comparable with the respective value for a fuel blend of biomass content of 20% w/w. It was also noted that an increase in biomass content in a sample from 20 to 40 % w/w increased the concentration of oxygen in the flue gas streams. However, this concentration should not have a significant impact on the rate of amine oxidative degradation.

  10. Conceptual design of closed Brayton cycle for coal-fired power generation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shah, R. P.; Corman, J. C.

    1977-01-01

    The objectives to be realized in developing a closed cycle gas turbine are (1) to exploit high temperature gas turbine technology while maintaining a working fluid which is free from combustion gas contamination, (2) to achieve compact turbo-equipment designs through pressurization of the working fluid, and (3) to obtain relatively simple cycle configurations. The technical/economic performance of a specific closed cycle gas turbine system was evaluated through the development of a conceptual plant and system design. This energy conversion system is designed for electric utility service and to utilize coal directly in an environmentally acceptable manner.

  11. 40 CFR 60.4176 - Additional requirements to provide heat input data.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Additional requirements to provide heat... Compliance Times for Coal-Fired Electric Steam Generating Units Monitoring and Reporting § 60.4176 Additional requirements to provide heat input data. The owner or operator of a Hg Budget unit that monitors and reports Hg...

  12. 40 CFR 63.9991 - What emission limitations, work practice standards, and operating limits must I meet?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... Pollutants: Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units Emission Limitations and Work... this subpart only if your EGU: (1) Has a system using wet or dry flue gas desulfurization technology... operate the wet or dry flue gas desulfurization technology installed on the unit consistent with § 63...

  13. 40 CFR 63.9991 - What emission limitations, work practice standards, and operating limits must I meet?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... Pollutants: Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units Emission Limitations and Work... this subpart only if your EGU: (1) Has a system using wet or dry flue gas desulfurization technology... operate the wet or dry flue gas desulfurization technology installed on the unit consistent with § 63...

  14. 40 CFR 63.9991 - What emission limitations, work practice standards, and operating limits must I meet?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... Pollutants: Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units Emission Limitations and Work... this subpart only if your EGU: (1) Has a system using wet or dry flue gas desulfurization technology... operate the wet or dry flue gas desulfurization technology installed on the unit consistent with § 63...

  15. Impact of type of the roof rocks on location and range of endogenous fires particular hazard zone by in goaf with caving

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tutak, Magdalena; Brodny, Jarosław

    2018-01-01

    Hazard of endogenous fires is one of the basic and common presented occupational safety hazards in coal mine in Poland and in the world. This hazard means possibility of coal self-ignition as the result of its self-heating process in mining heading or its surrounding. In underground coal-mining during ventilating of operating longwalls takes place migration of parts of airflow to goaf with caving. In a case when in these goaf a coal susceptible to self-ignition occurs, then the airflow through these goaf may influence on formation of favorable conditions for coal oxidation and subsequently to its self-heating and self-ignition. Endogenous fire formed in such conditions can pose a serious hazards for the crew and for continuity of operation of mining plant. From the practical point of view a very significant meaning has determination of the zone in the goaf with caving, in which necessary conditions for occurence of endogenous fire are fulfilled. In the real conditions determination of such a zone is practically impossible. The main aim of the analysis was to determine the impact of type of the roof rocks forming the goaf on the location and range of endogenous fires particular hazard zone by in these goaf. For determined mining-geological conditions, the critical value of velocity of airflow and oxygen concentration in goaf, conditioning initiation of coal oxidation process were determined.

  16. Expected ozone benefits of reducing nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from coal-fired electricity generating units in the eastern United States.

    PubMed

    Vinciguerra, Timothy; Bull, Emily; Canty, Timothy; He, Hao; Zalewsky, Eric; Woodman, Michael; Aburn, George; Ehrman, Sheryl; Dickerson, Russell R

    2017-03-01

    On hot summer days in the eastern United States, electricity demand rises, mainly because of increased use of air conditioning. Power plants must provide this additional energy, emitting additional pollutants when meteorological conditions are primed for poor air quality. To evaluate the impact of summertime NO x emissions from coal-fired electricity generating units (EGUs) on surface ozone formation, we performed a series of sensitivity modeling forecast scenarios utilizing EPA 2018 version 6.0 emissions (2011 base year) and CMAQ v5.0.2. Coal-fired EGU NO x emissions were adjusted to match the lowest NO x rates observed during the ozone seasons (April 1-October 31) of 2005-2012 (Scenario A), where ozone decreased by 3-4 ppb in affected areas. When compared to the highest emissions rates during the same time period (Scenario B), ozone increased ∼4-7 ppb. NO x emission rates adjusted to match the observed rates from 2011 (Scenario C) increased ozone by ∼4-5 ppb. Finally in Scenario D, the impact of additional NO x reductions was determined by assuming installation of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) controls on all units lacking postcombustion controls; this decreased ozone by an additional 2-4 ppb relative to Scenario A. Following the announcement of a stricter 8-hour ozone standard, this analysis outlines a strategy that would help bring coastal areas in the mid-Atlantic region closer to attainment, and would also provide profound benefits for upwind states where most of the regional EGU NO x originates, even if additional capital investments are not made (Scenario A). With the 8-hr maximum ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) decreasing from 75 to 70 ppb, modeling results indicate that use of postcombustion controls on coal-fired power plants in 2018 could help keep regions in attainment. By operating already existing nitrogen oxide (NO x ) removal devices to their full potential, ozone could be significantly curtailed, achieving ozone reductions by up to 5 ppb in areas around the source of emission and immediately downwind. Ozone improvements are also significant (1-2 ppb) for areas affected by cross-state transport, especially Mid-Atlantic coast regions that had struggled to meet the 75 ppb standard.

  17. Fired heater for coal liquefaction process

    DOEpatents

    Ying, David H. S.

    1984-01-01

    A fired heater for a coal liquefaction process is constructed with a heat transfer tube having U-bends at regular intervals along the length thereof to increase the slug frequency of the multi-phase mixture flowing therethrough to thereby improve the heat transfer efficiency.

  18. NOX EMISSION CONTROL OPTIONS FOR COAL-FIRED ELECTRIC UTILITY BOILERS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The paper reviews NOx control options for coal-fired electric utility boilers. (NOTE: Acid Rain NOx regulations, the Ozone Transport Commission's NOx Budget Program, revision of the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for NOx emissions from utility sources, and Ozone Transpor...

  19. Modified precision-husky progrind H-3045 for chipping biomass

    Treesearch

    Dana Mitchell; Fernando Seixas; John Klepac

    2008-01-01

    A specific size of whole tree chip was needed to co-mill wood chips with coal. The specifications are stringent because chips must be mixed with coal, as opposed to a co-firing process. In co-firing, two raw products are conveyed separately to a boiler. In co-milling, such as at Alabama Power's Plant Gadsden, the chip and coal mix must pass through a series of...

  20. Emissions of sulfur trioxide from coal-fired power plants.

    PubMed

    Srivastava, R K; Miller, C A; Erickson, C; Jambhekar, R

    2004-06-01

    Emissions of sulfur trioxide (SO3) are a key component of plume opacity and acid deposition. Consequently, these emissions need to be low enough to not cause opacity violations and acid deposition. Generally, a small fraction of sulfur (S) in coal is converted to SO3 in coal-fired combustion devices such as electric utility boilers. The emissions of SO3 from such a boiler depend on coal S content, combustion conditions, flue gas characteristics, and air pollution devices being used. It is well known that the catalyst used in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology for nitrogen oxides control oxidizes a small fraction of sulfur dioxide in the flue gas to SO3. The extent of this oxidation depends on the catalyst formulation and SCR operating conditions. Gas-phase SO3 and sulfuric acid, on being quenched in plant equipment (e.g., air preheater and wet scrubber), result in fine acidic mist, which can cause increased plume opacity and undesirable emissions. Recently, such effects have been observed at plants firing high-S coal and equipped with SCR systems and wet scrubbers. This paper investigates the factors that affect acidic mist production in coal-fired electric utility boilers and discusses approaches for mitigating emission of this mist.

  1. Carbon pricing, nuclear power and electricity markets

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cameron, R.; Keppler, J. H.

    2012-07-01

    In 2010, the NEA in conjunction with the International Energy Agency produced an analysis of the Projected Costs of Electricity for almost 200 power plants, covering nuclear, fossil fuel and renewable electricity generation. That analysis used lifetime costs to consider the merits of each technology. However, the lifetime cost analysis is less applicable in liberalised markets and does not look specifically at the viewpoint of the private investor. A follow-up NEA assessment of the competitiveness of nuclear energy against coal- and gas-fired generation under carbon pricing has considered just this question. The economic competition in electricity markets is today betweenmore » nuclear energy and gas-fired power generation, with coal-fired power generation not being competitive as soon as even modest carbon pricing is introduced. Whether nuclear energy or natural gas comes out ahead in their competition depends on a number of assumptions, which, while all entirely reasonable, yield very different outcomes. The analysis in this study has been developed on the basis of daily data from European power markets over the last five-year period. Three different methodologies, a Profit Analysis looking at historic returns over the past five years, an Investment Analysis projecting the conditions of the past five years over the lifetime of plants and a Carbon Tax Analysis (differentiating the Investment Analysis for different carbon prices) look at the issue of competitiveness from different angles. They show that the competitiveness of nuclear energy depends on a number of variables which in different configurations determine whether electricity produced from nuclear power or from CCGTs generates higher profits for its investors. These are overnight costs, financing costs, gas prices, carbon prices, profit margins (or mark-ups), the amount of coal with carbon capture and electricity prices. This paper will present the outcomes of the analysis in the context of a liberalised electricity market, looking at the impact of the seven key variables and provide conclusions on the portfolio that a utility would be advised to maintain, given the need to limit risks but also to move to low carbon power generation. Such portfolio diversification would not only limit financial investor risk, but also a number of non-financial risks (climate change, security of supply, accidents). (authors)« less

  2. Dose assessment for various coals in the coal-fired power plant

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Antic, D.; Sokcic-Kostic, M.

    1993-01-01

    The radiation exposure of the public in the vicinity of a coal-fired power plant has been studied. The experimental data on uranium, thorium, and potassium content in selected coals from Serbia and Bosnia have been used to calculate the release rates of natural radionuclides from the power plant. A generalized model for analysis of radiological impact of an energy source that includes the two-dimensional version of the cloud model simulates the transport of radionuclides released to the atmosphere. The inhalation dose rates are assessed for various meteorological conditions.

  3. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Scott, A.N.; Thomas, M.D.A.

    An investigation of fly ash (FA) produced from various blends of coal and petroleum coke (pet coke) fired at Belledune Generating Station, New Brunswick, Canada, was conducted to establish its performance relative to FA derived from coal-only combustion and its compliance with CSA A3000. The FA samples were beneficiated by an electrostatic separation process to produce samples for testing with a range of loss-on-ignition (LOI) values. The results of these studies indicate that the combustion of pet coke results in very little inorganic residue (for example, typically less than 0.5% ash) and the main impact on FA resulting from themore » co-combustion of coal and up to 25% pet coke is an increase in the unburned carbon content and LOI values. The testing of FA after beneficiation indicates that FA produced from fuels with up to 25% pet coke performs as good as FA produced from the same coal without pet coke.« less

  4. Wood River recovery project -- speed and cooperation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Franczak, D.F.; Santschi, M.F.; Sander, S.

    1998-12-31

    A unit trip is a situation avoided by power generators because it affects their bottom line. The ability to recover from the trip quickly, and restore MW generation is the desired goal. However, what do you do if you lose your unit to a disastrous fire? How do you recover from this situation? This will be the subject of this paper describing such an event which affected the Illinois Power Company`s (IPC) operation. IPC`s Wood River Power Station suffered a disastrous fire which knocked out the Station`s only two operable units--4 and 5. The fire was the result of amore » coal mill explosion and damaged beyond repair, the units control systems and operating capabilities. A total of 488 MW in generating capacity was lost at a time when the IPC system required all available generation now, and in the foreseeable future. This paper will describe the event, the immediate mobilization efforts, and the challenges of recovering both units in the most expedient time frame possible. The keys to the success of the recovery project will be described in detail.« less

  5. Fate of hazardous air pollutants in oxygen-fired coal combustion with different flue gas recycling.

    PubMed

    Zhuang, Ye; Pavlish, John H

    2012-04-17

    Experiments were performed to characterize transformation and speciation of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), including SO(2)/SO(3), NO(x), HCl, particulate matter, mercury, and other trace elements in oxygen-firing bituminous coal with recirculation flue gas (RFG) from 1) an electrostatic precipitator outlet or 2) a wet scrubber outlet. The experimental results showed that oxycombustion with RFG generated a flue gas with less volume and containing HAPs at higher levels, while the actual emissions of HAPs per unit of energy produced were much less than that of air-blown combustion. NO(x) reduction was achieved in oxycombustion because of the elimination of nitrogen and the destruction of NO in the RFG. The elevated SO(2)/SO(3) in flue gas improved sulfur self-retention. SO(3) vapor could reach its dew point in the flue gas with high moisture, which limits the amount of SO(3) vapor in flue gas and possibly induces material corrosion. Most nonvolatile trace elements were less enriched in fly ash in oxycombustion than air-firing because of lower oxycombustion temperatures occurring in the present study. Meanwhile, Hg and Se were found to be enriched on submicrometer fly ash at higher levels in oxy-firing than in air-blown combustion.

  6. Retrieval of land surface temperature (LST) from landsat TM6 and TIRS data by single channel radiative transfer algorithm using satellite and ground-based inputs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chatterjee, R. S.; Singh, Narendra; Thapa, Shailaja; Sharma, Dravneeta; Kumar, Dheeraj

    2017-06-01

    The present study proposes land surface temperature (LST) retrieval from satellite-based thermal IR data by single channel radiative transfer algorithm using atmospheric correction parameters derived from satellite-based and in-situ data and land surface emissivity (LSE) derived by a hybrid LSE model. For example, atmospheric transmittance (τ) was derived from Terra MODIS spectral radiance in atmospheric window and absorption bands, whereas the atmospheric path radiance and sky radiance were estimated using satellite- and ground-based in-situ solar radiation, geographic location and observation conditions. The hybrid LSE model which is coupled with ground-based emissivity measurements is more versatile than the previous LSE models and yields improved emissivity values by knowledge-based approach. It uses NDVI-based and NDVI Threshold method (NDVITHM) based algorithms and field-measured emissivity values. The model is applicable for dense vegetation cover, mixed vegetation cover, bare earth including coal mining related land surface classes. The study was conducted in a coalfield of India badly affected by coal fire for decades. In a coal fire affected coalfield, LST would provide precise temperature difference between thermally anomalous coal fire pixels and background pixels to facilitate coal fire detection and monitoring. The derived LST products of the present study were compared with radiant temperature images across some of the prominent coal fire locations in the study area by graphical means and by some standard mathematical dispersion coefficients such as coefficient of variation, coefficient of quartile deviation, coefficient of quartile deviation for 3rd quartile vs. maximum temperature, coefficient of mean deviation (about median) indicating significant increase in the temperature difference among the pixels. The average temperature slope between adjacent pixels, which increases the potential of coal fire pixel detection from background pixels, is significantly larger in the derived LST products than the corresponding radiant temperature images.

  7. COST OF SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION (SCR) APPLICATION FOR NOX CONTROL ON COAL-FIRED BOILERS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report provides a methodology for estimating budgetary costs associated with retrofit applications of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology on coal-fired boilers. SCR is a postcombustion nitrogen oxides (NOx) control technology capable of providing NOx reductions >90...

  8. ASSESSMENT OF CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES FOR REDUCING EMISSIONS OF SO2 AND NOX FROM EXISTING COAL-FIRED UTILITY BOILERS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report reviews information and estimated costs on 15 emissioncontrol technology categories applicable to existing coal-fired electric utility boilers. he categories include passive controls such as least emission dispatching, conventional processes, and emerging technologies ...

  9. APPLICATION OF REBURNING TO COAL-FIRED INDUSTRIAL BOILERS IN TAIWAN

    EPA Science Inventory

    The paper gives an overview of the characteristics of coal-fired industrial boilers in Taiwan and projections of the cost and performance data for retrofitting several boilers with reburning. The impacts of reburning fuel type on the reburning system design and cost effectivenes...

  10. EPA Research Highlights: Minimizing SO3 Emissions from Coal-Fired Power Plants

    EPA Science Inventory

    There have been substantial reductions in emissions of particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide through the application of control technologies and strategies. The installation of control technologies has added to the complexity of coal-fired boilers and their ope...

  11. MENU OF NOX EMISSION CONTROL OPTIONS FOR COAL-FIRED ELECTRIC UTILITY BOILERS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The paper reviews NOx control options for coal-fired electric utility boilers. (NOTE: Acid Rain NOx regulations, the Ozone Transport Commission's NOx Budget Program, revision of the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for NOx emissions from utility sources, and Ozone Transpor...

  12. Methods to Develop Inhalation Cancer Risk Estimates for ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This document summarizes the approaches and rationale for the technical and scientific considerations used to derive inhalation cancer risks for emissions of chromium and nickel compounds from electric utility steam generating units. The purpose of this document is to discuss the methods used to develop inhalation cancer risk estimates associated with emissions of chromium and nickel compounds from coal- and oil-fired electric utility steam generating units (EGUs) in support of EPA's recently proposed Air Toxics Rule.

  13. Major challenges loom for natural gas industry, study says

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    O'Driscoll, M.

    The 1994 edition of Natural Gas Trends, the annual joint study by Cambridge Energy Research Associates and Arthur Anderson Co., says that new oil-to-gas competition, price risks and the prospect of unbundling for local distribution companies loom as major challenges for the natural gas industry. With a tighter supply-demand balance in the past two years compounded by the fall in oil prices, gas is in head-to-head competition with oil for marginal markets, the report states. And with higher gas prices in 1993, industrial demand growth slowed while utility demand for gas fell. Some of this was related to fuel switching,more » particularly in the electric utility sector. Total electric power demand for gas has risen slightly due to the growth in industrial power generation, but there has yet to be a pronounced surge in gas use during the 1990s - a decade in which many had expected gas to make major inroads into the electric power sector, the report states. And while utilities still have plans to add between 40,000 and 45,000 megawatts of gas-fired generating capacity, gas actually has lost ground in the utility market to coal and nuclear power: In 1993, electricity output from coal and nuclear rose, while gas-fired generation fell to an estimated 250 billion kilowatt-hours - the lowest level since 1986, when gas generated 246 billion kwh.« less

  14. Integrating planning and design optimization for thermal power generation in developing economies: Designs for Vietnam

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pham, John Dinh Chuong

    In the twenty first century, global warming and climate change have become environmental issues worldwide. There is a need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from thermal power plants through improved efficiency. This need is shared by both developed and developing countries. It is particularly important in rapidly developing economies (for example, Vietnam, South Korea, and China) where there is very significant need to increase generation capacity. This thesis addresses improving thermal power plant efficiency through an improved planning process that emphasizes integrated design. With the integration of planning and design considerations of key components in thermal electrical generation, along with the selection of appropriate up-to-date technologies, greater efficiency and reduction of emissions could be achieved. The major barriers to the integration of overall power plant optimization are the practice of individual island tendering packages, and the lack of coordinating efforts between major original equipment manufacturers (OEM). This thesis assesses both operational and design aspects of thermal power plants to identify opportunities for energy saving and the associated reduction of CO2 emissions. To demonstrate the potential of the integrated planning design approach, three advanced thermal power plants, using anthracite coal, oil and gas as their respective fuel, were developed as a case study. The three plant formulations and simulations were performed with the cooperation of several leading companies in the power industry including Babcock & Wilcox, Siemens KWU, Siemens-Westinghouse Power Corporation, Hitachi, Alstom Air Preheater, TLT-Covent, and ABB Flakt. The first plant is a conventional W-Flame anthracite coal-fired unit for base load operation. The second is a supercritical oil-fired plant with advanced steam condition, for two shifting and cycling operations. The third plant is a gas-fired combined cycle unit employing a modern steam-cooled gas turbine and a three-pressure heat recovery steam generator with reheat, for base load and load following operations. The oil-fired and gas-fired plants showed excellent gross thermal efficiency, 49.6 and 59.4 percent, respectively. Regarding the anthracite plant, based on a traditional subcritical pressure steam cycle, the unit gross efficiency was calculated at 42.3 percent. These efficiency values represent an increase of over 2 percent compared to the comparable plant class, operating today. This 2 percent efficiency gained translates into approximately 35,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas reduction, and a saving of 16,000 tonnes of coal, per year (based on 300MWe coal-fired plant). The positive results from the three simulations have demonstrated that by integrating planning and design optimization, significant gain of efficiency in thermal power plants is possible. This establishes the need for improved planning processes. It starts with a pre-planning process, before project tendering, to identify applicable operational issues and design features to enhance efficiency and reduce emissions. It should also include a pre-contract period to provide an opportunity for all OEM finalists to consolidate and fine-tune their designs for compatibility with those of others to achieve optimal performance. The inclusion of a period for final consolidation and integrated design enables the original goals of greater overall plant efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions reduction to be achieved beyond those available from current planning and contracting procedures.

  15. Microfine coal firing results from a retrofit gas/oil-designed industrial boiler

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Patel, R.; Borio, R.W.; Liljedahl, G.

    1995-12-31

    The development of a High Efficiency Advanced Coal Combustor (HEACC) has been in progress since 1987 and the ABB Power Plant Laboratories. The initial work on this concept produced an advanced coal firing system that was capable of firing both water-based and dry pulverized coal in an industrial boiler environment. Economics may one day dictate that it makes sense to replace oil or natural gas with coal in boilers that were originally designed to burn these fuels. The objective of the current program is to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of retrofitting a gas/oil designed boiler to burn micronizedmore » coal. In support of this overall objective, the following specific areas were targeted: A coal handling/preparation system that can meet the technical requirements for retrofitting microfine coal on a boiler designed for burning oil or natural gas; Maintaining boiler thermal performance in accordance with specifications when burning oil or natural gas; Maintaining NOx emissions at or below 0.6 lb/MBtu; Achieving combustion efficiencies of 98% or higher; and Calculating economic payback periods as a function of key variables. The overall program has consisted of five major tasks: (1) A review of current state-of-the-art coal firing system components; (2) Design and experimental testing of a prototype HEACC burner; (3) Installation and testing of a HEACC system in a commercial retrofit application; (4) Economic evaluation of the HEACC concept for retrofit applications; and (5) Long term demonstration under commercial user demand conditions. This paper will summarize the latest key experimental results (Task 3) and the economic evaluation (Task 4) of the HEACC concept for retrofit applications. 28 figs., 6 tabs.« less

  16. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ferguson, D.W.; Tompkins, T.A.; Pratapas, J.M.

    The Coal Quality Impact Model (CQIM{trademark}) was used to evaluate the economic and performance impacts of gas co-firing at Mississippi Power Company`s Plant Watson. One of the most important benefits of gas co-firing considered was the ability to burn lower quality, less expensive fuels. Four coals and petroleum coke were evaluated at 0, 5, 10, 20, and 30 percent gas co-firing. These fuels vary widely in their geographic source, heating value, moisture, volatile matter, and sulfur contents. Performance and economic evaluations were conducted at individual load points of 100, 75, 50, 40, 30, and 20 percent of full load. Additionalmore » analyses were made for seasonal load-demand curves and for an average annual load-demand curve. Operating cost in $/MWh, net plant heat rate in Btu/kWh, and break-even gas price in $/MBtu are presented as a function of load and percent gas co-firing. Results illustrate that with the Illinois Basin Coal currently burned at Plant Watson, gas co-firing can be economically justified over a range of gas market prices on either an annual or seasonal basis. Other findings indicate that petroleum coke and South American coal co-fired with natural gas offer significant fuel cost savings and are attractive candidate fuels for combustion verification testing.« less

  17. 500 MW demonstration of advanced wall-fired combustion techniques for the reduction of nitrogen oxide emissions from coal-fired boilers

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sorge, J.N.; Larrimore, C.L.; Slatsky, M.D.

    1997-12-31

    This paper discusses the technical progress of a US Department of Energy Innovative Clean Coal Technology project demonstrating advanced wall-fired combustion techniques for the reduction of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from coal-fired boilers. The primary objectives of the demonstration is to determine the long-term NOx reduction performance of advanced overfire air (AOFA), low NOx burners (LNB), and advanced digital control optimization methodologies applied in a stepwise fashion to a 500 MW boiler. The focus of this paper is to report (1) on the installation of three on-line carbon-in-ash monitors and (2) the design and results to date from the advancedmore » digital control/optimization phase of the project.« less

  18. A high-resolution emission inventory for coal-fired power plants in China, 1990-2010

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, F.; He, K.; Zhang, Q.; Lei, Y.

    2012-12-01

    A new emission inventory of China's coal-fired power plants with high spatial and temporal resolution is developed for the period of 1990-2010, based on detailed unit-level information, including capacity, technology, fuel consumption, location, and the time it came into operation and shut down. The high-resolution emission inventory allows a close examination of temporal and spatial variations of power plant emissions in China and their driving forces during last two decades, and contributes to improvement of chemical transport model simulations and satellite retrieval. Emissions from China's coal-fired power plants in 2010 were estimated as follows: 8.00 Tg SO2, 9.00 Tg NOx, 3091 Tg CO2, 0.89 Tg PM2.5 and 1.39 Tg PM10, representing a growth of 92%, 306% and 484%, and a decline of 18% and 16% from 1990, respectively, compared to 558% growth of power generation during the same period. SO2 emissions were peaked in 2005 at 16.62 Tg, and then decreased by 52% between 2005 and 2010, as the subsequence of installation of flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) equipment. Although low-NOx burners (LNB) have been widely installed in power plants after 2006, it failed to curb the increase trend of NOx emissions. CO2 emissions kept increasing, but carbon emission intensity declined induced by the optimization of unit size structure. PM emissions fluctuated during the past 20 years, as a result of the interaction between emission control equipment and increased coal usage. An anomaly of monthly variations in emissions was detected during 2008-2010, reflecting the abnormity of economy and energy activity, such as financial crisis.

  19. Supporting Energy Transitions and Miscanthus Program Development at the University of Iowa

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lain, Kayley Christina

    Miscanthus is a highly productive, low-input biofuel crop that supports agricultural diversification with improved performance for climate commitment, energy security, and water quality over first generation biofuels. Despite its high performance, no local or regional markets for the feedstock have formed in North America, and current climate-based productivity assessment methods lack the information farmers and decision-makers need to establish commercial scale bioenergy markets, programs, and thermal co-firing plans. This study develops a Miscanthus Suitability Rating and a transferable field-scale siting method, applied at 10 m resolution across the State of Iowa to assess miscanthus production potential and identify individual farms that are highly suitable for large-scale miscanthus cultivation while maintaining a majority of existing row cropping acreage. Results show that highly suitable fields within 50 miles (84 km) of each of Iowa's coal-fired electrical generating units (EGUs) can displace up to 43% of current coal consumption. Every EGU in Iowa has land resource to produce local miscanthus to co-fire with other solid fuels at industry-leading levels without significantly impacting local row crop production. Seven of the state's smaller facilities could even operate exclusively on local miscanthus with advancements in densification technology. The energy evaluation tool developed in this work estimates the energy return on investment (EROI) of Iowa miscanthus for existing thermal generation facilities between 37 and 59, depending on transportation requirements and chemical field applications. This transition would diversify local agribusiness and energy feedstocks, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide a sustainable, dispatchable, in-state fuel source to complement wind and solar energy.

  20. Atmospheric emissions and pollution from the coal-fired thermal power plants in India

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guttikunda, Sarath K.; Jawahar, Puja

    2014-08-01

    In India, of the 210 GW electricity generation capacity, 66% is derived from coal, with planned additions of 76 GW and 93 GW during the 12th and the 13th five year plans, respectively. Atmospheric emissions from the coal-fired power plants are responsible for a large burden on human health. In 2010-11, 111 plants with an installed capacity of 121 GW, consumed 503 million tons of coal, and generated an estimated 580 ktons of particulates with diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5), 2100 ktons of sulfur dioxides, 2000 ktons of nitrogen oxides, 1100 ktons of carbon monoxide, 100 ktons of volatile organic compounds, and 665 million tons of carbon dioxide. These emissions resulted in an estimated 80,000 to 115,000 premature deaths and 20.0 million asthma cases from exposure to PM2.5 pollution, which cost the public and the government an estimated INR 16,000 to 23,000 crores (USD 3.2 to 4.6 billion). The emissions were estimated for the individual plants and the atmospheric modeling was conducted using CAMx chemical transport model, coupled with plume rise functions and hourly meteorology. The analysis shows that aggressive pollution control regulations such as mandating flue gas desulfurization, introduction and tightening of emission standards for all criteria pollutants, and updating procedures for environment impact assessments, are imperative for regional clean air and to reduce health impacts. For example, a mandate for installation of flue gas desulfurization systems for the operational 111 plants could reduce the PM2.5 concentrations by 30-40% by eliminating the formation of the secondary sulfates and nitrates.

  1. DEMONSTRATION OF SORBENT INJECTION TECHNOLOGY ON A TANGENTIALLY COAL-FIRED UTILITY BOILER (YORKTOWN LIMB DEMONSTRATION)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report summarizes activities conducted and results achieved in an EPA-sponsored program to demonstrate Limestone Injection Multistage Burner (LIMB) technology on a tangentially fired coal-burning utility boiler, Virginia Power's 180-MWe Yorktown Unit No. 2. his successfully d...

  2. UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON ELECTROSTATIC SCRUBBER TESTS AT A COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report gives results of tests of a 1700 cu m/hr University of Washington Electrostatic Spray Scrubber pilot plant on a coal-fired boiler to demonstrate its effectiveness for controlling fine particle emissions. The multiple-pass, portable pilot plant combines oppositely charg...

  3. CONTROL OF NOX EMISSIONS FROM U.S. COAL-FIRED ELECTRIC UTILITY BOILERS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The paper discusses the control of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from U.S. coal-fired electric utility boilers. (NOTE: In general, NOx control technologies are categorized as being either primary or secondary control technologies. Primary technologies reduce the amount of NOx pr...

  4. 30 CFR 77.1100 - Fire protection; training and organization.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ....1100 Section 77.1100 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS, SURFACE COAL MINES AND SURFACE WORK AREAS OF... facilities and equipment shall be provided commensurate with the potential fire hazards at each structure...

  5. COST OF SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION (SCR) APPLICATION FOR NOX CONTROL ON COAL-FIRED BOILERS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report provides a methodology for estimating budgetary costs associ-ated with retrofit applications of selec-tive catalytic reduction (SCR) technology on coal-fired boilers. SCR is a post-combustion nitrogen oxides (NOX) con-trol technology capable of providing NOX reductions...

  6. Aqueous clay suspensions stabilized by alginate fluid gels for coal spontaneous combustion prevention and control.

    PubMed

    Qin, Botao; Ma, Dong; Li, Fanglei; Li, Yong

    2017-11-01

    We have developed aqueous clay suspensions stabilized by alginate fluid gels (AFG) for coal spontaneous combustion prevention and control. Specially, this study aimed to characterize the effect of AFG on the microstructure, static and dynamic stability, and coal fire inhibition performances of the prepared AFG-stabilized clay suspensions. Compared with aqueous clay suspensions, the AFG-stabilized clay suspensions manifest high static and dynamic stability, which can be ascribed to the formation of a robust three-dimensional gel network by AFG. The coal acceleration oxidation experimental results show that the prepared AFG-stabilized clay suspensions can improve the coal thermal stability and effectively inhibit the coal spontaneous oxidation process by increasing crossing point temperature (CPT) and reducing CO emission. The prepared low-cost and nontoxic AFG-stabilized clay suspensions, exhibiting excellent coal fire extinguishing performances, indicate great application potentials in coal spontaneous combustion prevention and control.

  7. Health and air quality benefits of policies to reduce coal-fired power plant emissions: a case study in North Carolina.

    PubMed

    Li, Ya-Ru; Gibson, Jacqueline MacDonald

    2014-09-02

    We analyzed sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions and fine particulate sulfate (PM2.5 sulfate) concentrations in the southeastern United States during 2002-2012, in order to evaluate the health impacts in North Carolina (NC) of the NC Clean Smokestacks Act of 2002. This state law required progressive reductions (beyond those mandated by federal rules) in pollutant emissions from NC's coal-fired power plants. Although coal-fired power plants remain NC's leading SO2 source, a trend analysis shows significant declines in SO2 emissions (-20.3%/year) and PM2.5 sulfate concentrations (-8.7%/year) since passage of the act. Emissions reductions were significantly greater in NC than in neighboring states, and emissions and PM2.5 sulfate concentration reductions were highest in NC's piedmont region, where 9 of the state's 14 major coal-fired power plants are located. Our risk model estimates that these air quality improvements decreased the risk of premature death attributable to PM2.5 sulfate in NC by about 63%, resulting in an estimated 1700 (95% CI: 1500, 1800) deaths prevented in 2012. These findings lend support to recent studies predicting that implementing the proposed federal Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court) could substantially decrease U.S. premature deaths attributable to coal-fired power plant emissions.

  8. Ozone monitoring instrument observations of interannual increases in SO2 emissions from Indian coal-fired power plants during 2005-2012.

    PubMed

    Lu, Zifeng; Streets, David G; de Foy, Benjamin; Krotkov, Nickolay A

    2013-12-17

    Due to the rapid growth of electricity demand and the absence of regulations, sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from coal-fired power plants in India have increased notably in the past decade. In this study, we present the first interannual comparison of SO2 emissions and the satellite SO2 observations from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) for Indian coal-fired power plants during the OMI era of 2005-2012. A detailed unit-based inventory is developed for the Indian coal-fired power sector, and results show that its SO2 emissions increased dramatically by 71% during 2005-2012. Using the oversampling technique, yearly high-resolution OMI maps for the whole domain of India are created, and they reveal a continuous increase in SO2 columns over India. Power plant regions with annual SO2 emissions greater than 50 Gg year(-1) produce statistically significant OMI signals, and a high correlation (R = 0.93) is found between SO2 emissions and OMI-observed SO2 burdens. Contrary to the decreasing trend of national mean SO2 concentrations reported by the Indian Government, both the total OMI-observed SO2 and annual average SO2 concentrations in coal-fired power plant regions increased by >60% during 2005-2012, implying the air quality monitoring network needs to be optimized to reflect the true SO2 situation in India.

  9. Options for near-term phaseout of CO(2) emissions from coal use in the United States.

    PubMed

    Kharecha, Pushker A; Kutscher, Charles F; Hansen, James E; Mazria, Edward

    2010-06-01

    The global climate problem becomes tractable if CO(2) emissions from coal use are phased out rapidly and emissions from unconventional fossil fuels (e.g., oil shale and tar sands) are prohibited. This paper outlines technology options for phasing out coal emissions in the United States by approximately 2030. We focus on coal for physical and practical reasons and on the U.S. because it is most responsible for accumulated fossil fuel CO(2) in the atmosphere today, specifically targeting electricity production, which is the primary use of coal. While we recognize that coal emissions must be phased out globally, we believe U.S. leadership is essential. A major challenge for reducing U.S. emissions is that coal provides the largest proportion of base load power, i.e., power satisfying minimum electricity demand. Because this demand is relatively constant and coal has a high carbon intensity, utility carbon emissions are largely due to coal. The current U.S. electric grid incorporates little renewable power, most of which is not base load power. However, this can readily be changed within the next 2-3 decades. Eliminating coal emissions also requires improved efficiency, a "smart grid", additional energy storage, and advanced nuclear power. Any further coal usage must be accompanied by carbon capture and storage (CCS). We suggest that near-term emphasis should be on efficiency measures and substitution of coal-fired power by renewables and third-generation nuclear plants, since these technologies have been successfully demonstrated at the relevant (commercial) scale. Beyond 2030, these measures can be supplemented by CCS at power plants and, as needed, successfully demonstrated fourth-generation reactors. We conclude that U.S. coal emissions could be phased out by 2030 using existing technologies or ones that could be commercially competitive with coal within about a decade. Elimination of fossil fuel subsidies and a substantial rising price on carbon emissions are the root requirements for a clean, emissions-free future.

  10. US fossil fuel technologies for developing countries: Costa Rica country packet

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    Costa Rica presents long-term opportunities for US participation in the power generation sector. A growing industrial base, high economic growth, and an increasing living standard will continue to require more reliable electric generation. Although the country has depended upon hydropower to meet much of its energy needs, coal could become a more reliable form of energy in the near term, based on estimated indigenous resources and proximity to food quality imports. Thus, trade opportunities exist for the United States, in the electric power sector, for the US advanced fossil fuel technologies and related services. This report describes the Costa Ricanmore » energy situation; examines the financial, economic, and trade issues; and discusses project opportunities in Costa Rica. Costa Rica appears to have a positive climate for trade and investment activities, stimulated by the Caribbean Basin Initiative. Although the economy has recently slowed, the economic outlook appears healthy. Application for membership in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade is pending. Due to an unexpectedly large growth in electricity demand, the Costa Rican utility Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad is evaluating the need for construction of a coal-fired power plant in the size range of 60 to 125 MW, with an in-service data of the mid-1990s. A decision is expected by the end of 1988 concerning the required size, source of coal, and timing of this coal-fired plant. Based on conditions in Costa Rica, US advanced fossil-fuel technologies were chosen for continued study in conjunction with the identified potential project opportunities. These technologies are the atmospheric fluidized bed combustor and coal-water mixtures. They could play a major role in meeting the utility expansion and/or industrial conversion opportunities summarized in Table I.1. The value of such projects could approximate US $160 million.« less

  11. LIBS Analysis for Coal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    E. Romero, Carlos; De Saro, Robert

    Coal is a non-uniform material with large inherent variability in composition, and other important properties, such as calorific value and ash fusion temperature. This quality variability is very important when coal is used as fuel in steam generators, since it affects boiler operation and control, maintenance and availability, and the extent and treatment of environmental pollution associated with coal combustion. On-line/in situ monitoring of coal before is fed into a boiler is a necessity. A very few analytical techniques like X-ray fluorescence and prompt gamma neutron activation analysis are available commercially with enough speed and sophistication of data collection for continuous coal monitoring. However, there is still a need for a better on-line/in situ technique that has higher selectivity, sensitivity, accuracy and precision, and that is safer and has a lower installation and operating costs than the other options. Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is ideal for coal monitoring in boiler applications as it need no sample preparation, it is accurate and precise it is fast, and it can detect all of the elements of concern to the coal-fired boiler industry. LIBS data can also be adapted with advanced data processing techniques to provide real-time information required by boiler operators nowadays. This chapter summarizes development of LIBS for on-line/in situ coal applications in utility boilers.

  12. 78 FR 34639 - Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Restart of Healy Power Plant Unit #2

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-10

    ... Unit 2 of the Healy Power Plant to demonstrate emissions control technologies. In 1994, the DOE... Electric Association (GVEA) since 1967. Healy Unit 2 is a 50 MW coal-fired steam generator owned by AIDEA... RUS. The RUS Electric Program is authorized to make loans and loan guarantees that finance electric...

  13. A FIELD TEST USING COAL:DRDF BLENDS IN SPREADER STOKER-FIRED BOILERS

    EPA Science Inventory

    This program was conducted to characterize and demonstrate the technical, economic, and environmental feasibility of combustion densified forms of refuse derived fuel (dRDF) blended with coal in spreader stoker-fired boilers. A total of 258.5 Mg (285 tons) of pelletized 1/2-inch-...

  14. PROTOTYPE SCALE TESTING OF LIMB TECHNOLOGY FOR A PULVERIZED-COAL-FIRED BOILER

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report summarizes results of an evaluation of furnace sorbent injection (FSI) to control sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from coal-fired utility boilers. (NOTE: FSI of calcium-based sorbents has shown promise as a moderate SO2 removal technology.) The Electric Power Research I...

  15. NOVEL MERCURY OXIDANT AND SORBENT FOR MERCURY EMISSIONS CONTROL FROM COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The authors have successfully developed novel efficient and cost-effective sorbent and oxidant for removing mercury from power plant flue gases. These sorbent and oxidant offer great promise for controlling mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants burning a wide range of c...

  16. Phytoremediation of Pb in the sediment of a mangrove ecosystem

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Lead (Pb) is a naturally occurring element that poses environmental risks and hazards if present at elevated concentration. It is being released into the environment because of industrial uses, combustion of fossils fuels and from coal-fired power plants. Coal-fired power plants can discharge hazard...

  17. FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING OF MERCURY CONTROL IN COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The paper discusses the existing knowledge base applicable to mercury (Hg) control in coal-fired boilers and outlines the gaps in knowledge that can be filled by experimentation and data gathering. Mercury can be controlled by existing air pollution control devices or by retrofit...

  18. DEVELOPMENT OF COST-EFFECTIVE NONCARBON SORBENTS FOR HG0 REMOVAL FROM COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Noncarbon materials or mineral oxides (silica gel, alumina, molecular sieves, zeolites, and montmorillonite) were modified with various functional groups such as amine, amide, thiol, urea and active additives such as elemental mercury (Hg0) vapor at coal-fired utility ...

  19. NOVEL ECONOMICAL HG(0) OXIDATION REAGENT FOR MERCURY EMISSIONS CONTROL FROM COAL-FIRED BOILERS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The authors have developed a novel economical additive for elemental mercury (Hg0) removal from coal-fired boilers. The oxidation reagent was rigorously tested in a lab-scale fixed-bed column with the Norit America's FGD activated carbon (DOE's benchmark sorbent) in a typical PRB...

  20. Control of mercury emissions from coal fired electric uitlity boilers: An update

    EPA Science Inventory

    Coal-fired power plants in the U.S. are known to be the major anthropogenic source of domestic mercury emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently proposed to reduce emissions of mercury from these plants. In March 2005, EPA plans to promulgate final regulat...

  1. 30 CFR 75.341 - Direct-fired intake air heaters.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 75.341 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Ventilation § 75.341 Direct-fired intake air heaters. (a) If any system used to heat intake air malfunctions, the heaters affected shall switch...

  2. An integrated appraisal of energy recovery options in the United Kingdom using solid recovered fuel derived from municipal solid waste.

    PubMed

    Garg, A; Smith, R; Hill, D; Longhurst, P J; Pollard, S J T; Simms, N J

    2009-08-01

    This paper reports an integrated appraisal of options for utilising solid recovered fuels (SRF) (derived from municipal solid waste, MSW) in energy intensive industries within the United Kingdom (UK). Four potential co-combustion scenarios have been identified following discussions with industry stakeholders. These scenarios have been evaluated using (a) an existing energy and mass flow framework model, (b) a semi-quantitative risk analysis, (c) an environmental assessment and (d) a financial assessment. A summary of results from these evaluations for the four different scenarios is presented. For the given ranges of assumptions; SRF co-combustion with coal in cement kilns was found to be the optimal scenario followed by co-combustion of SRF in coal-fired power plants. The biogenic fraction in SRF (ca. 70%) reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions significantly ( approximately 2500 g CO(2) eqvt./kg DS SRF in co-fired cement kilns and approximately 1500 g CO(2) eqvt./kg DS SRF in co-fired power plants). Potential reductions in electricity or heat production occurred through using a lower calorific value (CV) fuel. This could be compensated for by savings in fuel costs (from SRF having a gate fee) and grants aimed at reducing GHG emission to encourage the use of fuels with high biomass fractions. Total revenues generated from coal-fired power plants appear to be the highest ( 95 pounds/t SRF) from the four scenarios. However overall, cement kilns appear to be the best option due to the low technological risks, environmental emissions and fuel cost. Additionally, cement kiln operators have good experience of handling waste derived fuels. The scenarios involving co-combustion of SRF with MSW and biomass were less favourable due to higher environmental risks and technical issues.

  3. Designing, installing and operating low NOx combustion systems in power plants

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lazzeri, L.; Santis, R. de

    1997-09-01

    Ansaldo Energia, in strict cooperation with the Italian Electricity Board (ENEL), has developed and implemented innovative technologies for in furnace NOx control which have been applied, both in italy and abroad, on over 20,000 MWe boilers of every kind (Tangentially Fired, Front Fired, Opposite Fired) and for different fuels like oil, gas, coal and ORIMULSION{reg_sign}. Taking advantage of innovative low NOx burners and of optimized air and fuel staging techniques NOx reductions up to 85% have been obtained with no significant impact on boiler efficiency. The paper describes: characteristics and industrial application of TEA{reg_sign} oil/gas LNB which is now capablemore » of attaining NOx reductions up to 60% in respect to original circular burners; development and industrial applications of the TEA C{reg_sign} (oil/coal) LNB, capable of attaining NOx reductions up to 50% with contemporary control of unburned carbon levels (typical values less than 300 ppm NOx corrected to 6% O{sub 2} and less than 7% UBC); application of reburning oil over oil and gas over oil for both tangential and front-opposite fired boilers rated up 660 MWe; and information on the CEE THERMIE projects of gas over coal reburning in a 600 MWe Scottish Power boiler and oil over coal and coal over coal reburning in the ENEL plant of Vado Ligure unit 4, rated 320 MWe.« less

  4. National-level infrastructure and economic effects of switchgrass cofiring with coal in existing power plants for carbon mitigation.

    PubMed

    Morrow, William R; Griffin, W Michael; Matthews, H Scott

    2008-05-15

    We update a previously presented Linear Programming (LP) methodology for estimating state level costs for reducing CO2 emissions from existing coal-fired power plants by cofiring switchgrass, a biomass energy crop, and coal. This paper presents national level results of applying the methodology to the entire portion of the United States in which switchgrass could be grown without irrigation. We present incremental switchgrass and coal cofiring carbon cost of mitigation curves along with a presentation of regionally specific cofiring economics and policy issues. The results show that cofiring 189 million dry short tons of switchgrass with coal in the existing U.S. coal-fired electricity generation fleet can mitigate approximately 256 million short tons of carbon-dioxide (CO2) per year, representing a 9% reduction of 2005 electricity sector CO2 emissions. Total marginal costs, including capital, labor, feedstock, and transportation, range from $20 to $86/ton CO2 mitigated,with average costs ranging from $20 to $45/ton. If some existing power plants upgrade to boilers designed for combusting switchgrass, an additional 54 million tons of switchgrass can be cofired. In this case, total marginal costs range from $26 to $100/ton CO2 mitigated, with average costs ranging from $20 to $60/ton. Costs for states east of the Mississippi River are largely unaffected by boiler replacement; Atlantic seaboard states represent the lowest cofiring cost of carbon mitigation. The central plains states west of the Mississippi River are most affected by the boiler replacement option and, in general, go from one of the lowest cofiring cost of carbon mitigation regions to the highest. We explain the variation in transportation expenses and highlight regional cost of mitigation variations as transportation overwhelms other cofiring costs.

  5. CO-FIRING COAL: FEEDLOT AND LITTER BIOMASS FUELS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dr. Kalyan Annamalai; Dr. John Sweeten; Dr. Sayeed Mukhtar

    2000-10-24

    The following are proposed activities for quarter 1 (6/15/00-9/14/00): (1) Finalize the allocation of funds within TAMU to co-principal investigators and the final task lists; (2) Acquire 3 D computer code for coal combustion and modify for cofiring Coal:Feedlot biomass and Coal:Litter biomass fuels; (3) Develop a simple one dimensional model for fixed bed gasifier cofired with coal:biomass fuels; and (4) Prepare the boiler burner for reburn tests with feedlot biomass fuels. The following were achieved During Quarter 5 (6/15/00-9/14/00): (1) Funds are being allocated to co-principal investigators; task list from Prof. Mukhtar has been received (Appendix A); (2) Ordermore » has been placed to acquire Pulverized Coal gasification and Combustion 3 D (PCGC-3) computer code for coal combustion and modify for cofiring Coal: Feedlot biomass and Coal: Litter biomass fuels. Reason for selecting this code is the availability of source code for modification to include biomass fuels; (3) A simplified one-dimensional model has been developed; however convergence had not yet been achieved; and (4) The length of the boiler burner has been increased to increase the residence time. A premixed propane burner has been installed to simulate coal combustion gases. First coal, as a reburn fuel will be used to generate base line data followed by methane, feedlot and litter biomass fuels.« less

  6. MEMBRANE PROCESS TO SEQUESTER CO2 FROM POWER PLANT FLUE GAS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tim Merkel; Karl Amo; Richard Baker

    2009-03-31

    The objective of this project was to assess the feasibility of using a membrane process to capture CO2 from coal-fired power plant flue gas. During this program, MTR developed a novel membrane (Polaris™) with a CO2 permeance tenfold higher than commercial CO2-selective membranes used in natural gas treatment. The Polaris™ membrane, combined with a process design that uses a portion of combustion air as a sweep stream to generate driving force for CO2 permeation, meets DOE post-combustion CO2 capture targets. Initial studies indicate a CO2 separation and liquefaction cost of $20 - $30/ton CO2 using about 15% of the plantmore » energy at 90% CO2 capture from a coal-fired power plant. Production of the Polaris™ CO2 capture membrane was scaled up with MTR’s commercial casting and coating equipment. Parametric tests of cross-flow and countercurrent/sweep modules prepared from this membrane confirm their near-ideal performance under expected flue gas operating conditions. Commercial-scale, 8-inch diameter modules also show stable performance in field tests treating raw natural gas. These findings suggest that membranes are a viable option for flue gas CO2 capture. The next step will be to conduct a field demonstration treating a realworld power plant flue gas stream. The first such MTR field test will capture 1 ton CO2/day at Arizona Public Service’s Cholla coal-fired power plant, as part of a new DOE NETL funded program.« less

  7. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sommer, T.; Melick, T.; Morrison, D.

    The objective of this DOE sponsored project was to successfully fire coal-water slurry in a fire-tube boiler that was designed for oil/gas firing and establish a data base that will be relevant to a large number of existing installations. Firing slurry in a fire-tube configuration is a very demanding application because of the extremely high heat release rates and the correspondingly low furnace volume where combustion can be completed. Recognizing that combustion efficiency is the major obstacle when firing slurry in a fire-tube boiler, the program was focused on innovative approaches for improving carbon burnout without major modifications to themore » boiler. The boiler system was successfully designed and operated to fire coal-water slurry for extended periods of time with few slurry related operational problems. The host facility was a 3.8 million Btu/hr Cleaver-Brooks fire-tube boiler located on the University of Alabama Campus. A slurry atomizer was designed that provided outstanding atomization and was not susceptible to pluggage. The boiler was operated for over 1000 hours and 12 shipments of slurry were delivered. The new equipment engineered for the coal-water slurry system consisted of the following: combustion air and slurry heaters; cyclone; baghouse; fly ash reinjection system; new control system; air compressor; CWS/gas burner and gas valve train; and storage tank and slurry handling system.« less

  8. 500 MW demonstration of advanced wall-fired combustion techniques for the reduction of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from coal-fired boilers. Public design report (preliminary and final)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    1996-07-01

    This Public Design Report presents the design criteria of a DOE Innovative Clean Coal Technology (ICCT) project demonstrating advanced wall-fired combustion techniques for the reduction of NO{sub x} emissions from coal-fired boilers. The project is being conducted at Georgia Power Company`s Plant Hammond Unit 4 (500 MW) near Rome, Georgia. The technologies being demonstrated at this site include Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation`s advanced overfire air system and Controlled Flow/Split Flame low NO{sub x} burner. This report provides documentation on the design criteria used in the performance of this project as it pertains to the scope involved with the low NO{submore » x} burners, advanced overfire systems, and digital control system.« less

  9. NASA Lewis H2-O2 MHD program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, M.; Nichols, L. D.; Seikel, G. R.

    1974-01-01

    Performance and power costs of H2-O2 combustion powered steam-MHD central power systems are estimated. Hydrogen gas is assumed to be transmitted by pipe from a remote coal gasifier into the city and converted to electricity in a steam MHD plant having an integral gaseous oxygen plant. These steam MHD systems appear to offer an attractive alternative to both in-city clean fueled conventional steam power plants and to remote coal fired power plants with underground electric transmission into the city. Status and plans are outlined for an experimental evaluation of H2-O2 combustion-driven MHD power generators at NASA Lewis Research Center.

  10. Thermal energy storage and transport

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hausz, W.

    1980-01-01

    The extraction of thermal energy from large LWR and coal fired plants for long distance transport to industrial and residential/commercial users is analyzed. Transport of thermal energy as high temperature water is shown to be considerably cheaper than transport as steam, hot oil, or molten salt over a wide temperature range. The delivered heat is competitive with user-generated heat from oil, coal, or electrode boilers at distances well over 50 km when the pipeline operates at high capacity factor. Results indicate that thermal energy storage makes meeting of even very low capacity factor heat demands economic and feasible and gives the utility flexibility to meet coincident electricity and heat demands effectively.

  11. Characteristics of an open-cut coal mine fire pollution event

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reisen, Fabienne; Gillett, Rob; Choi, Jason; Fisher, Gavin; Torre, Paul

    2017-02-01

    On 9 February 2014, embers from a nearby grass/shrub fire spotted into an unused part of the Hazelwood open-cut brown coal mine located in the Latrobe Valley of Victoria, Australia and started a fire that spread rapidly and extensively throughout the mine under strong south-westerly winds and burned over a period of 45 days. The close proximity of the town to the coal mine and the low buoyancy of the smoke plume led to the accumulation of dense smoke levels in the township of Morwell (population of 14,000) particularly under south-westerly winds. A maximum daily PM2.5 concentration of 731 μg m-3 and 8-h CO concentration of 33 ppm were measured at Morwell South, the closest residential area located approximately 500 m from the mine. These concentrations were significantly higher than national air quality standards. Air quality monitoring undertaken in the Latrobe Valley showed that smoke from the Hazelwood mine fire affected a wide area, with particle air quality standards also exceeded in Traralgon (population of 25,000) located approximately 13 km from the mine. Pollutant levels were significantly elevated in February, decreased in March once the fire abated and then returned to background levels once the fire was declared safe at the end of March. While the smoke extent was of a similar order of magnitude to other major air pollution events worldwide, a closer look at emissions ratios showed that the open combustion of lignite brown coal in the Hazelwood mine was different to open combustion of biomass, including peat. It suggested that the dominant combustion process was char combustion. While particle and carbon monoxide monitoring started approximately 4 days after the fire commenced when smoke levels were very high, targeted monitoring of air toxics only began on 26 February (17 days after the fire) when smoke levels had subsided. Limited research on emission factors from open-cut coal mine fires make it difficult to assess the likely concentrations of air toxics emitted during the initial more intense period of the fire.

  12. Depositional environments of the Jurassic Maghara main coal seam in north central Sinai, Egypt

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Edress, Nader Ahmed Ahmed; Opluštil, Stanislav; Sýkorová, Ivana

    2018-04-01

    Twenty-eight channel samples with a cumulative thickness of about 4 m collected from three sections of the Maghara main coal seam in the middle Jurassic Safa Formation have been studied for their lithotype and maceral compositions to reconstruct the character of peat swamp, its hydrological regime and the predominating type of vegetation. Lithotype composition is a combination of dully lithotypes with duroclarain (19% of total cumulative thickness), clarodurain (15%), black durain (15%), and shaly coal (15%) and bright lithotypes represented by clarain (23%), vitrain (12%) and a small proportion of wild fire-generated fusain (1%). Maceral analyses revealed the dominance of vitrinite (70.6% on average), followed by liptinite (25.2%) and inertinite (8.1%). Mineral matter content is ∼9% on average and consists of clay, quartz and pyrite concentrate mostly at the base and the roof of the seam. Dominantly vitrinite composition of coal and extremely low fire- and oxidation-borne inertinite content, together with high Gelification Indices imply predomination of waterlogged anoxic conditions in the precursing mire with water tables mostly above the peat surface throughout most of the time during peat swamp formation. Increases in collotelinite contents and Tissue Preservation Index up the section, followed by a reversal trend in upper third of the coal section, further accompanied by a reversal trend in collodetrinite, liptodetrinite, alginite, sporinite and clay contents records a transition from dominately limnotelmatic and limnic at the lower part to dominately limnotelmatic with increase telmatic condition achieved in the middle part of coal. At the upper part of coal seam an opposite trend marks the return to limnic and limnotelmatic conditions in the final phases of peat swamp history and its subsequent inundation. The proportion of arborescent (mostly coniferous) and herbaceous vegetation varied throughout the section of the coal with tendency of increasing density of arborescent vegetation to the middle part of the coal seam section. The intercalation of coal in shallow marine strata implies that peat swamp precursor formed in a coastal setting, probably on delta plain or lagoon. Its formation was controlled by water table changes driven by sea level fluctuations that created an accommodation space necessary for preservation of peat.

  13. Characterization of Oxy-combustion Impacts in Existing Coal-fired Boilers

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Adams, Bradley; Davis, Kevin; Senior, Constance

    Reaction Engineering International (REI) managed a team of experts from University of Utah, Siemens Energy, Praxair, Vattenfall AB, Sandia National Laboratories, Brigham Young University (BYU) and Corrosion Management Ltd. to perform multi-scale experiments, coupled with mechanism development, process modeling and CFD modeling, for both applied and fundamental investigations. The primary objective of this program was to acquire data and develop tools to characterize and predict impacts of CO{sub 2} flue gas recycle and burner feed design on flame characteristics (burnout, NO{sub x}, SO{sub x}, mercury and fine particle emissions, heat transfer) and operational concerns (fouling, slagging and corrosion) inherent inmore » the retrofit of existing coal-fired boilers for oxy-coal combustion. Experimental work was conducted at Sandia National Laboratories’ Entrained Flow Reactor, the University of Utah Industrial Combustion Research Facility, and Brigham Young University. Process modeling and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling was performed at REI. Successful completion of the project objectives resulted in the following key deliverables: 1) Multi-scale test data from 0.1 kW bench-scale, 100 kW and 200 kW laboratory-scale, and 1 MW semi-industrial scale combustors that describe differences in flame characteristics, fouling, slagging and corrosion for coal combustion under air-firing and oxygen-firing conditions, including sensitivity to oxy-burner design and flue gas recycle composition. 2) Validated mechanisms developed from test data that describe fouling, slagging, waterwall corrosion, heat transfer, char burnout and sooting under coal oxy-combustion conditions. The mechanisms were presented in a form suitable for inclusion in CFD models or process models. 3) Principles to guide design of pilot-scale and full-scale coal oxy-firing systems and flue gas recycle configurations, such that boiler operational impacts from oxy-combustion retrofits are minimized. 4) Assessment of oxy-combustion impacts in two full-scale coal-fired utility boiler retrofits based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of air-fired and oxygen-fired operation. This research determined that it is technically feasible to retrofit the combustion system in an air-fired boiler for oxy-fired operation. The impacts of CO{sub 2} flue gas recycle and burner design on flame characteristics (burnout, NO{sub x}, SO{sub x}, mercury and fine particle emissions, heat transfer) and operational concerns (fouling, slagging and corrosion) were minimal, with the exception of high sulfur levels resulting from untreated flue gas recycle with medium and high-sulfur coals. This work focused on combustion in the radiant and convective sections of the boiler and did not address boiler system integration issues, plant efficiencies, impacts on downstream air pollution control devices, or CO{sub 2} capture and compression. The experimental data, oxy-firing system principles and oxy-combustion process mechanisms provided by this work can be used by electric utilities, boiler OEMs, equipment suppliers, design firms, software vendors, consultants and government agencies to assess retrofit applications of oxy-combustion technologies to existing boilers and to guide development of new designs.« less

  14. The energy-water quality nexus: insights from the 2008 coal ash spill in Tennessee

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vengosh, A.; Ruhl, L.; Dwyer, G. S.; Hsu-Kim, H.; Deonarine, A.

    2010-12-01

    Energy production consumes a large volume of water. The USGS estimated that about 52 percent of the total USA fresh surface-water withdrawal in 2000 was for thermoelectric consumption (fresh water use ~188 for thermoelectric out of 563 billion cubic meters a year total water withdrawal in the USA). While water availability and possible changes induced from climate change and increasing demands for other sectors are important limiting factors, this presentation highlights the critical long-term impact on water quality. The Clean Smokestacks Act was enacted to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants through installation of scrubbers and selective catalytic reduction, aiming to cut emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury. In addition to the capture of these air pollutants, volatile elements are attached to the residual coal combustion products (CCPs). Consequently, toxic metals concentrations in CCPs are extremely high and become mobile upon interaction of CCPs with aquatic solutions. In particular, several studies have demonstrated the high mobilization of boron, arsenic, selenium, barium and other toxic oxi-anions and metals from CCPs. The 2008 coal ash spill in Kingston, Tennessee, where approximately 4.1 million cubic meters of coal ash was spilled onto the surrounding land surface and into the adjacent Emory and Clinch Rivers, has demonstrated the possible impact of CCPs on the environment. An eighteen-month survey has revealed elevated levels of contaminants in surface water with restricted water exchange and in pore water extracted from the bottom sediments, downstream from the spill. Our research has shown that arsenic concentration in the pore water reached to 2,000 ppb due to the reducing conditions and the high mobility of the non-charged arsenic species. Generation of CCPs however is not restricted to a single accidental release, as over five hundred power plants nationwide generate approximately 130 million tons of CCPs each year, in which more than half is stored in 194 landfills and 161 holding ponds. In each of these sites effluents that are generated from leaching of CCPs could contain high levels of contaminants that could pose severe ecological hazards to the local aquatic systems. Preliminary results from Hyco Lake in North Carolina have demonstrated high levels of toxic metals in effluents that are generated from adjacent coal-fired plant combined with high boron concentrations (1000 ppb) in the fresh lake water. The notion that CCPs generates a direct threat to the aquatic systems through holding ponds, landfills, or even “beneficial use” in sites where CCPs could be exposed and interact with the ambient environment should become an additional factor in evaluating the cost of “cheap coal” and its impact on the environment.

  15. Mutagenicity in emissions from coal- and oil-fired boilers.

    PubMed Central

    Alfheim, I; Bergström, J G; Jenssen, D; Møller, M

    1983-01-01

    The mutagenicity of emission samples from three oil-fired and four coal-fired boilers have been compared by using the Salmonella/microsome assay. Very little or no mutagenic activity was observed in samples from five of these boilers. The sample from one oil-fired boiler showed mutagenic activity of about 500 revertants/MJ, and the sample from a coal-fired fluidized bed combustor had an activity of 58,000 revertants/MJ measured with strain TA 98 in the absence of metabolic activation. All samples contained substances that were cytotoxic to the test bacteria, thus making it difficult to obtain linear dose-response curves. Mutagenic activity at low levels may remain undetected due to this toxicity of the samples. Samples with mutagenic activity below the detection limit in the Salmonella test have also been tested for forward mutations at the HGPRT locus in V79 hamster cells. Weak mutagenic effects were detected in two of the samples, whereas the sample from one oil-fired boiler remained negative. In this test, as well as in the Salmonella test, a strong cytotoxic effect could be observed with all samples. PMID:6825617

  16. Economic Benefit of Coal Utilization/Conversion at Air Force Bases: Screening Study

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-08-01

    fire-tLbe) boilers that are small enough to be shipped by rail. The field-erected units are larger, water- tube boilers. The pulverized coal-fired and...circulating FBC boilers considered are field-erected, water- tube boilers. Pollution control technology costs were considered to a limited extent. All...Coal/H 0 mix (S/MBtu) = 3.00 OPTIONS Cal/oil mix (S/MBtu) 3.50 Soot blower multiplier = 0.0 Tube bank mod multiplier = 1.0 Primary fuel is 1 Bottom ash

  17. 40 CFR 60.53b - Standards for municipal waste combustor operating practices.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Circulating fluidized bed combustor 100 4 Pulverized coal/refuse-derived fuel mixed fuel-fired combustor 150 4 Spreader stoker coal/refuse-derived fuel mixed fuel-fired combustor 150 24 a Measured at the combustor... activated carbon injection rate during dioxin/furan or mercury testing. [60 FR 65419, Dec. 19, 1995, as...

  18. LOW CONCENTRATION MERCURY SORPTION MECHANISMS AND CONTROL BY CALCIUM-BASED SORBENTS; APPLICATION IN COAL-FIRED PROCESSES

    EPA Science Inventory

    The capture of elemental mercury (Hgo) and mercuric chloride (HgCl2) by three types of calcium (Ca)-based sorbents was examined in this bench-scale study under conditions prevalent in coal fired utilities. Ca-based sorbent performances were compared to that of an activated carbon...

  19. EFFECT OF CONVENTIONAL AND ADVANCED COAL CONVERSION BY-PRODUCTS ON THE PULMONARY SYSTEM

    EPA Science Inventory

    To evaluate the environmental impact of different energy technologies, fly ash samples collected from a coal-fired and from an oil-fired electric power plant were used in aerosol inhalation exposures of mice. The effects of multiple 3-h exposures to the fly ash particles at 2 and...

  20. 40 CFR Table 3 to Subpart Ddddd of... - Work Practice Standards

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ...: natural gas, synthetic natural gas, propane, distillate oil, syngas, ultra-low sulfur diesel, fuel oil... start firing coal/solid fossil fuel, biomass/bio-based solids, heavy liquid fuel, or gas 2 (other) gases....While firing coal/solid fossil fuel, biomass/bio-based solids, heavy liquid fuel, or gas 2 (other) gases...

  1. 40 CFR Table 3 to Subpart Ddddd of... - Work Practice Standards

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ...: natural gas, synthetic natural gas, propane, distillate oil, syngas, ultra-low sulfur diesel, fuel oil... start firing coal/solid fossil fuel, biomass/bio-based solids, heavy liquid fuel, or gas 2 (other) gases....While firing coal/solid fossil fuel, biomass/bio-based solids, heavy liquid fuel, or gas 2 (other) gases...

  2. Chemical and mineralogical characterization of highly and less reactive coal from Northern Natal and Venda-Pafuri coalfields in South Africa

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kataka, M. O.; Matiane, A. R.; Odhiambo, B. D. O.

    2018-01-01

    Spontaneous combustion of coal is a major hazard associated with the coal mining industry over centuries. It also a major cause of underground fires in South African collieries and in opencast operations, spoil heaps and stockpiles. Spontaneous combustion incidents are manifested in all major aspects of coal mining namely, underground mining, surface mining, including during sea-borne transportation, storage and waste disposal. Previous studies indicate that there are various factors (both intrinsic and extrinsic) that influence the spontaneous combustion of coals. This paper characterizes highly reactive coal from the Vryheid coalfields and less reactive coal from at Venda-Pafuri coalfield, to identify and delineate some intrinsic coal parameters that are considered to be most critical in terms of heat 'generation' and relationships between the two coals types by tracing their similarities and differences in their spontaneous combustion parameters. Various tests were carried out to characterize these coals in terms of their intrinsic properties, namely: ultimate, proximate, petrographic analysis and Glasser spontaneous tests. The ultimate and proximate analysis showed that spontaneous coal has high contents of carbon, oxygen, and volatile matter as compared to non-spontaneous coal, making it more susceptible to spontaneous combustion. Non-spontaneous coal has higher ash content than the spontaneous coal. Furthermore, the petrographic analysis showed that spontaneous coal has high total reactivity compared to the non-spontaneous coal. Results from Glasser spontaneous test indicate that spontaneous coal absorbs more oxygen than non-spontaneous coal, which explains why spontaneous coal is more susceptible to spontaneous combustion. High reactive coal has low values of critical self-heating temperature (CSHT), indicating that this coal has potential of spontaneous ignition.

  3. 13. Coal ejectors mounted on aft bulkhead of coal bunker. ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    13. Coal ejectors mounted on aft bulkhead of coal bunker. Ejectors were used to flush overboard live coals and clinkers from firebed (pipe for carrying coals overboard has been removed from ejector in foreground). Coal doors from bunker appear beside ejector in foreground). Coal doors from bunker appear beside ejectors at deck; note firing shovels in background against hull. - Steamboat TICONDEROGA, Shelburne Museum Route 7, Shelburne, Chittenden County, VT

  4. The magnetohydrodynamics coal-fired flow facility

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    1990-12-01

    The purpose of this report is to provide the status of a multi-task research and development program in coal fired MHD/steam combined cycle power production (more detailed information on specific topics is presented in topical reports). Current emphasis is on developing technology for the Steam Bottoming Cycle Program. The approach being taken is to design test components that simulate the most important process variables, such as gas temperature, chemical composition, tube metal temperature, particulate loading, etc., to gain test data needed for scale-up to larger size components. This quarter, a 217 hour coal-fired long-duration test was completed as part of the Proof-of-Concept (POC) test program. The aggregate test time is now 1512 hours of a planned 2000 hours on Eastern coal. The report contains results of testing the newly installed automatic ash/seed handling system and the high pressure sootblower system. The conceptual design for the modifications to the coal processing system to permit operation with Western coal is presented. Results of analysis of superheater test module tube removed after 500 hours of coal-fired testing are summarized. The status of the environmental program is reported. Pollutant measurements from remote monitoring trailers that give the dispersion of stack emissions are presented. Results of advanced measurement systems operated by both UTSI and Mississippi State University during the POC test are summarized. Actions to prepare for the installation of a 20MW(sub t) prototype of the TRW slag rejection combustor first stage are discussed. Contract management and administrative actions completed during the quarter are included.

  5. Self-cementitious properties of fly ashes from CFBC boilers co-firing coal and high-sulphur petroleum coke

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sheng Guanghong; Li Qin; Zhai Jianping

    2007-06-15

    Self-cementitious properties of fly ash from circulating fluidized bed combustion boiler co-firing coal and high-sulphur petroleum coke (CPFA) were investigated. CPFA was self-cementitious which was affected by its fineness and chemical compositions, especially the contents of SO{sub 3} and free lime (f-CaO). Higher contents of SO{sub 3} and f-CaO were beneficial to self-cementitious strength; the self-cementitious strength increases with a decrease of its 45 {mu}m sieve residue. The expansive ratio of CPFA hardened paste was high because of generation of ettringite (AFt), which was influenced by its water to binder ratio (W/A), curing style and grinding of the ash. Themore » paste cured in water had the highest expansive ratio, and grinding of CPFA was beneficial to its volume stability. The hydration products of CPFA detected by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were portlandite, gypsum, AFt and hydrated calcium silicate (C-S-H)« less

  6. Health Implications of Increased Coal Use in the Western States

    PubMed Central

    Guidotti, Tee L.

    1979-01-01

    The National Energy Plan proposed by President Carter provides for the rapid development of coal resources in the United States, particularly in the West. The potential consequences for health of this development were considered by the Advisory Committee on Health and Environmental Effects of Increased Coal Utilization, reporting to the Department of Energy. Their report recommended rigid adherence to pertinent existing regulations, improved environmental monitoring, expanded research in selected relevant topics and development of procedures for selecting the sites of new coal-fired power plants. Although the report was a major exercise in technology assessment, it is fundamentally a cautious document that proposes no new solutions or approaches. A review of occupational and community health problems associated with coal mining and coal utilization suggests that lessons from past experiences, especially in Appalachia, cannot be applied to the West uncritically. The two regions are fundamentally different in scale, topography and social development. In the West, future problems related to coal are likely to derive from unknown risks associated with coal processing technologies, land reclamation and water quality at the sites of power generation, and extensive social and demographic changes at centers of industrial activity that may have secondary effects on health. Additional considerations should supplement the recommendations of the Advisory Committee report. PMID:483803

  7. Health implications of increased coal use in the Western States.

    PubMed

    Guidotti, T L

    1979-07-01

    The National Energy Plan proposed by President Carter provides for the rapid development of coal resources in the United States, particularly in the West. The potential consequences for health of this development were considered by the Advisory Committee on Health and Environmental Effects of Increased Coal Utilization, reporting to the Department of Energy. Their report recommended rigid adherence to pertinent existing regulations, improved environmental monitoring, expanded research in selected relevant topics and development of procedures for selecting the sites of new coal-fired power plants. Although the report was a major exercise in technology assessment, it is fundamentally a cautious document that proposes no new solutions or approaches. A review of occupational and community health problems associated with coal mining and coal utilization suggests that lessons from past experiences, especially in Appalachia, cannot be applied to the West uncritically. The two regions are fundamentally different in scale, topography and social development. In the West, future problems related to coal are likely to derive from unknown risks associated with coal processing technologies, land reclamation and water quality at the sites of power generation, and extensive social and demographic changes at centers of industrial activity that may have secondary effects on health. Additional considerations should supplement the recommendations of the Advisory Committee report.

  8. The coal-fired gas turbine locomotive - A new look

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liddle, S. G.; Bonzo, B. B.; Purohit, G. P.

    1983-01-01

    Advances in turbomachine technology and novel methods of coal combustion may have made possible the development of a competitive coal fired gas turbine locomotive engine. Of the combustor, thermodynamic cycle, and turbine combinations presently assessed, an external combustion closed cycle regenerative gas turbine with a fluidized bed coal combustor is judged to be the best suited for locomotive requirements. Some merit is also discerned in external combustion open cycle regenerative systems and internal combustion open cycle regenerative gas turbine systems employing a coal gasifier. The choice of an open or closed cycle depends on the selection of a working fluid and the relative advantages of loop pressurization, with air being the most attractive closed cycle working fluid on the basis of cost.

  9. Analysis of thermal radiation in coal-fired furnaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miles, Jonathan J.; Hammaker, Robert G.; Madding, Robert P.; Sunderland, J. E.

    1997-04-01

    Many utilities throughout the United States have added infrared scanning to their arsenal of techniques for inspection and predictive maintenance programs. Commercial infrared scanners are not designed, however, to withstand the searing interiors of boilers, which can exceed 2500 degrees Fahrenheit. Two high-temperature lenses designed to withstand the hostile environment inside a boiler for extended periods of time were developed by the EPRI M&D Center, thus permitting real-time measurement of steam tube temperatures and subsequent analysis of tube condition, inspection of burners, and identification of hot spots. A study was conducted by Sunderland Engineering, Inc. and EPRI M&D in order to characterize the radiative interactions that affect infrared measurements made inside a commercial, coal- fired, water-tube boiler. A comprehensive literature search exploring the existing record of results pertaining to analytical and experimental determination of radiative properties of coal-combustion byproducts was performed. An experimental component intended to provide data for characterization of the optical properties of hot combustion byproducts inside a coal-fired furnace was carried out. The results of the study indicate that hot gases, carbon particles, and fly ash, which together compose the medium inside a boiler, affect to varying degrees the transport of infrared radiation across a furnace. Techniques for improved infrared measurement across a coal-fired furnace are under development.

  10. Ozone Monitoring Instrument Observations of Interannual Increases in SO2 Emissions from Indian Coal-fired Power Plants During 2005-2012

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lu, Zifeng; Streets, David D.; de Foy, Benjamin; Krotkov, Nickolay A.

    2014-01-01

    Due to the rapid growth of electricity demand and the absence of regulations, sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from coal-fired power plants in India have increased notably in the past decade. In this study, we present the first interannual comparison of SO2 emissions and the satellite SO2 observations from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) for Indian coal-fired power plants during the OMI era of 2005-2012. A detailed unit-based inventory is developed for the Indian coal-fired power sector, and results show that its SO2 emissions increased dramatically by 71 percent during 2005-2012. Using the oversampling technique, yearly high-resolution OMI maps for the whole domain of India are created, and they reveal a continuous increase in SO2 columns over India. Power plant regions with annual SO2 emissions greater than 50 Gg year-1 produce statistically significant OMI signals, and a high correlation (R equals 0.93) is found between SO2 emissions and OMI-observed SO2 burdens. Contrary to the decreasing trend of national mean SO2 concentrations reported by the Indian Government, both the total OMI-observed SO2 and average SO2 concentrations in coal-fired power plant regions increased by greater than 60 percent during 2005-2012, implying the air quality monitoring network needs to be optimized to reflect the true SO2 situation in India.

  11. Effect of occupation on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant status in coal-fired thermal plant workers.

    PubMed

    Kaur, Sandeep; Gill, Manmeet Singh; Gupta, Kapil; Manchanda, Kc

    2013-07-01

    Air pollution from coal-fired power units is large and varied, and contributes to a significant number of negative environmental and health effects. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of coal dust-induced toxicity in coal-fired power plants. The aim of the study was to measure free radical damage and the antioxidant activity in workers exposed to varying levels of coal dust. The study population consisted of workers in coal handling unit, turbine unit, and boiler unit (n = 50 each), working in thermal power plant; and electricians (n = 50) from same department were taken as controls. Lipid peroxidation was measured by malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and antioxidant activity was determined by superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels. Statistical analysis was carried out by Student's unpaired t-test. MDA levels showed significant increase (P > 0.001) in the thermal power plant workers than the electricians working in the city. The levels of SOD and GPx were significantly higher (P > 0.001) in electricians as compared to subjects working in thermal plant. Among the thermal plant workers, the coal handling unit workers showed significant increase (P > 0.001) in MDA and significant decrease in SOD and GPx than the workers of boiler and turbine unit workers. Oxidative stress due to increase in lipid peroxidation and decrease in antioxidant activity results from exposure to coal dust and coal combustion products during thermal plant activities.

  12. Integrated process and apparatus for control of pollutants in coal-fired boilers

    DOEpatents

    Hunt, Terry G.; Offen, George R.

    1992-01-01

    A method and apparatus for reducing SO.sub.x and NO.sub.x levels in flue gases generated by the combustion of coal in a boiler in which low NO.sub.x burners and air staging ports are utilized to inhibit the amount of NO.sub.x initially produced in the combustion of the coal, a selected concentration of urea is introduced downstream of the combustion zone after the temperature has been reduced to the range of 1300.degree. F. to 2000.degree. F., and a sodium-based reagent is introduced into the flue gas stream after further reducing the temperature of the stream to the range of 200.degree. F. to 900.degree. F. Under certain conditions, calcium injection may be employed along with humidification of the flue gas stream for selective reduction of the pollutants.

  13. Integrated process and apparatus for control of pollutants in coal-fired boilers

    DOEpatents

    Hunt, T.G.; Offen, G.R.

    1992-11-24

    A method and apparatus are described for reducing SO[sub x] and NO[sub x] levels in flue gases generated by the combustion of coal in a boiler in which low NO[sub x] burners and air staging ports are utilized to inhibit the amount of NO[sub x] initially produced in the combustion of the coal. A selected concentration of urea is introduced downstream of the combustion zone after the temperature has been reduced to the range of 1300 F to 2000 F, and a sodium-based reagent is introduced into the flue gas stream after further reducing the temperature of the stream to the range of 200 F to 900 F. Under certain conditions, calcium injection may be employed along with humidification of the flue gas stream for selective reduction of the pollutants. 7 figs.

  14. Supplement B to compilation of air pollutant emission factors, volume 1. Stationary point and area sources

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    This document contains emission factors and process information for more than 200 air pollution source categories. This Supplement to AP-42 addresses pollutant-generating activity from Bituminous And Subbituminous Coal Combustion, Anthracite Coal Combustion, Fuel Oil Combustion, Natural Gas Combustion, Liquefied Petroleum Gas Combustion, Wood Waste Combustion In Boilers, Lignite Combustion, Bagasse Combustion In Sugar Mills, Residential Fireplaces, Residential Wood Stoves, Waste Oil Combustion, Stationary Gas Turbines For Electricity Generation, Heavy-duty Natural Gas-fired Pipeline Compressor Engines And Turbines, Gasoline and Diesel Industrial Engines, Large Stationary Diesel And All Stationary Dual-fuel Engines, Adipic Acid, Cotton Ginning, Alfafalfa Dehydrating, Malt Beverages, Ceramic Products Manufacturing,more » Electroplating, Wildfires And Prescribed Burning, Emissions From Soils-Greenhouse Gases, Termites-Greenhouse Gases, and Lightning Emissions-Greenhouse Gases.« less

  15. Open-pit coal mine production sequencing incorporating grade blending and stockpiling options: An application from an Indian mine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumar, Ashish; Chatterjee, Snehamoy

    2017-05-01

    Production scheduling is a crucial aspect of the mining industry. An optimal and efficient production schedule can increase the profits manifold and reduce the amount of waste to be handled. Production scheduling for coal mines is necessary to maintain consistency in the quality and quantity parameters of coal supplied to power plants. Irregularity in the quality parameters of the coal can lead to heavy losses in coal-fired power plants. Moreover, the stockpiling of coal poses environmental and fire problems owing to low incubation periods. This article proposes a production scheduling formulation for open-pit coal mines including stockpiling and blending opportunities, which play a major role in maintaining the quality and quantity of supplied coal. The proposed formulation was applied to a large open-pit coal mine in India. This contribution provides an efficient production scheduling formulation for coal mines after utilizing the stockpile coal within the incubation periods with the maximization of discounted cash flows. At the same time, consistency is maintained in the quality and quantity of coal to power plants through blending and stockpiling options to ensure smooth functioning.

  16. Depositional history of the Fire Clay coal bed (Late Duckmantian), Eastern Kentucky, USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Greb, S.F.; Eble, C.F.; Hower, J.C.

    1999-01-01

    More than 3800 coal thickness measurements, proximate analyses from 97 localities, and stratigraphic and sedimentological analyses from more than 300 outcrops and cores were used in conjunction with previously reported palynological and petrographic studies to map individual benches of the coal and document bench-scale variability in the Fire Clay (Hazard No. 4) coal bed across a 1860 km2 area of the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field. The bench architecture of the Fire Clay coal bed consists of uncommon leader benches, a persistent but variable lower bench, a widespread, and generally thick upper bench, and local, variable rider benches. Rheotrophic conditions are inferred for the leader benches and lower bench based on sedimentological associations, mixed palynomorph assemblages, locally common cannel coal layers, and generally high ash yields. The lower bench consistently exhibits vertical variability in petrography and palynology that reflects changing trophic conditions as topographic depressions infilled. Infilling also led to unconfined flooding and ultimately the drowning of the lower bench mire. The drowned mire was covered by an air-fall volcanic-ash deposit, which produced the characteristic flint clay parting. The extent and uniform thickness of the parting suggests that the ash layer was deposited in water on a relatively flat surface without a thick canopy or extensive standing vegetation across most of the study area. Ash deposits led to regional ponding and establishment of a second planar mire. Because the topography had become a broadly uniform, nutrient-rich surface, upper-bench peats became widespread with large areas of the mire distant to clastic sources. Vertical sections of thick (> 70 cm), low-ash yield, upper coal bench show a common palynomorph change from arborescent lycopod dominance upward to fern and densospore-producing, small lycopod dominance, inferred as a shift from planar to ombrotrophic mire phases. Domed mires appear to have been surrounded by wide areas of planar mires, where the coal was thinner (< 70 cm), higher in ash yield, and dominated by arborescent lycopods. Rectangular thickness trends suggest that syndepositional faulting influenced peat accumulation, and possibly the position of the domed mire phase. Faulting also influenced post-depositional clastic environments of deposition, resulting in sandstone channels with angular changes in orientation. Channels and lateral facies were locally draped by high-ash-yield rider coal benches, which sometimes merged with the upper coal bench. These arborescent-lycopod dominant rider coal benches were profoundly controlled by palcotopography, much like the leader coal benches. Each of the benches of coal documented here represent distinctly different mires that came together to form the Fire Clay coal bed, rather than a single mire periodically split by clastic influx. This is significant as each bench of the coal has its own characteristics, which contribute to the total coal characteristics. The large data set allows interpretation of both vertical and lateral limits to postulated domed phases in the upper coal bench, and to the delineation of subtle tectonic structures that allow for meaningful thickness projections beyond the limits of present mining.A study was conducted to analyze the depositional history of the Fire Clay coal bed in the eastern Kentucky coal field. The study involved over 3800 coal thickness measurements, proximate analyses from 97 localities, and stratigraphic and sedimentological analyses from more than 300 outcrops and cores in conjunction with previously reported palynological and petrographic studies to map individual benches of the coal and document bench-scale variability.

  17. Burnout control at the Albright coal-waste-bank fire. Rept. of investigations/1991

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chaiken, R.F.; Bayles, L.G.

    1991-01-01

    Burnout Control is a process developed by the U.S. Bureau of Mines for accelerating the burning of wasted coal fires in situ, while at the same time controlling the heat and fumes produced. The Albright fire project is a first field trial of Burnout Control as applied to a coal waste bank. An exhaust ventilation system was designed and constructed and then operated over a 1-year period at the site of an existing abandoned mine land fire near the town of Albright, W.V. While predicted exhaust gas temperatures of 900 C and thermal power levels of 5 MW were achievedmore » at 20- to 30-in H2O vacuum levels, problems were encountered with engineering designs, equipment breakdown, and fuel-rich combustion that curtailed the time period of satisfactory operation. Effective afterburning of the exhaust gases (as they were drawn from the bank) corrected the problems associated with combustion stoichiometry and led to high thermal outputs. It is believed that with (1) improvements in engineering design and construction, (2) better control of the afterburning process, and (3) the use of conventional stack gas air-pollution controls, Burnout Control can be applied successfully to a coal waste bank fire.« less

  18. Development of Self-Powered Wireless-Ready High Temperature Electrochemical Sensors for In-Situ Corrosion Monitoring for Boiler Tubes in Next Generation Coal-based Power Systems

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Liu, Xingbo

    The key innovation of this project is the synergy of the high temperature sensor technology based on the science of electrochemical measurement and state-of-the-art wireless communication technology. A novel self-powered wireless high temperature electrochemical sensor system has been developed for coal-fired boilers used for power generation. An initial prototype of the in-situ sensor demonstrated the capability of the wireless communication system in the laboratory and in a pilot plant (Industrial USC Boiler Setting) environment to acquire electrochemical potential and current signals during the corrosion process. Uniform and localized under-coal ash deposit corrosion behavior of Inconel 740 superalloy has been studiedmore » at different simulated coal ash hot corrosion environments using the developed sensor. Two typical potential noise patterns were found to correlate with the oxidation and sulfidation stages in the hot coal ash corrosion process. Two characteristic current noise patterns indicate the extent of the corrosion. There was a good correlation between the responses of electrochemical test data and the results from corroded surface analysis. Wireless electrochemical potential and current noise signals from a simulated coal ash hot corrosion process were concurrently transmitted and recorded. The results from the performance evaluation of the sensor confirm a high accuracy in the thermodynamic and kinetic response represented by the electrochemical noise and impedance test data.« less

  19. Sustainability Assessment of Coal-Fired Power Plants with Carbon Capture and Storage

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Widder, Sarah H.; Butner, R. Scott; Elliott, Michael L.

    2011-11-30

    Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) has the ability to dramatically reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from power production. Most studies find the potential for 70 to 80 percent reductions in CO2 emissions on a life-cycle basis, depending on the technology. Because of this potential, utilities and policymakers are considering the wide-spread implementation of CCS technology on new and existing coal plants to dramatically curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the power generation sector. However, the implementation of CCS systems will have many other social, economic, and environmental impacts beyond curbing GHG emissions that must be considered to achieve sustainable energymore » generation. For example, emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and particulate matter (PM) are also important environmental concerns for coal-fired power plants. For example, several studies have shown that eutrophication is expected to double and acidification would increase due to increases in NOx emissions for a coal plant with CCS provided by monoethanolamine (MEA) scrubbing. Potential for human health risks is also expected to increase due to increased heavy metals in water from increased coal mining and MEA hazardous waste, although there is currently not enough information to relate this potential to actual realized health impacts. In addition to environmental and human health impacts, supply chain impacts and other social, economic, or strategic impacts will be important to consider. A thorough review of the literature for life-cycle analyses of power generation processes using CCS technology via the MEA absorption process, and other energy generation technologies as applicable, yielded large variability in methods and core metrics. Nonetheless, a few key areas of impact for CCS were developed from the studies that we reviewed. These are: the impact of MEA generation on increased eutrophication and acidification from ammonia emissions and increased toxicity from MEA production and the impact of increased coal use including the increased generation of NOx from combustion and transportation, impacts of increased mining of coal and limestone, and the disposal of toxic fly ash and boiler ash waste streams. Overall, the implementing CCS technology could contribute to a dramatic decrease in global GHG emissions, while most other environmental and human health impact categories increase only slightly on a global scale. However, the impacts on human toxicity and ecotoxicity have not been studied as extensively and could have more severe impacts on a regional or local scale. More research is needed to draw strong conclusions with respect to the specific relative impact of different CCS technologies. Specifically, a more robust data set that disaggregates data in terms of component processes and treats a more comprehensive set of environmental impacts categories from a life-cycle perspective is needed. In addition, the current LCA framework lacks the required temporal and spatial scales to determine the risk of environmental impact from carbon sequestration. Appropriate factors to use when assessing the risk of water acidification (groundwater/oceans/aquifers depending on sequestration site), risk of increased human toxicity impact from large accidental releases from pipeline or wells, and the legal and public policy risk associated with licensing CO2 sequestration sites are also not currently addressed. In addition to identifying potential environmental, social, or risk-related issues that could impede the large-scale deployment of CCS, performing LCA-based studies on energy generation technologies can suggest places to focus our efforts to achieve technically feasible, economically viable, and environmentally conscious energy generation technologies for maximum impact.« less

  20. Simulation of the visual effects of power plant plumes

    Treesearch

    Evelyn F. Treiman; David B. Champion; Mona J. Wecksung; Glenn H. Moore; Andrew Ford; Michael D. Williams

    1979-01-01

    The Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory has developed a computer-assisted technique that can predict the visibility effects of potential energy sources in advance of their construction. This technique has been employed in an economic and environmental analysis comparing a single 3000 MW coal-fired power plant with six 500 MW coal-fired power plants located at hypothetical...

  1. RETROFIT COSTS FOR SO2 AND NOX CONTROL OPTIONS AT 200 COAL-FIRED PLANTS, VOLUME I - INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGY

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report gives results of a study, the objective of which was to significantly improve engineering cost estimates currently being used to evaluate the economic effects of applying SO2 and NOx controls at 200 large SO2-emitting coal-fired utility plants. To accomplish the object...

  2. Corrosion/Erosion Behavior of Silicon Nitride and Silicon Carbide Ceramics - Gas Turbine Experience

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1979-04-01

    C-0138. As part of a program to utilize ceramics in helical expander Brayton cycle turbomachines for coal-fired topping cycles, Myers el a1.7 have...Meyers et al., Reference 7). 7. MEYERS, B., LANDINGHAM, R., MOHR, P., and TAYLOR , K. An Adiabatic Coal-Fired 1350 C Expander in Proceedings: Workshop on

  3. 40 CFR 97.142 - CAIR NOX allowance allocations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... heat input for each year calculated as follows: (A) If the unit is coal-fired during the year, the unit... the first such 5 years. (2)(i) A unit's control period heat input, and a unit's status as coal-fired... Allocations § 97.142 CAIR NOX allowance allocations. (a)(1) The baseline heat input (in mmBtu) used with...

  4. 30 CFR 75.1107-7 - Water spray devices; capacity; water supply; minimum requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Water spray devices; capacity; water supply; minimum requirements. 75.1107-7 Section 75.1107-7 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection Fire Suppression Devices and...

  5. 30 CFR 75.1107-7 - Water spray devices; capacity; water supply; minimum requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Water spray devices; capacity; water supply; minimum requirements. 75.1107-7 Section 75.1107-7 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection Fire Suppression Devices and...

  6. 30 CFR 75.1107-7 - Water spray devices; capacity; water supply; minimum requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Water spray devices; capacity; water supply; minimum requirements. 75.1107-7 Section 75.1107-7 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection Fire Suppression Devices and...

  7. 30 CFR 75.1107-7 - Water spray devices; capacity; water supply; minimum requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Water spray devices; capacity; water supply; minimum requirements. 75.1107-7 Section 75.1107-7 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection Fire Suppression Devices and...

  8. DEVELOPMENT OF A VORTEX CONTAINMENT COMBUSTOR FOR COAL COMBUSTION SYSTEMS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report describes the development of a vortex containment combustor (VCC) for coal combustion systems, designed to solve major problems facing the conversion of oil- and gas-fired boilers to coal (e.g., derating, inorganic impurities in coal, and excessive formation of NOx and...

  9. DEVELOPMENT OF A VORTEX CONTAINMENT COMBUSTOR FOR COAL COMBUSTION SYTEMS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report describes the development of a vortex containment combustor (VCC) for coal combustion systems, designed to solve major problems facing the conversion of oil- and gas-fired boilers to coal (e.g., derating, inorganic impurities in coal, and excessive formation of NOx and...

  10. Technoeconomic Optimization of Waste Heat Driven Forward Osmosis for Flue Gas Desulfurization Wastewater Treatment

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gingerich, Daniel B; Bartholomew, Timothy V; Mauter, Meagan S

    With the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent Effluent Limitation Guidelines for Steam Electric Generators, power plants are having to install and operate new wastewater technologies. Many plants are evaluating desalination technologies as possible compliance options. However, the desalination technologies under review that can reduce wastewater volume or treat to a zero-liquid discharges standard have a significant energy penalty to the plant. Waste heat, available from the exhaust gas or cooling water from coal-fired power plants, offers an opportunity to drive wastewater treatment using thermal desalination technologies. One such technology is forward osmosis (FO). Forward osmosis utilizes an osmotic pressure gradient tomore » passively pull water from a saline or wastewater stream across a semi-permeable membrane and into a more concentrated draw solution. This diluted draw solution is then fed into a distillation column, where the addition of low temperature waste heat can drive the separation to produce a reconcentrated draw solution and treated water for internal plant reuse. The use of low-temperature waste heat decouples water treatment from electricity production and eliminates the link between reducing water pollution and increasing air emissions from auxiliary electricity generation. In order to evaluate the feasibility of waste heat driven FO, we first build a model of an FO system for flue gas desulfurization (FGD) wastewater treatment at coal-fired power plants. This model includes the FO membrane module, the distillation column for draw solution recovery, and waste heat recovery from the exhaust gas. We then add a costing model to account for capital and operating costs of the forward osmosis system. We use this techno-economic model to optimize waste heat driven FO for the treatment of FGD wastewater. We apply this model to three case studies: the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) 550 MW model coal fired power plant without carbon capture and sequestration, the NETL 550 MW model coal fired power plant with carbon capture and sequestration, and Plant Bowen in Eularhee, Georgia. For each case, we identify the design that minimizes the cost of wastewater treatment given the safely recoverable waste heat. We benchmark the cost minimum waste-heat forward osmosis solutions to two conventional options that rely on electricity, reverse osmosis and mechanical vapor recompression. Furthermore, we quantify the environmental damages from the emissions of carbon dioxide and criteria air pollutants for each treatment option. With this information we can assess the trade-offs between treatment costs, energy consumption, and air emissions between the treatment options.« less

  11. Coal Formation and Geochemistry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Orem, W. H.; Finkelman, R. B.

    2003-12-01

    Coal is one of the most complex and challenging natural materials to analyze and to understand. Unlike most rocks, which consist predominantly of crystalline mineral grains, coal is largely an assemblage of amorphous, degraded plant remains metamorphosed to various degrees and intermixed with a generous sprinkling of minute syngenetic, diagenetic, epigenetic, and detrital mineral grains, and containing within its structure various amounts of water, oils, and gases. Each coal is unique, having been derived from different plant sources over geologic time, having experienty -45ced different thermal histories, and having been exposed to varying geologic processes. This diversity presents a challenge to constructing a coherent picture of coal geochemistry and the processes that influence the chemical composition of coal.Despite the challenge coal presents to geochemists, a thorough understanding of the chemistry and geology of this complex natural substance is essential because of its importance to our society. Coal is, and will remain for sometime, a crucial source of energy for the US and for many other countries (Figure 1). In the USA, more than half of the electricity is generated by coal-fired power plants, and almost 90% of the coal mined in the USA is sold for electricity generation (Pierce et al., 1996). It is also an important source of coke for steel production, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and even perfumes ( Schobert, 1987). It may also, in some cases, be an economic source of various mineral commodities. The utilization of coal through mining, transport, storage, combustion, and the disposal of the combustion by-products, also presents a challenge to geochemists because of the wide range of environmental and human health problems arising from these activities. The sound and effective use of coal as a natural resource requires a better understanding of the geochemistry of coal, i.e., the chemical and mineralogical characteristics of the coal that control its technological behavior, by-product characteristics, and environmental and human health impacts. In this chapter, we will try to make geochemical sense of this wonderfully complex and important resource. (5K)Figure 1. Photograph of a low rank coal bed (lignite of Pliocene age) from southwestern Romania.

  12. Free radical reaction characteristics of coal low-temperature oxidation and its inhibition method.

    PubMed

    Li, Zenghua; Kong, Biao; Wei, Aizhu; Yang, Yongliang; Zhou, Yinbo; Zhang, Lanzhun

    2016-12-01

    Study on the mechanism of coal spontaneous combustion is significant for controlling fire disasters due to coal spontaneous combustion. The free radical reactions can explain the chemical process of coal at low-temperature oxidation. Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy was used to measure the change rules of the different sorts and different granularity of coal directly; ESR spectroscopy chart of free radicals following the changes of temperatures was compared by the coal samples applying air and blowing nitrogen, original coal samples, dry coal samples, and demineralized coal samples. The fragmentation process was the key factor of producing and initiating free radical reactions. Oxygen, moisture, and mineral accelerated the free radical reactions. Combination of the free radical reaction mechanism, the mechanical fragmentation leaded to the elevated CO concentration, fracturing of coal pillar was more prone to spontaneous combustion, and spontaneous combustion in goaf accounted for a large proportion of the fire in the mine were explained. The method of added diphenylamine can inhibit the self-oxidation of coal effectively, the action mechanism of diphenylamine was analyzed by free radical chain reaction, and this research can offer new method for the development of new flame retardant.

  13. A pilot study of mercury liberation and capture from coal-fired power plant fly ash.

    PubMed

    Li, Jin; Gao, Xiaobing; Goeckner, Bryna; Kollakowsky, Dave; Ramme, Bruce

    2005-03-01

    The coal-fired electric utility generation industry has been identified as the largest anthropogenic source of mercury (Hg) emissions in the United States. One of the promising techniques for Hg removal from flue gas is activated carbon injection (ACI). The aim of this project was to liberate Hg bound to fly ash and activated carbon after ACI and provide high-quality coal combustion products for use in construction materials. Both bench- and pilot-scale tests were conducted to liberate Hg using a thermal desorption process. The results indicated that up to 90% of the Hg could be liberated from the fly ash or fly-ash-and-activated-carbon mixture using a pilot-scale apparatus (air slide) at 538 degrees C with a very short retention time (less than 1 min). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) evaluation indicated no significant change in fly ash carbon particle morphology following the thermal treatment. Fly ash particles collected in the baghouse of the pilot-scale apparatus were smaller in size than those collected at the exit of the air slide. A similar trend was observed in carbon particles separated from the fly ash using froth flotation. The results of this study suggest a means for power plants to reduce the level of Hg in coal-combustion products and potentially recycle activated carbon while maintaining the resale value of fly ash. This technology is in the process of being patented.

  14. Simulation of fluidized bed combustors. I - Combustion efficiency and temperature profile. [for coal-fired gas turbines

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Horio, M.; Wen, C. Y.

    1976-01-01

    A chemical engineering analysis is made of fluidized-bed combustor (FBC) performance, with FBC models developed to aid estimation of combustion efficiency and axial temperature profiles. The FBC is intended for combustion of pulverized coal and a pressurized FBC version is intended for firing gas turbines by burning coal. Transport phenomena are analyzed at length: circulation, mixing models, drifting, bubble wake lift, heat transfer, division of the FB reactor into idealized mixing cells. Some disadvantages of a coal FBC are pointed out: erosion of immersed heat-transfer tubing, complex feed systems, carryover of unburned coal particles, high particulate emission in off-streams. The low-temperature bed (800-950 C) contains limestone, and flue-gas-entrained SO2 and NOx can be kept within acceptable limits.

  15. 30 CFR 75.1107 - Fire suppression devices.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... Provisions] On and after March 30, 1971, fire-suppression devices meeting specifications prescribed by the... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Fire suppression devices. 75.1107 Section 75... HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection Fire Suppression Devices and...

  16. 30 CFR 75.1107 - Fire suppression devices.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... Provisions] On and after March 30, 1971, fire-suppression devices meeting specifications prescribed by the... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Fire suppression devices. 75.1107 Section 75... HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection Fire Suppression Devices and...

  17. 30 CFR 75.1107 - Fire suppression devices.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... Provisions] On and after March 30, 1971, fire-suppression devices meeting specifications prescribed by the... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Fire suppression devices. 75.1107 Section 75... HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection Fire Suppression Devices and...

  18. 30 CFR 75.1107 - Fire suppression devices.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... Provisions] On and after March 30, 1971, fire-suppression devices meeting specifications prescribed by the... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Fire suppression devices. 75.1107 Section 75... HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection Fire Suppression Devices and...

  19. 30 CFR 75.1107 - Fire suppression devices.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Provisions] On and after March 30, 1971, fire-suppression devices meeting specifications prescribed by the... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Fire suppression devices. 75.1107 Section 75... HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Fire Protection Fire Suppression Devices and...

  20. Nuclear techniques for the on-line bulk analysis of carbon in coal-fired power stations.

    PubMed

    Sowerby, B D

    2009-09-01

    Carbon trading schemes usually require large emitters of CO(2), such as coal-fired power stations, to monitor, report and be audited on their CO(2) emissions. The emission price provides a significant additional incentive for power stations to improve efficiency. In the present paper, previous work on the bulk determination of carbon in coal is reviewed and assessed. The most favourable method is that based on neutron inelastic scattering. The potential role of on-line carbon analysers in improving boiler efficiency and in carbon accounting is discussed.

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