ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IN THE FIELD OF THERMAL POWER PLANT

By: Goverdhan Shrestha

Power Plant and Pollution

Air pollution

Thermal Pollution

continued reliance on thermal power plants

Coal plays a vital role in electricity generation worldwide Coal-fired power plants fuel 41% of global electricity In some countries, coal fuels used in a higher percentage for electricity generation Total World Electricity Generation by Fuel (2010) Source: IEA 2011
Coal in Electricity Generation South Africa 93% Australia 78% Israel 58%
Oil LNG

Poland 87% Kazakhstan 75% Czech Rep 51% USA 45%

PR China 79% India 68% Morocco 51% Germany 41%

CO2 Emission per Thermal Unit

120

Coal

(g-C/1000kcal)

100 80 60 40 20 0

Greece 54%

Source: based on United Nations Framework convention on Climate Change

Air pollution in Thermal Power Plant

Dust, Hydrocarbon

SOX ,NOX, CO2, Trace Substances Particles Dust

Fuel

Storage Facilities

Combustion Equipment

Exhaust Gas Treatment Facilities

In Plant Waste Treatment

Thermal Power Plant

Ash, Heavy Metal

Ways to reduce emissions from Fossil Fuel power stations

Range of technologies are being used and developed Capture and Storage of CO2 Flue Gas Cleaning

De- NOX
Dust collector

De-SOX

Pollutants and Pollution Control in Coal Fired Power Plant

SOX,NOX, CO2

Flue Gas Cleaning S t a c k

Dust

Coal

Boiler

De- NOX

EP

De-SOX

Gypsum Ash Pond

Thermal Power Plant

Ash

Flue Gas Denitrification

To keep emission of nitrogen oxides as low as possible

Method Flue gas recirculation Low Nox burner Staged burners

SCR SNCR

Applicability T-NOx T-NOx , F-NOx F-NOx, T-NOx

F-NOx, T-NOx F-NOx, T-NOx

NOx red. (%) 70~80 20~50 40~50

80~90 60~80

Nox Abatement Method At present, mainstream technology

SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction)

by catalytic reaction, into nitrogen gas and water use ammonia as the reducing agent
Catalyst: TiO2-Ceramic (with V, W, Mo additives) high efficiency in reduction (80% to 90%)

Selective Catalytic Reduction Method

reducing NOx by injecting ammonia as a reductant in the upstream of air pre-heater
the flue gas temperature ranges from 300 to 400 NOx is reduced into N2 and H2O in the reactor with catalyst TiO2-Ceramic

Basic reaction formula: 4NH3 4NO + O2 4N2 6H2O 8NH3 6NO2 7N2 12H2O

NOx reduction potential at different flue gas temperatures

Dust Collector a system used to enhance the quality of air released from the boiler Electrostatic Precipitator (EP)

method of dust collection that uses electrostatic forces, and consists of discharge wires and collecting plates

Schematic Diagram of EP more effective to remove very small particles like smoke, mist and fly ash remove 99% of particulates from the flue gas.

Dust Separation Mechanism of the Electrostatic Precipitator

Gas Ionization by Corona Discharge Charging Precipitation

Dust Removal

Source: smmec.co.jp

Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD)

Desulfurization with Limestone-Gypsum Process worlds most widely used FGD technology limestone slurry acts as an absorbent limestone slurry absorbs SO2 then it is oxidized by air at the lower part of absorber to produce calcium sulphate extracted from the absorber as gypsum slurry and finally dewatered and reused in the form of gypsum powder

Schematic design of the absorber of an FGD

Ash Treatment

Fly ash bricks Fly ash in manufacture of cement Fly ash in distemper Fly ash in road construction

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

way to reduce CO2 emissions from fossil fuels power stations:

CCS refers to a set of CO2 capture, transport and storage technologies that are put together to abate emissions

CCS is made up of three key stages. 1. Capture: Carbon capture is the separation of CO2 from the other gases produced when fossil fuels are burnt for power 2. Transport: Once separated, the CO2 is compressed and transported to a suitable sites.

Carbon capture and storage

Illustration by Belle Mellor

CCS applied to a modern conventional power plant could reduce CO2 emissions to the atmosphere by approximately 8090% compared to a plant without CCS

3. Storage: in geological formations, in the ocean, in mineral carbonates, or for use in industrial processes

CCS VALUE CHAIN Three Options; Post-combustion Pre-combustion Oxyfuel

Two Options; Pipelines Ships

Transport Capture

Storage

CO2 capture systems

CO2 Storage Structural/stratigraphic trapping

trapping of CO2 below low-permeability seals (caprocks)

Hydrodynamic trapping (Saline aquifers)

displaces saline formation water and then migrates buoyantly upwards through permeable rock fluids migrate very slowly over long distances continues to migrate as a separate phase until it is trapped as residual CO2 saturation or in local structural or stratigraphic traps

Solubility trapping
some CO2 dissolves in water, the water becomes denser, and begins to sink downwards it no longer exists as a separate entity, thereby eliminating the buoyant forces that drive it upwards

Mineral storage dissolved CO2 reacts with the reservoir rock, carbonate minerals can
form and precipitate the time line for this trapping mechanism is over thousands of years the permanence of mineral storage, combined with the potentially large storage capacity present in some geological settings, makes this a desirable feature of long term storage

CO2 pumped into disused coal fields displaces methane which can be used as fuel CO2 pumped into oil fields helps maintain pressure, making extraction easier

Current maturity of CCS system components

IPCC Special Report on Carbon dioxide Capture and Storage

Thank You