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Concept with a Future:

COHPAC
he Compact Hybrid tle III, as well as state Cottrell, and put into opera- nia Edison Mohave station.
Particulate Collector regulations. tion in May 1992. Again, a 1 MW pulse jet
(COHPAC) was ori- Test data accumulated fabric filter pilot unit was
A variety of options are avaij- during more than 7000 installed using a slipstream
ginally developed at the
able to improve and upgrade hours of operation of this removed upstream of the
Electric Power Research
ESP performance, including unit demonstrated that the existing ESP, and operated
Institute (EPRI) in Palo
flue gas conditioning, ESP COHPAC concept is reliable for approximately 2000
Alto, California, and li-
replacement and enlarge- with efficient particulate col- hours. The two 790 MW units
censed by Research Cot-
ment, and the combination lection, maintaining the at Mohave burn a low-sul-
trell Inc. The idea was to
of ESPs with baghouse tech- opacity below 5%, with phur coal, which is normally
reduce the need for a emission levels less than
nology. This latter is what a problem for electrostatic
separate filter to control 0.01 Ib/MBtu. A high flue
COHPAC offers. precipitators, and thus an
flyash, by combining an gas temperature of above adverse impact was ex-
electrostatic precipitator 375F (190C) caused some pected on the performance
and fabric filter technology THE COHPAC SYSTEM problems with the RytonD of the fabric filter. The com-
in a single system. COH- bags. Also, some moisture
The basic COHPAC concept pany therefore decided to
PAC has been developed caused caking on filter bags run a pilot test. This particu-
is relatively simple. A bag- and condensation during
over the last 5--10 years, lar unit was tried at an A/C
house system is installed the shutdown/start-up peri-
with extensive tests, and is ratio of 12:1, and performed
downstream from an exist- ods. However, this was cor-
currently working very SUC- relatively well. Particulates
ing electrostatic precipita- rected by installing an air
cessfully in several fully and efficiency were main-
tor to remove the fine preheater, and filters are
fledged utilities. Here Lutz tained below 0.01 IblMBtu,
particulates which have not normally purged following
Bergmann of Filter Media while the pressure drop ran-
been collected by the ESP, shutdown. The generally
Consulting Inc, Georgia, ged between 3.5 and
so that the combined effi- positive performance of the
USA describes the system 4.2 inches/WG.
ciency complies with exist- COHPAC system has led to
and its benefits.
ing regulations. a decision to use it to
Since the major dust handle all flue gases at the SORBENT INJECTION
Particularly in North Amer- load of flyash is collected Big Brown Unit 1 and 2
ica utilities have histori- There is an additional ad-
by the ESP, the amount of stations for the entire
cally used electrostatic dust reaching the down- 1150 MW plant. vantage to COHPAC with
precipitators (ESPs) to con- stream baghouse collector electrostatic precipitators
trol particulate emissions is relatively low. Thus high handling the bulk of the
at coal-fired power plants. ALABAMA POWER PILOT
A/C ratios are possible in flyash. The COHPAC con-
Fabric filters have been TESTING
pulse jet collector systems. cept gives utilities an op-
used in North America A/C ratios of between 61
Alabama Power has also portunity to inject sorbents
since the early/mid- and 1O:l are common in
evaluated the COHPAC sys- that can remove acid gas,
1970s. Looking at the en- existing COHPAC installa-
tem. In September 1995 a 1 and most importantly SO2
tire utility industry, the ap- tions.
MW pulse jet fabric filter pilot and mercury if needed.
proximately 1200 ESPs
stream was located down- These sorbents would be
and more than 120 bag-
TEST INSTALLATION AT stream of the Unit No. 2 hot- injected upstream from the
house systems have per-
BIG BROWN side electrostatic precipita- COHPAC filter. Some
formed well. With tighter
tors at the Alabama Power screenings at Big Brown
emission controls, how- The first COHPAC test unit Miller Station. have shown that up to 60%
ever, many electrostatic was a 1 MW system erected In this plant, 2500 hours SOP removal and SO2 con-
precipitators do not reach at the Big Brown generating of testing showed that the centrations of less than
future condition require- station, near Fairfield, differential pressure could
ments The utility industry 1000 ppm did not affect the
Texas run by TU (Texas be maintained at less than 5 performance of such COH-
in North America therefore Utilities) Electric. This very inches of water at an A/C PAC systems.
faces a number of obsta- elaborate test demonstra- ratio of 9:1 with on-line For the control of mer-
cles, including: tion proved that at high A/
cleaning. These results cury, sorbents such as acti-
C ratios it was possible to
l The 1990 Clean Air Act showed that COHPAC can vated carbon would be
maintain a reasonable dif-
Amendments. also be applied to upgrade injected between the ESP
ferential pressure aver-
l The adoption of more hot-side ESP performance, and the COHPAC system.
aging 6 inches across the
stringent particulate and that on-line cleaning This has another advan-
baghouse. Average emis-
emissions requirements can be used to maintain tage. The flyash collected
sion limits were less than
by various state and lo- acceptable pressure drops. by the ESP can be used
the required 0.01 IblMBtu.
cal agencies. Alabama Power is now commercially, in that the
When this test was com-
l Ageing of existing equip- planning to install a COH- sorbent can be recycled
pleted and considered suc-
ment. PAC unit at the Gaston Unit. and reused, since it con-
cessful, a 154 MW full-scale
l The potential for utilities demonstration unit hand- tains very little flyash. Fu-
not only to control parti- ling 735,000 actual cu ft/ LOW-SULPHUR COAL AT ture evaluations will have to
culate emissions but min was erected at the Big CALIFORNIA EDISON determine if mercury reduc-
also air toxins according Brown Unit No. 2. The pulse tions are needed, or are
to the Clean Air Act jet fabric filter was designed Another COHPAC pilot unit achievable in a cost-effec-
Amendments (CAAA) Ti- was installed at the Califor- tive way. This is currently
and supplied by Research
~ under study, supported could well offer a very
jointly by EPRI and the US interesting and cost-effec-
Environmental Protection tive solution to future pro-

REPRINTS HELP SALES Agency (EPA). blems in coal-fired


Independently,
utilities.
forecasts
assume that even up to
SUMMARY
AND REDUCE COSTS The COHPAC system also
the
electric
year 2015
utilities
coal-fired
will domi-
:.;:: nate the industry, followed
shows promise for location
$ Promote your company and save by nuclear, hydro-pow-
B: on the hot-side of EPSs,
:ff.. money by having reprints of an by placing ceramic filter ered, natural gas and oil-
elements in the last ESP fired stations. Thus fabric
$ article or whole page advertisement field. EPRI is currently con- filter technology based on
.,A.
.:.::
y;;;
.>.x: that appears in this issue. ducting tests to determine the COHPAC system car-
;;.sj suitable operating condi- ries a tremendous potential
tions for such ceramic fil- into the 21st Century.
ter elements.
COHPAC has the poten- BIBLIOGRAPHY
tial to upgrade a utilitys
pollution control measures, Power Engineering, July 1996.
most likely including SO2 Power, March 1996.
EPRI Newsletter, 1995.
polishing as well as redu-
Power, April 1994.
cing mercury and possibly Fluid/Particle Separation Jour-
NO, emissions. All of the- nal, (American Filtration & Se-
parations Society), December
se evaluations have to be 1993, 6(4).
cost-effective, and must
compete with all the other
options currently being Filter Media Consulting Inc
evaluated. PO Box 2189
With the background LaGrange,
ss
-,:a:. that in 1995 coal-fired boi-
:.$ GA 30241-2189,
:z
$$, lers in the electric utility USA.
a>$:.
il<,. ~ industry represented about
&?,:i
,:.$.$ 55% of total regeneration, Tel: + 1 706 882 3108
it is assumed that COHPAC Fax: + 1 706 882 3039

THEFULLY
AUTOMATIC
UNMANNED
FILTER
PRESS
ME
SAVES
UPTO FYOURCOSTS.

The filter press mod:ME is a new generation of the


solid-liquid separation systems under pressure, in
which the application of the fully automation allows to
save on: we*?,
if

SHORTENED FILTERING TIME


REDUCED DISCHARGE TIME
MORE REDUCED PLANT SIZE
LOWER TOTAL INVESTMENT PRICE
POSSIBILITYTO CARRYOUT MOREWORKINGFREQ
LOWER MANAGING COSTS
STAFF ABSENCE DURING SHIFTING PHASES.

ENGAGEDIEMME,
Via Bedazzo, 1 - 48022 LUG0 RA- ITALY Ph ~39-545-20611 - Fax +39-545.30356

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