ABCD
Minimizing the Impact of SCR/SNCR
Retrofits on the
Ljungstrom Air Preheater
Louis P. Bondurant III, Wayne S. Counterman and Robin B. Rhodes
ALSTOM Power Air Preheater, Inc.
3020 Truax Road
Wellsville, NY 14895
Abstract
Experience in the US and overseas has shown
that conventional regenerative air preheaters
are susceptible to fouling with ammonium
bisulfate deposits. Without appropriate design
considerations, addition of ammonia based
NOx removal equipment is likely to lead to
more frequent unit outages for the purpose of
water washing the air preheater.
The temperature range at which ABS
deposition occurs onto regenerative air
preheater elements has been identified and
verified. Countermeasures to minimize the
impact of ABS include modification of the
temperature profiles within the air preheater
and elimination of certain problematic features
in this critical temperature zone. These
measures, coupled with reasonable control of
ammonia slip, will dramatically reduce
requirements for air preheater washes.
Also discussed are the implications of revised
system static pressure and terminal
temperatures. Identifying and allowing for
these revised conditions in the project planning
stage are key to managing implementation
costs.
Copyright ALSTOM Power Air Preheater, Inc. – 1999 – All rights Reserved
Introduction
Optimizing of the NOx removal process has
been ongoing since early implementation in
Japan and Germany in the 1980s. Migration
to the United States has presented a new and
unique set of fuel specific design and
operational requirements. Experience has
proven that conventional regenerative air
preheaters are susceptible to fouling with
ammonium bisulfate salt deposits. Unless
appropriate features are incorporated into the
design of a downstream air preheater, losses
in unit availability for air preheater washes are
likely.
This paper will reflect on the lessons learned
by Ljungstrom air preheater suppliers in
Germany, Japan and the US. Discussion will
include the identification of specific features
found to be problematic in conjunction with
SCR/SNCR systems as well as potential
solutions, which have been identified for each.
Retrofit installation of high dust SCR equipment
generally alters both the temperatures and
static pressures for the combustion air
preheater. Modifications can make the air
preheater better suited to meet post-retrofit
operational requirements. The modifications
discussed will focus on optimizing unit
reliability and availability without jeopardizing
and potentially improving unit heat rate.
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Formation of Ammonium Sulfate
Ammonium Bisulfate
Numerous chemical reactions occur within
either an SCR or SNCR NOx removal system.
The single most troublesome reaction to the
regenerative air preheater results in the
formation of ammonium bisulfate (NH3 + SO3
+ H2O ⇒ NH4HSO4). Ammonium bisulfate
(ABS) forms a sticky deposit on the transfer
surface of the heat exchanger, which
subsequently attracts and collects flyash.
These deposits foul flow passages, resulting in
restriction to flow and losses in thermal
ABCD
and
At or below 300 Degrees F, ABS has solidified
into a consistency, which can be managed by
sootblowing equipment. For this reason,
significant ABS deposits are rarely noted in the
cold end element layer. It should be noted,
however, that higher SO3 levels would elevate
the sulfuric acid dew point. [5] Cold end
fouling with a moist and sticky mixture of fly
ash and condensed acid should be considered
a possibility.
700
600
Max. Metal Temp.

efficiency.

Gas Side Temperature, °F

500
ABS Dewpoint Min. Metal Temp.

When the ratio of NH3 to SO3 is more than 2:1, 400

ammonium sulfate is formed. (2 NH3 + SO3 + 300

ABS Deposition Zone

H2O ⇒ (NH4)2 SO4 = ammonium sulfate (AS)).

Ammonium sulfate is a dry powder at all air 200

preheater operating temperatures and does 100

not create a fouling problem. However, based Cold End

Layer
Intermediate
Layer
Hot End
Layer
0
upon the sulfur content of most American 0 10 20 30 40 50 60

coals, predominantly ammonium bisulfate will Axial Displacement, Inches from Cold End

form and the ammonia slip level will be the

Figure 1 - In high dust applications, a 40° F
controlling factor in the extent to which these
buffer exists between the ABS dewpoint and
deposits interfere with routine unit operation.
the deposition zone.
Even with low ammonia slip designs, fouling
has often been observed due to increases of
Controlling the impact of ABS becomes a
slip during transient load conditions, from flow
matter of evaluating the temperature profiles
stratification or mal-distributions of ammonia
for a given unit and minimizing the tendency
or NOx, system control problems and catalyst
of deposits to accumulate in this critical
degradation.
temperature zone. Evaluation of expected
operating conditions on conventional air
preheaters reveals that the deposition zone
Critical Temperature Zone
generally includes much or all of the
A correlation first identified by Japanese and
intermediate layer of heat transfer surface. In
German experience has been confirmed by
many cases, this zone expands to include a
initial U.S. experience between the formation
part of the hot and/or cold end layers.
of ABS deposits and the operational metal
Reconfiguration of such units is essential if the
temperatures of air preheater heat transfer
probability for frequent water washes is to be
surface. [2 & 3] On high dust applications,
held to a reasonable level.
the maximum metal temperature at which
deposits are expected to form is 40 degrees F
below the ABS dewpoint. In the case of low
Problematic Features
dust systems, however, the deposit zone is
known to extend up to the ABS dewpoint. [4]
Identification of root cause of ABS fouling in
This is attributed to the fact that a significant
regenerative air preheaters has been an
portion of the ABS formed collects on the ash
ongoing process for the past 15+ years. In
particles, and carries through the air
fact, rather than a single point cause, a
preheater. Without this phenomenon, ABS
number of contributing factors have been
deposition will extend into higher temperature
identified as problematic features. By
zones. Additionally, fly ash does provide some
removing these problematic features in the
degree of abrasive cleaning.
critical ABS temperature zone, the rate of

Copyright ALSTOM Power Air Preheater, Inc. – 1999 – All rights Reserved Page 2 of 6
 ABCD
accumulation of ABS deposits on air preheater temperature zone. Either mild steel or low
can be minimized. alloy steel surfaces corrode when exposed to
condensing ABS salt and/or sulfuric acid. This
not only has the effect of wasting away mass,
8 but provides a rough oxide surface finish,
improving deposit adhesion. Porcelain enamel
Gas Side Pressure Drop (In. WG)

coated heating elements, on the other hand,

7
maintain a comparatively smooth surface finish
throughout life.

Experience in Germany and the US in using

6 porcelain enamel coated heating elements has
0 1000 2000 3000 4000
Operating Hours
demonstrated significantly lower rates of ABS
ABS Across Layer Split ABS Confined to Single Layer accumulation. To quantify these results
exposure tests have been run at Southern
Company’s Plant Crist. [7] As shown by
Figure 2 – In a standard design air preheater
Figure 4, this test revealed dramatically lower
the ABS deposition zone may span multiple
deposit accumulation for enamel coated
layers of heat transfer surface.
surface at both moderate and low ammonia
slip levels. At an ammonia slip level of 3.3
PPM, deposits accumulated in enamel coated
The first feature to be identified as problematic
element were approximately 15% of the levels
was the occurrence of an element layer split in
measured on uncoated surfaces. At a slip level
the temperature zone at which ABS is expected
of 0.7 PPM, the enamel coating demonstrated
to condense. Testing by EPRI in 1986 [6] and
deposit accumulation comparable to 25% that
work done in Japan by ABB KK have confirmed
of uncoated surfaces.
a very rapid pressure drop increase when the
ABS deposition zone bridges across an element
layer split. As shown by the ABB KK
experience in Figure 3, ABS deposition across 140
a layer gap can increase fouling rates by over 120
four times.
Ounces of Deposit

100

80

60

40

Hot End Layer 20

0
ABS Zone
Carbon Steel Low Alloy Steel Enamel Coated

Intermediate Layer 3.3 ppm NH3 slip 0.7 ppm NH3 slip

Cold End Layer

Rotor
Center
Line
Figure 4 – Field tests at Plant Crist reveal that
enamel coated surfaces are less prone to
accumulate ABS deposits.
Sootblower

To manage ABS deposition rates over time, a

Figure 3 – The occurrence of ABS deposition heat transfer surface must be capable of
across element layer splits significantly effects maintaining this smooth surface finish under
pressure drop trend exposure to highly corrosive conditions. ABS
deposits are corrosive as determined by both
lab and field tests. Results of corrosion tests
A second problematic feature relates to the on the Plant Crist unit revealed that exposure
surface finish and corrosion resistance of the of carbon steel and low alloy steel to
heat transfer surface in this critical operational ABS can result in corrosion rates

Copyright ALSTOM Power Air Preheater, Inc. – 1999 – All rights Reserved Page 3 of 6
 ABCD
10 times that of enamel coated element work, a higher efficiency, fully closed channel
surfaces. The need for enhanced corrosion surface has been developed (type DNF™
resistance will be far more pronounced in the profile). Figure 6 illustrates the results of
US with its higher sulfur fuels. laboratory tests performed to compare the
sootblowing energy characteristics of DU, UNU
12 and DNF heat transfer surfaces.
10

8
% Corrosion Loss

Residual Impact
4

Pressure
2

0
Carbon Steel Low Alloy Steel Enamel Coated

3.3 ppm NH3 slip 0.7 ppm NH3 slip

200 PSI Source 320 PSI Source

DU UNU DNF™
Figure 5 – Same test at plant Crist
demonstrates that enamel-coated elements
better resist corrosion in an ABS environment Figure 6 – Residual impact pressure is a
measure of remaining cleaning media after
passing through a given depth of heat transfer
A third feature which influences the rate at surface. Higher values indicate improved
which ABS accumulates is the tendency of the cleanability characteristics.
heat transfer surface to dissipate cleaning
media energy. Experience has proven it best
to avoid element layer splits between the Sootblowing & Water Washing
critical temperature zone and the cold end
cleaning device. Likewise, open channel Effective sootblowing from the cold side of the
surfaces should be avoided in or below this air preheater is essential to managing deposit
temperature zone. An open channel surface is accumulation on even the best-designed and
one which permits radial or skew flow as fluids controlled system. Sootblowing from the hot
pass axially through the heat transfer surface. side will provide some level of
Open channel surfaces include DU, DL, CU supplementation to the cold end blowing, but
and FNC surface profiles and are alone is generally inadequate to control
characterized by the presence of many single deposits. Also, it should be noted that a loose
point contacts at the interface between packed surface (such as DL type surface) does
adjacent element sheets. Closed channel not demonstrate superior cleaning
surfaces, on the other hand, utilize multiple characteristics with sticky ABS deposits.
continuous line contacts to separate adjacent
sheets, as demonstrated in NF6, NF3 and Whether the cleaning medium is steam or
DNF surface profiles. compressed air, adequate quality is critical to
prevent introduction of excess moisture.
Early development by ABB-AGT, of a more Excessive blowing frequency or pressure should
efficient closed channel surface resulted in a be avoided, as this can have a significant
new surface, dubbed the UNU heat transfer negative impact on the life of the heat transfer
surface. This surface, while not a fully closed surface. The key to deposit control is selection
channel design, does reduce the skew flow of appropriate heat transfer surfaces and
area, thereby offering improved cleanability. materials, not aggressive sootblowing
Enamel coated UNU surface has been used practices.
extensively for SCR applications in Germany.
As the result of more recent US development Provided a system is properly configured and
operated at low ammonia slip levels,

Copyright ALSTOM Power Air Preheater, Inc. – 1999 – All rights Reserved Page 4 of 6

unscheduled outages for air preheater water
washes should not be required. None the less,
it is advisable to perform an air preheater
wash during scheduled unit outages. This
practice serves to both clear the heat transfer
surface of any accumulated deposits and to
limit ABS corrosion (see Figure 7) during this
idle lay-up period. Since ABS is hygroscopic,
air heaters with ABS deposits should be
washed as soon as practical after coming off-
line. An air preheater wash is most effective if
performed on both the hot and cold sides of
the rotor. This can be performed in either an
alternating or concurrent mode with a typical
duration in the range of 12 to 24 hours
Corrosion Rates in Mils per Year at
Various Concentrations
Grams ABS/
5 12.5 20 30
100 ml H2O
Carbon steel 531 641.2 644.3 825.9
LACR 536.5 639 743.4 785
Enamel 0.1 0.3 0.7 1 the flow of flue gas on the back end of the
Figure 7 – ABS deposits combined with water
are very corrosive. Lab tests reveal corrosion
rates of 3 common materials at various
concentration levels.
It should be noted that these washes generate
a significant volume of effluent (possibly in
excess of 5 million gallons) which may require
neutralization or further treatment. High-
pressure water washing in combination with
the normal wash provides a means to
substantially reduce the volume of water
required for an air preheater wash.
Additionally, high-pressure washing may be
the only option for achieving complete
cleaning, based upon the composition and
magnitude of flyash which accumulates on top
of the ABS.
If high-pressure washing is pursued in addition
to high volume washing, multi-media cleaners
can facilitate faster implementation. Multi-
media cleaners are dual-purpose devices,
which serve as sootblowers when the unit is on
line and high pressure washing devices when
the unit is off line. As personnel do not have
to enter the ducting to operate this equipment,
water washes can be started up to 12 hours
earlier in the cool-down phase of a unit
shutdown.
Copyright ALSTOM Power Air Preheater, Inc. – 1999 – All rights Reserved
ABCD
Multi-media Cleaner
Hot End Layer
ABS Zone
Cold End Layer
Rotor
Center
Line
Sootblower
Figure 8 – Properly configured, an air
preheater can be cleaned without excessive
sootblowing pressure or frequency
Revised Operational Requirements
The addition of SCR catalyst plus the required
ducting and transitions will add resistance to
boiler system. In the case of “tight” retrofit
units, this increase in resistance may be
significant to the air preheater. The term “hot
end pressure differential” is used to identify the
static pressure differential between the air
preheater air outlet and gas inlet ducts. It is
an important design parameter as it directly
effects air to gas leakage levels and impacts
the structural design of the rotor, the housing
and sealing system components separating the
flow streams. In many cases, retrofit
installation of an SCR system will increase this
air preheater hot end differential by over 25%.
At a minimum, a structural review should be
performed based upon planned future
pressure levels. Such a review would focus on
the structural adequacy of key components for
which failure could lead to a forced outage
involving significant repairs.
In addition to reliability concerns associated
with these higher-pressure levels is the
corresponding increase in air to gas leakage.
This increase will be roughly proportional to
the increase in air preheater hot end pressure
differential. Numerous techniques have been
developed to reduce leakage in the
Ljungstrom air preheater. Such measures
should be evaluated in the process of
retrofitting an SCR system, as they will offset
the effect of these increased pressures. In
Page 5 of 6

some cases this reduction in air preheater
leakage can be adequate to offset the need for
replacement of an existing induced draft fans.
Consideration should be given to expected gas
inlet and desired gas outlet temperatures
following SCR retrofit. Often included as an
integral part of such a project, is the addition
of an economizer bypass to maintain SCR
temperature under low load conditions. If this
bypass system results in an increase in the
minimum gas temperature to the air
preheater, it may open the door for a thermal
efficiency upgrade. A number of options to
improve air preheater thermal efficiency have
become available in recent years. The results
of these options range from a reduction in gas
outlet temperature of a few degrees to 40+
degrees F. If conditions in and downstream of
the air preheater allow such an upgrade, a
meaningful reduction in unit heat rate will be
realized.
ABCD
Conclusion
The installation of ammonia based NOx
controls imposes a new set of operating
requirements for the combustion air preheater:
a) Fouling and corrosion from the formation of
ammonium bisulfate, b) Increased SO3 related
fouling and corrosion, and c) Higher pressure
differentials. Conventional air heater
configurations are ill suited for operation
under these new requirements.
Proper reconfiguration of the heating element
arrangement, profiles and materials will
dramatically reduce the rate of ABS
accumulation, corrosion and the probability of
unplanned unit shutdowns for air preheater
water washes. In the process of updating the
air preheater configuration for these new
requirements, a review of thermal
performance and air heater leakage may offer
reductions in both implementation costs and
future unit operational costs.

References

[1] Saleem, M. Galgano, and S. Inaba, “Hitachi-Zosen DeNOx Process for Fossil Fuel-Fired Boiler,”
Proceedings of the Second NOx Control Technology Seminar, Hosted by EPRI, Denver, CO, Nov. 8-9,
1978, FP-1109-SR
[2] Wagner, P.A., Wiedinger, G. F. , Talbot, W.C., and Bullock, D.W., “Multiple Coal Plant Experience – A
U.S. Generating Company Perspective,” ICAC Forum 96, “Living with Air Toxins and NOx Emissions
Controls,” Baltimore, MD, 1996
[3] EPRI TR-111797, “Assessment of Air Preheater Fouling due to Utilization of SNCR and SCR Systems”,
(1998)
[4] “Regenerative Heat Exchangers Combined with Catalytic Measures for NOx Reduction” from E. Kraft
(Rothemuehle) and H. Mueller-Odenwald (ABB AGT) published in the book "Dampferzeugertechnik" (~
"steam power plant technology") at Vulkan-Verlag, Part X/3. 1992.
[5] H. Farwick and V. Rummenhohl, “SCR Catalyst, Five Years of Operating Experience with all Types of SCR
Plants and the Conclusions and Measures Developed as a Result“, VGB Kraftwerkstechnik 73 (1993),
Number 5
[6] EPRI CS-4386, “Selective Catalytic Reduction for Coal-fired Power Plants – Pilot Plant Results”, (1986)
[7] Innovative Clean Coal Technology, “Demonstration of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) Technology
for the Control of Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) Emissions from High-Sulfur, Coal-Fired Boilers”, DE-FC22-
90PC89652, March 1996

Copyright ALSTOM Power Air Preheater, Inc. – 1999 – All rights Reserved Page 6 of 6