3rd Global Fuels Conference Review

Toronto June 15-16 2009

The 3rd annual Global Fuels conference on alternative fuels was a well managed event that included a good mix of people from industry, fuel suppliers and material handling vendors.  With only a group of about 150 delegates, future conferences will most definitely increase in size and importance with increased alternative fuels usage.  Next year the conference location has already been picked as Washington DC.  So mark your calendar.

A useful link to the 2009 conference papers is:

http://www.propubs.com/gfc/presentations2009/

Well worth the time to have a look through them.  

Counting Your Carbons

Many states and industries are watching California closely to see how it is evaluating and establishing a carbon baseline.  This program, driven by the requirements of AB32 (2006 legislation), would form the template by which other states and the EPA implement similar programs.  So is it all about counting Carbons? -  let’s take a closer look:

The California Climate Action Registry (CCAR), a non profit agency created by the government in 2001 has been accepting voluntary registration.  The CCAR accepts reporting based on the Kyoto Green House Gases - CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs and SF6.  However, participants may opt to report only on their CO2 emissions for the time being.  Reporting on the other five GHG emissions will follow soon enough.  CARROT is the on-line reporting mechanism that CCAR has set up - more details can be had at http://www.climateregistry.org/  Note - businesses that compile their own reports must have them reviewed by an independent ‘verifier’.

Another group, known as ‘The Climate Registry’  operates in conjunction with the CCAR and compiles data on other US states, Mexican states and Canadian provinces.   They share an office with the CCAR in Los Angeles, so you know there will a considerable amount of information exchanged between the two groups.

Under AB32, companies need to establish a 1990 baseline for CO2.  Sounds difficult, especially if there were no records kept for that year. However, years with good emissions data may be used to ’scale’  back to 1990.  This is done by linking emissions data with reliable operational data such as fuel/material usage or production numbers.   As manufacturers start to trend this data they will be able to report numbers that are representative of 1990 operations.

When documenting the overall carbon footprint there will be some gray areas related to things like outsourcing or waste disposal.  It will take some time to resolve these carbon impacts as the programs are developed.   But the sooner an operation/manufacturer can start tracking and understanding these the better.  Especially, before layers of federal regulations are put in place and a regional/state cap and trade system is developed.

So - start counting your carbons!

Gasification

Many of the burners in kilns across North America lack the necessary momentum to satisfy the fundamental macro mixing requirements for combustion.  This has come about over time as manufacturers have found ways of pushing production well beyond the original design capacity of the system.  In many cases, the kiln burner remains unchanged from its original design and often linked to inflexible direct fired coal systems.

Now for a minute consider a plant that wishes to incorporate alternative fuels to lower fuel costs, establish a carbon credit and possibly lower NOx levels all at the same time.   The concept may sound straight forward, however, in practice the larger size particle distribution along with moisture has a difficult time competing with a pulverized coal flame.  This, in addition to plugged pneumatic systems, higher maintenance items and inconsistent feed rates can cause operator fits.  The AF system becomes unreliable and in time not used.

The solution could very well be linked to gasification of the alternative fuels.   Generating a syngas from the non-hazardous waste materials that would otherwise end up in landfills would satisfy the goal of energy and the environment on many fronts.  The manufacturer could realize savings in fuel costs while establishing a carbon credit on the biomass/biogenic content.

Getting back to the original burner question - now instead of a fuel stream comprised of larger particles, we have a gas that can contribute to the overall burner performance.  If designed correctly, increased momentum is possible, Gyrotherm technology is possible, both of which may also have the added benefit of NOx reduction. 

Gasification has been around for a long time, but now with the focus on energy and the environment, the time may right to reconsider this process to enhance existing systems and use alternative fuels at the same time.

NOx Burner technology

Adding bluff bodies or swirl air may reduce NOx by decreasing the ignition distance.  Converting to a multichannel burner with less primary air may be another approach. Even adding a water spray to reduce the core temperature of the flame may be considered reduce NOx emissions.  But have we really covered all the angles of burner design to minimize NOx?

Now consider the following technology that claims 30-70% NOx reduction:

Gyrotherm

These results are achieved by a natural phenomenon that cracks the hydrocarbon molecule and stages combustion in the burning zone.  Too good to be true?  Maybe and results would vary for each application, but it is worth considering especially in  California where the agencies are coming down hard.

Schnarre Engineering has first hand knowledge of a direct fired burner modification with Gyrotherm technology that delivered a 40% NOx reduction on the baseline coal flame.  A relatively simple burner modification could be the answer to stay in compliance.  

The only drawback is that natural gas must be used to generate the staged combustion effect. However, in some multichannel burner designs this could be easily retrofitted and with the price of gas coming down, it becomes a viable alternative

Contact Schnarre Engineering for more details.

Clean Coal Anyone?

Check this out. 

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/4576705?fr=yvmtf

The public understands the clean coal spin completely.