An evaluation of physical coal cleaning plus FGD for coal fired utility applications

Conference · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:41581

Newman, J; Kantesaria, P; Huettenhain, H

The Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990 (CAAA) requires utilities to reduce SO{sub 2} emissions from coal-fired power plants in two phases. Phase I takes effect January 1, 1995, requiring utilities to reduce SO{sub 2} emissions to 2.5 lb SO{sub 2}/MMBtu. Phase II becomes effective on January 1, 2000, requiring all plants above 25 MWe in capacity not to exceed SO{sub 2} emissions above 1.2 lb SO{sub 2}/MMBtu. Electric utilities who burn moderately high ash and sulfur bituminous coal and must develop a strategy to comply with the CAAA can choose from numerous options besides simple fuel switching or complete flue gas scrubbing. Below 2% Run of Mine (ROM) coal sulfur Strategy 2, conventional cleaning, provides the lowest cost. Below 4% sulfur in the ROM coal conventional cleaning plus confined zone dispersion (CZD), Strategy 7, is the best choice. The higher cost of advanced coal cleaning, promising an additional 12% SO{sub 2} reduction over the approximately 45% reduction by conventional cleaning, can only be justified for coals between 4 and 6% sulfur in the ROM coal. Strategy 8, advanced cleaning plus CZD has the lowest cost for this sulfur range. Higher sulfur coals require full scrubbing combined with conventional coal cleaning to achieve the lowest compliance cost for Phase I. For Phase II compliance advanced coal cleaning has no advantage over conventional cleaning. Full scrubbing will be required for ROM coals with more than 2% sulfur. Full scrubbing combined with conventional cleaning can achieve the lowest compliance cost compared to the other strategies.

• OSTI ID: 41581
• Report Number(s): CONF-940320--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
BOILER FUELS
CLEAN AIR ACTS
CLEANING
COAL
COMBUSTION
COST
DESULFURIZATION
FLUE GAS
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
POLLUTION REGULATIONS