Sewage sludge as a supplementary utility boiler fuel. Volume I. Technical report

Technical Report · Thu May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:5539716

Use of dried sewage sludge as a supplementary fuel up to 30% (wt) of fuel input in utility boilers appears feasible. Only coal-fired utility boilers 600 MW(e) and larger, and oil-fired boilers 300 MW(e) or larger originally designed for future coal capability were found practicable candidates for conversion to burn dried sludge as a supplementary fuel. Boilers designed for coal and converted to oil could be added to this latter category, but these comprise only 3% of US utility boiler capacity. Derating of the boilers would be necessary. Increased slagging and fouling would increase flue gas temperature by 20 to 40/sup 0/F with a consequent 1/2% to 1% loss in boiler efficiency. To minimize high-temperature corrosion, outside tube metal temperatures should be limited to 1200/sup 0/F when sludge is fired with coal and to 1125/sup 0/F when sludge is fired with oil. The impact of burning sludge on coal-fired boiler reliability is expected to be minimal. The impact on oil-fired boiler reliability is expected to be greater but difficult to predict. Air quality impacts are predicted to be well below the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and well below the allowable deterioration (PSD) increments. Only the charging of a ''tipping fee'' can make this sludge disposal option economically viable. At least 54,760 MW(e) of US utility boiler capacity meet the criteria developed for convertibility to burn sludge. Retrofitting 17% of this total could accommodate the estimated 7 million dry tons/y sewage sludge production of the US.

• Research Organization: Public Service Electric and Gas Co., Newark, NJ (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC01-79CS20061
• OSTI ID: 5539716
• Report Number(s): DOE/CS/20061-H1-Vol.1; ON: DE86013953
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
200103* -- Fossil-Fueled Power Plants-- Waste-Fueled Systems
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320604 -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Municipalities & Community Systems-- Municipal Waste Management-- (1980-)
AIR POLLUTION
BOILERS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COAL
COMBUSTION
COST
DRYING
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
FOSSIL FUELS
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
FUEL OILS
FUEL SUBSTITUTION
FUELS
LIQUID FUELS
MATERIALS
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
POLLUTION
POWER PLANTS
RETROFITTING
SEWAGE
SEWAGE SLUDGE
SLUDGES
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
USES
WASTE PRODUCT UTILIZATION
WASTES