Fayette Power Project Unit 3 FGD Upgrade: Design and Performance for More Cost- Effective SO2 Reduction

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Fayette Power Project Unit 3 FGD Upgrade: Design and Performance for More Cost- Effective SO2 Reduction Technical Paper BR-1845 Fayette Power Project Unit 3 FGD Upgrade: Design and Performance for More Cost- Effective SO2 Reduction Authors: C. Frazer Lower Colorado River Authority Austin, Texas, U.S.A. A. Jayaprakash S. M. Katzberger Sargent & Lundy, L.L.C. Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. Y. J. Lee B. R. Tielsch Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group, Inc. Barberton, Ohio, U.S.A. Presented to: EPRI Power Plant Air Pollutant Control Mega Symposium Date: August 30 - Sept. 2, 2010 Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. Fayette Power Project Unit 3 FGD Upgrade: Design and Performance for More Cost-Effective SO2 Reduction Y. J. Lee A. Jayaprakash C. Frazer B. R. Tielsch S. M. Katzberger Lower Colorado River Authority Babcock & Wilcox Sargent & Lundy, L.L.C. Austin, Texas, U.S.A. Power Generation Group, Inc. Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. Barberton, Ohio, U.S.A. Presented to: BR-1845 EPRI Mega Symposium 2010 August 30 - Sept. 2, 2010 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. Introduction through a pair of regenerative Ljungstrom air preheaters, before passing through a cold-side electrostatic precipitator Lower Colorado River Authority’s (LCRA) Fayette (ESP) and then approximately 95 to 99% of the flue gas is Power Project – Unit 3 (FPP3), located near La Grange, treated in a WFGD system. The treated flue gas is mixed Texas, was completed in 1988. The original wet flue gas with bypassed flue gas and then emitted from the station desulfurization (WFGD) system design was to reduce sulfur through a dry chimney. dioxide (SO2) by approximately 90% across the absorbers, while burning high-sulfur Texas lignite and bypassing up to 20% of the flue gas. In the future, the station will require Original air quality control system (AQCS) 95.5% SO2 capture without flue gas bypass, while firing 1% technology sulfur Powder River Basin (PRB) coal. Sargent & Lundy, The FGD system was originally designed as a wet lime- L.L.C. (S&L) performed an FGD upgrade study that identi- stone, forced oxidation system by Combustion Engineer- fied a concept for achieving these goals. S&L subsequently ing, and consists of a 3x50% absorber arrangement. Each prepared a specification to obtain bids for performing the absorber is 38 ft x 36.5 ft in the spray zone with expansion of upgrade work on a supply and erect basis. BE&K, and their the absorber to 40 ft x 41.5 ft as the flue gas passes through subcontractor Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group, the ME zone. Each absorber was fabricated of 317 LMN Inc. (B&W PGG) were selected as the supplier for these stainless steel, including the ladder vanes located at the inlet modifications, which included new spray headers, the addi- of each absorber. The reaction tank for each absorber is not tion of trays, turning vanes, and a new mist eliminator (ME) integrated to the spray zone and slurry is funneled through system. Non-proprietary details of the design modifications the base of the absorber into the separate reaction tank. as well as actual performance data comparing the original In the spray section of each absorber, the original design installation and the modified installation are presented in included five spray levels, each with 42 spray nozzles spaced this paper. evenly across the absorber. At the time the project began, only Absorber A still had all five spray levels. Absorbers B and C had the lowest spray header previously removed. The Overview of Fayette Power Project – Unit 3 lowest spray header in Absorber A was removed during this LCRA Fayette Station is located near La Grange, Texas, project. The headers were supported from beams across the and consists of three pulverized coal-fired units that burn absorber using simple rod hangers, which have frequently PRB sub-bituminous coal. Unit 3 is a nominal 470 MW failed in the past. This led to a number of instances where tangentially fired unit, which was designed to burn high- one of the spray headers inside the absorber collapsed due to sulfur Texas lignite, but is currently firing 1.0 lb SO2/ a broken hanger rod, resulting in a lack of support along the MBtu sub-bituminous coal. The boiler was manufactured span of the header. Additionally, some of the spray nozzles by Combustion Engineering (Alstom). The flue gas passes have broken off in the past, leading to a maldistribution of Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group 1 slurry across the absorber as well as a loss of atomization to meet current emission limits. However, there was reason of the slurry across the affected spray header, due to the to improve the performance of the scrubber in anticipation significant decrease in pressure drop across that section of of future emission limits set by the plant-wide flexible air the header. permit that will go into effect in 2012. Coupled with the The original ME system consisted of three ME levels upgrade driven by the flexible air permit requirements, there and a retractable, lance-style ME wash system. The MEs was also an opportunity to improve the cost effectiveness consisted of a flat level of chevron blades, known as the of the upgrade by purchasing lower-cost higher-sulfur coal bulk entrainment separator, and two “tepee” style levels. and by selling excess SO2 credits that would result from the The MEs were washed by the lance-style wash system that upgrade. Additionally, the spray headers and ME systems was mechanically inserted in and out of the absorbers. The were approaching end-of-life and were either obsolete, or MEs were washed with 100% reclaim water. Even though not supported by the OEM. this system kept them clean, the MEs were no longer sup- ported by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and the lance-style wash system had come to require increasingly Bypass to maintain dry stack higher maintenance. Originally, to maintain a dry stack, a portion of the flue Flue gas flow through the spray zone, with two absorb- gas was bypassed around the WFGD to keep the temperature ers in service, at full load was originally designed for 12.1 of the bulk flue gas above the gas saturation temperature. ft/s, based on firing lignite. Subsequent to the PRB coal Current operation bypasses approximately 1 to 5% of the conversion, the velocity of the flue gas through the spray flue gas around the WFGD system. Dampers are present in zone dropped to 9.71 ft/s. the bypass duct to control the amount of flue gas bypassed based upon temperature measurements in the stack. Once the stack is upgraded for wet operation, LCRA will have the Original design conditions option to operate with a closed flue gas bypass. Fuels The WFGD system was originally designed to treat flue gas generated from the firing of 10 lb SO2/MBtu lignite. Goals of the upgrade project After the design of the absorbers was completed, it was de- Based on regulatory requirements and on the experiences cided to burn a sub-bituminous fuel instead of Texas lignite. of the station with operating the WFGD system on FPP3, As a result, the absorbers and all ancillary equipment are as detailed above, the goals of this project were to improve: significantly oversized for current operating conditions. For • SO2 removal efficiency across each absorber to meet a example, while typical recycle tank solids residence time minimum of 95.5%, with zero bypass. for a new WFGD system is approximately 16-24 hours, the • FGD system reliability to reduce maintenance costs. solids residence time at FPP3 is approximately seven days. SO2 removal efficiency Prior to the upgrade, the FPP3 AQCS was capturing 85 Preliminary engineering to 88% of the SO2 present in the flue gas that passed through the absorber. This treated flue gas was then blended with the WFGD (1 to 5%) bypass gas to maintain a dry stack. As a Upgrade study result, the overall efficiency of the WFGD system, from In 2006, S&L was tasked with assisting LCRA to ac- WFGD inlet to stack outlet, was operating at 81 to 84%, as complish the goals set forth above to improve FPP3 FGD shown in Table 1. overall performance. In doing so, S&L prepared a study to address the two goals. The results from that study are sum- marized below. Performance prior to upgrade Considering the current firing of low-sulfur, sub-bitu- minous coal, the SO2 removal capability has been adequate Upgrade performance A number of options were investigated to determine Table 1 the best potential performance upgrade choice for FPP3. Progression of SO2 Removal Efficiency Quotes were solicited from FGD OEMs to provide accu- Original Post-Upgrade rate assessments of the expected costs associated with wall Design Original Design Operation Operation baffles, trays, DBA injection systems, replacement spray Texas Lignite PRB Coal nozzles to improve coverage in the absorber, and conversion PRB Coal Fuel (10 lb SO2/ (2 lb SO2/ to scrubbing 100% of the flue gas. A cost-benefit analysis (1 lb SO2/MBtu) MBtu) MBtu) Tested was performed for each option and several combinations Bypass 20% 1-5% 0% thereof to determine which solution was the most cost ef- Overall fective for FPP3. Using capital and O&M cost estimates for 72% 81-84% 95.5% SO2 removal each upgrade option as well as an LCRA-prescribed index 2 Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group for the expected sale price for SO2 credits and the cost of FPP3 was modeled from the inlet manifold of the absorbers higher-sulfur coal, the overall SO2 removal efficiency and through the outlet manifold into the chimney. This included cost effectiveness of each of the upgrade technologies were CFD modeling of the bypass duct and the absorbers, as well evaluated over the life of the project.
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