Generating power from flue gas

The importance of communication and confidence in the design of Air Pollution Control and Waste Heat Recovery solutions

Open cooperation and communication between end user and flue gas cleaning system provider can generate the most efficient investment and surprising low costs of ownership.

"Win-win” is a story heard many times, but it’s a real story. Often system provider’s answers to complex calls for tender, written and maneuvered with the target of “comparing apples with apples”. While certainly a fair way of doing business, this sometimes leads to opportunity losses for both the customer and the supplier. Open communication of strategies and flexibility to alternative proposals can lead to unintended, bespoke solutions becoming a real “win-win” project.

Two real stories are presented in our article published in Glass World Wide magazine, to demonstrate the gains of opportunity realized when “race-to-the-bottom” CAPEX management is placed aside and a more collaborative procurement approach is taken between the solution providers and the solution buyers.

A new source of power

In this case study, a container glass manufacturer planned to increase the size of one of its furnaces by 45% during the next cold repair, but the new flow rate would be so great that the existing ElectroStatic Precipitator (ESP) filtration system – even though not very old – would no longer able to maintain guaranteed dust emission limits.

The furnace rebuild team had already been in touch with Tri-Mer Global Technologies (TGT) regarding a feasibility study on waste heat recovery, and aware of the company’s credentials as a capable and creative provider of ceramic filter solutions, inquired about a new, modern filtration system based on this technology.

Factoring in wishes for a compact layout and reduced investment costs, an ESP conversion to ceramic filter was proposed instead of a brand-new larger system.

Significant advantages could be had from this alternative approach: no civil works; deNOx-ready system; ultra-low dust emission; and – thanks to a modular, pre-fabricated design, completion during and within the same timeframe of the cold repair.

Utilizing flue gas cooling with a heat exchanger and reducing the actual flue gas flow rate entering the existing ESP would keep it low enough to maintain the guarantee on the requested emissions levels and ensure readiness with an automatic tube cleaning system.

Four separate – and sometimes competitive – entities were connected with the common target of developing the best solution for the plant.

In the end, thanks to the open minded and collaborative approach of the furnace rebuild team and the solution providers involved, a dust emission problem became the source of 700kW of electrical power.

Emission reduction investment

In the second case study, an independent container glass manufacturer with technical confidence in Tri-Mer Global explained the plans for its two-furnace plant. Two cold furnace repairs were or be carried out within 24 months and an ageing ESP needed to be replaced with a more modern technological solution including deNOx capabilities.

TGT’s engineers outlined a staged solution suitable for the customer’s requirements, and allowing them to spread the investment across the furnace campaign.

The modularity allowed TGT to guarantee the requested availability, with one module potentially off for maintenance while the others continue to operate. The modularity of the system was extended to provide maximum flexibility for future needs, with a system ready to easily integrate with the future installation of a sixth module for potential end-of-campaign needs.

In both examples, strong and open co-operation between the customer and supplier led to successful and satisfactory solutions.

Our full article on this topic can be found at this link – pag 100: https://www.glassworldwide.co.uk/Digital-Issues/glass-worldwide-issue-104