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A.D. LaRue
M.A. Costanzo
J.A. Fulmer
K.J. Wohlwend
Babcock & Wilcox
Barberton, Ohio, U.S.A.
BR-1702
Presented to:
ASME International Joint Power Generation Conference
July 24-25, 2000
Miami, Florida, U.S.A.
Abstract
Babcock & Wilcox has installed low NOx combustion equipment in more than 180 PC-fired steam generators representing
over 78,000 MW of electrical generation. These include new
boiler and retrofit applications covering a diverse range of coals
and furnace geometries. This paper presents a summary of the
results and experience gained from these installations. In addition, a few selected units are considered in more detail relative
to emission performance and case-specific technical issues.
These include situations with low NO x burners only, and also in
combination with air staging ports (OFA) to provide even greater
NO x reduction. NO x emissions at or below 0.20 lb/million Btu
are being maintained long term in some utility boilers firing
reactive coal, and may offer an option to SCRs in some situations. Significant advancements in the area of low NOx PC-fired
burner design will also be presented. The most advanced plugin burners provide a step reduction in NOx emissions, as may
be expected, but along with a simultaneous step reduction in
unburned carbon.
Progress in combustion emission control from gas/oil fired
retrofits will also be presented. This includes a recent application, plus latest developments concerning a new gas-fired design which sharply reduces NO x for gas, or gas-capable PCfired burners.
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Babcock & Wilcox
While generally true, this will not always be the case, depending on the existing level and final NO x emission target. Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology enables NOx reduction to 0.15 lb/million Btu or lower and is becoming a necessity
at many U.S. power plants. Given the use of SCR, the need for
highly effective low NOx burners is less certain. It depends on
the existing NOx emission levels and the final target value. In
some cases, especially where the present NOx level is fairly low,
it may prove more cost effective to supply a larger SCR to handle
the burden. Otherwise, low NO x burners continue to carry the
first responsibility for significantly reducing the formation of
NO x.
Collective experience in the power industry has shown that
burners labeled low NOx actually exhibit considerable variation in NOx reduction capability among suppliers. NOx performance depends on the quality of the technology embodied in
the design, as well as the durability of the equipment under the
severe conditions in which they must function. Decisions based
on low capital cost can backfire if the equipment fails to perform well, or cant take the heat. Air staging systems, to augment low NOx burners, face similar criticism. Basic systems
may or may not provide satisfactory short-term performance.
Best long-term results depend on a careful analysis of the
furnace geometry and physical constraints, coupled with numerical modeling to determine the most suitable size and arrangement of NOx ports. NO x ports which provide adjustable air flow
mixing characteristics enable performance optimization during
commissioning. Neural networks are being employed to assist
in NOx reduction and to reduce day-to-day fluctuations.
B&Ws leadership in the low NOx burner business is evidenced by the breadth of experience, the depth of NOx reduction achieved by these systems and continued investment in
R&D to advance the performance of equipment. This paper provides an overview of B&Ws experience, some examples of recent applications, and descriptions of latest developments in low
NO x burner design.
B&W low NOx burners have been installed in over 180 PCfired units (Table 1), amounting to over 78,000 MW e of capacity. The Dual Register Burner (DRB) was developed and then
deployed in 71 new boiler applications dating from 1971, to
satisfy new source performance standards (NSPS). NSPS limits
were initially 0.7 lb/million Btu and were reduced to 0.6 and
0.5 lb/million Btu over the next decade. DRBs were applied to
utility units ranging in size from under 100 to 1300 MWe capacity. The DRB proved uniquely capable of satisfying these
limits without the need for air staging systems. With reactive
coals, like subbituminous Powder River Basin coals, the DRB
frequently reduced NOx to 0.3 - 0.4 lb/million Btu. The DRB,
first of the first generation low NOx burners, showed itself to
be quite effective as a NOx control device. However, the mechanical design was not well suited for retrofit application to
existing boilers, and it tended to suffer binding and warpage
after long term use.
In the mid 1980s, B&W embarked on development of a second generation low NOx burner. This burner was intended for
retrofit use in existing boilers, as well as for new boilers. The
DRB-XCL was developed for use in wall-fired boilers from
all manufacturers, with fuel inputs up to the ~300 million Btu/
hr range. The DRB was mechanically reconfigured to an axial
Table 1
B&W Low NO x Combustion Systems
Wall Fired and Pulverized Coal
78,226 MW
186 Boilers
5,558 Burners
Burner Type
DRB
DRB-XCL
LNCB
DRB-4Z
Totals
Units
71
102
8
5
Burners
3,284
1,854
196
224
Capacity, MW e
41,065
29,216
4,939
3,006
186
5,558
78,226
a
Stationary Vane
a
a
Sliding
Disc
Air Measuring
Pitot Grid
Outer Zone
Adjustable
Vane
Inner Zone
Adjustable
Vane
Bladed
Impeller
Distribution
Cone
Pulverized Coal
and
Primary Air Inlet
Figure 1
flow arrangement, to facilitate air flow control. The aXial Control Low (XCL) NO x burner (Figure 1) uses a simple, reliable
sliding air damper to control air flow to each burner. A linear
actuator is used to automate this damper. Each burner is equipped
with a pitot grid to measure air flow just past the entrance of the
burner. The air then travels through one of two parallel paths
the inner zone or outer zone. The inner zone is equipped with
adjustable vanes which swirl the air to stabilize the flame. The
outer zone is equipped with fixed vanes as well as adjustable
vanes. Together they improve peripheral air distribution in the
outer zone and swirl the majority of the air more moderately for
mixing later in the flame. The inner and outer adjustable vanes
enable emission optimization on-line during commissioning, and
are then fixed in place.
The new hardware design provided a highly reliable means
of adjusting the components. The burner nozzle hardware options include Conical Diffusers (lower NO x) and bladed impellers (shorter flames, lower UBC). The mechanical structure of
the DRB-XCL has also proven to be highly rugged and reliable. The main outer barrel is constructed of heavy steel plate
with a system of stiffeners which accommodate thermal expansion without distortion. All front end components are high qual0.8
0.7
0.6
NO x (lb/million Btu)
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0
Figure 2
200
400
600
800
1000
NO x Emissions
(lb/million Btu)
Units
Characteristics
>0.50
10
0.40 - 0.499
39
Bituminous
0.30 - 0.399
36
Subbituminous/lignite or
staged bituminous
0.20 - 0.299
24
Subbituminous/lignite or
staged bituminous
0.10 - 0.199
Staged bituminous
1200
Capacity (MW e)
B&W low NOx combustion systemsNO x emissions.
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Babcock & Wilcox
a
a
Figure 3
Consumers EnergyKarn 2.
Recent Retrofit
Experiences with DRB-XCL
A few examples of recent retrofits are described here to provide an indication of performance on specific applications.
Karn 2
Belews Creek 2
Biasing
Air Damper
(Inner Zone)
Total Flow
Air Damper
Adjustable
Vane
aa
Linear
Actuator
Original
0.8
Sliding
Linkage
0.6
0.4
Low NO x
0.2
NOx Port
Support System
Figure 4
Figure 5
Dual air zone NOx port with total air flow control.
7
8
Unburned Carbon (%)
10
Linear
Actuator
Stationary Vane
Outer Zone
Adjustable Vane
Air Measuring
Pitot Grid
Inner Zone
Adjustable
Vane
Bladed
Impeller
Sliding
Disc
Figure 7
Coal
Nozzle
Figure 6
heat release rate. The new low NOx combustion system included
respacing the burners vertically to increase burner zone height
to better reduce NOx. The burner zone height was increased by
10.8 ft (3.3 m), while horizontal spacing was unchanged. This
reduced coal piping modifications considerably. The cell burners were replaced with 80 DRB-XCL burners with new pressure parts, along with 80 FPS oil lighters and flame scanners. A
new burner management system was provided as well. Pulverizers were not modified in this case, and fineness averaged ~72%
minus 200 mesh. The unit fires bituminous coal with FC/VM of
1.6, with typically 8% ash.
Pre-retrofit full load emissions indicated NO x in the 1.2
1.3 lb/million Btu range, with unburned carbon of 1 to 2%. The
unit was operated with 12% excess air with the original cell
burners to improve plant heat rate. The new system reduced NOx
to 0.68 lb/million BTU, or less with some upper burners out of
service. Unburned carbon was near 2% using 17% excess air
(Figure 5). NO x reductions of up to 58% were achieved with
this UBC.
Fixed Vane
Transition
Zone
Furnace
Tubewall
Transition Zone
Air Flow
Adjustment
Coal Inlet
Windbox
Figure 8
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Babcock & Wilcox
10
NOx
LOI
NO x (lb/MBtu)
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
LOI (%)
0.5
0
XCL
HV-XCL
4Z
Burner Type
HV-4Z
Figure 9
B&W low NO x burner emissions; CEDFunstaged,
bituminous coal.
million Btu with 3.8% LOI. However, a simple adjustment permitted operation in either of two modes. The lowest NO x mode
averaged 0.26 lb/million Btu with 4.9% LOI. The lowest LOI
mode averaged 0.37 lb/million Btu NO x with only 1.3% UBC.
Figure 9 compares NOx emissions and LOI for the standard
DRB-XCL and DRB-4ZTM burners, along with the plug-in
(HV-high velocity) versions of these burners. Clearly the third
generation 4Z burners indicate significant improvements in NOx,
with potential for simultaneous reductions in NOx and LOI emissions with the plug-in design.
The first commercial application for the DRB-4ZTM is in the
installation stage at the time of this writing. Start-up is scheduled for May 2000 with tuning work to follow that summer.
Reliant Energy selected this technology, in combination with
Dual Zone NO x ports, to further reduce NOx emissions at their
W. A. Parish Unit 6 (Figure 10). This 690 MWe unit fires a variety of subbituminous coals or natural gas. The combustion system includes 56 DRB-4ZTM burners, arranged in seven rows of
8, which are installed in place of the original DRB burners. Numerical modeling was performed by B&W to determine the best
arrangement of NOx ports for mixing effectiveness, within constraints from existing components. This resulted in a total of 12
Dual Zone NOx ports (6 front, 6 rear). Preliminary results may
be available by time of presentation.
tic action involves low NOx combustion systems and SCR for
units which primarily or exclusively fire natural gas.
B&W recently conducted an in-depth development campaign
to reduce NOx emissions from our gas-capable burners. An extensive series of tests in the CEDF resulted in a new gas element design for these burners which exhibited major NOx reduction capability. Back-to-back tests in the XCL-STM burner
(Figure 11) demonstrated just under 50% NO x reduction with
the new fuel element design vs. the standard HEMI gas element
design. Actual emissions were less than 0.1 lb/million Btu with
the advanced design, and CO emissions were less than 50 ppm
in either case. These results were without use of flue gas recirculation (FGR) or air staging ports. Subsequent tests with FGR
reduced emissions NOx to 30 ppm.
The new design is adaptable to other low NOx burners, including the DRB-4Z TM. The first contract making use of the new
gas technology combined with PC-fired 4Z burners will go into
service in the summer of 2001.
Internationally, low NO x combustion systems often include
capability to fire fuel oil as the primary fuel. Recently B&W
performed retrofits to four oil-fired units in Taiwan to reduce
NO x emissions. These were Units 1-4 at Taiwan Power
Externally
Adjustable Spin
Vanes
Adjustable
Hemispherical
Gas Spuds
Sliding
Air Damper
Linear
Actuator
I-Jet
Oil Gun
Optional
Isolation Valves
Burner
Support System
Summary
B&W is a leading supplier of low NOx combustion systems
to the utility boiler industry. The DRB-XCL has proven to be
highly effective, typically reducing NO x to the 0.2 to 0.5 lb/
million Btu range, depending on system design and coal properties. Continued investment in combustion technology has resulted in third generation designs, capable of significant further emission improvement. The latest advancements in low NOx
combustion equipment design include plug-in versions of the
DRB-XCL and DRB-4ZTM burners. These burners indicate step
reductions in unburned carbon emissions compared to the industry standard DRB-XCL, in combination with further NOx
reduction. Reducing NOx at its source by advanced combustion
systems can reduce the size, or potentially the quantity of SCR
systems necessary to meet regulated limits.
Low NOx oil and gas combustion systems can provide full
compliance with emission requirements in many situations, domestically or internationally. B&Ws latest generation of low
NOx gas burners indicate nearly 50% NO x reduction compared
to our previous design. The gas element is designed for use in
advanced coal-fired burners in addition to oil/gas burners.
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Babcock & Wilcox