The EPA has provided guidance to facilities that may be subject to the mandatory Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reporting Rule, which covers GHG emissions from stationary fuel combustion and other sources. Facilities that generate greater than 25,000 mt CO2 from stationary combustion sources are covered by the program and are required to register by August 1, 2011. The reporting of 2010 greenhouse gas emissions is due by September 30, 2011.
For additional details about the program or the new reporting tool, visit the links below:
Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program's Website: www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgrulemaking.html
GHG Applicability Tool: http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html
GHG Emissions Information: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/
Boiler Blog | Nationwide Boiler Inc.
In February of this year, the Boiler MACT rule was published in the Federal Register, causing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to propose new regulations calling for system upgrades on boilers and auxiliary equipment in many plants. The costs associated with these upgrades can reach up to $35 billion according to the EPA, but because the costs will be specific to each individual plant, no one will know the real costs until the boiler equipment is evaluated to comply with new and future regulations. Boiler operators are hesitant to spend the money due to the uncertainty of regulations, but eventually something will need to be done.
There are resources available, and the U.S. boiler and combustion equipment industry is readily able to meet the demand for these system upgrades. Randy Rawson, President of the American Boiler Manufacturer’s Association (ABMA), said, “We have the workforce resources to meet the needs of our customers, as long as our customers don’t push compliance go the last minute.”
The largest air districts in California have passed rules that require NOx compliance as low as 5 ppm by the year 2015. Few burner manufacturers have been successful with developing new ultra low NOx (ULN) burner technology that easily and safely performs at 9 - 7 ppm NOx. Many users that have tried ULN burners suffer the consequences of high FGR or excess air rates that compromise not only efficiency, but also the operational limits of boiler equipment, resulting in limited turndown capabilities, flame pulsations and unstable operation.
Today, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology has taken over as the best available control technology for complying with ultra low NOx emission requirements. Nationwide Boiler, having invested in SCR technology for our rental fleet over the last ten years, has both the experience as an user and a supplier of the CataStak™ SCR system. Our SCR systems have met or exceeded emission requirements for over one hundred boilers, steam generators and gas turbines installations.
The Nationwide Boiler CataStak™ SCR system is proven to decrease emissions, increase energy efficiency, reduce fan horsepower and provide greenhouse gas / carbon reductions. Typical users can save significant energy costs by reducing flue gas recirculation which substantially reduces fan horsepower (HP) and when compared with a typical 9 ppm burner, fan HP can be reduced by as much as half.
If you are concerned or have questions about how your facility is planning to comply with local air quality regulations, send am email to info@nationwideboiler.com and together we can come up with a solution that can perform as low as 2.5 ppm NOx and pass any current air regulation with the lowest carbon footprint.
On December 20, 2012, the EPA finalized the Boiler MACT, a specific set of adjustments to existing Clean Air Act standards, for boilers and certain solid waste incinerators. These adjustments set standards to cut emissions of hazardous air pollutants, such as mercury, dioxin, and lead, from large boilers in a range of industrial facilities and institutions.
The DOE will offer technical assistance to affected sites currently burning coal or oil, highlighting strategies such as natural gas combined heat and power (CHP), and more efficient boilers, to cut harmful pollution and reduce operational costs. DOE will also provide site-specific technical and cost information to the major source facilities currently burning coal or oil through its regional Clean Energy Application Centers (CEACs).
The CEACs will visit these facilities to discuss strategies for compliance, including CHP, as well as provide information on potential funding and financing opportunities available for CHP, controls, boilers and energy efficiency assessments. Facilities that make use of this technical assistance can potentially develop strategies to comply with the regulations while adding to their bottom line.
Contact Nationwide Boiler today to discuss how we can help you come up with a solution that will cut emissions in your facility. Call: 1-800-227-1966.
Information on financial incentives available at the local, state, utility and federal levels to assist facilities with the costs of investing in CHP, boiler tune-ups, controls and/or energy efficiency assessments is available at:
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/manufacturing/states/pdfs/incentives_boiler_mact.pdf
Information about the rule, including links to the regulatory dockets, technical information on how the limits were developed, and impact assessments, is available at:
http://www.epa.gov/airquality/combustion/actions.html
Nationwide Boiler's Director of Environmental Solutions, Sean McMenamin, provided content for this month's issue of Process Heating Magazine. The topic of discussion this time around is reducing NOx emissions and improving overall boiler efficiency.
Sean has provided six tips to ensure the highest possible thermal efficiency, and lowest possible NOx output. This includes:
1. Reducing Stack Gas Temperature to Increase Efficiency
2. Managing Excess Air Levels for Optimum Performance
3. Utilizing Flue Gas Recirculation (FGR) to Reduce NOx Emissions
4. Selective Catalytic Reduction for Ultra-Low NOx Performance
5. Combining Economizers & SCR Systems for Emissions & Efficiency Gains
6. Monitoring Emissions & Efficiency Performance
For additional details related to these tips and tricks for reducing NOx and increasing efficiency, check out the full article in Process Heating's September 2018 issue!