Air Quality Solutions for Electric Utilities

SAS leadership in criteria and hazardous air pollutant measurements is a result of over 70 combined years of experience in performing air emission measurements for industrial, commercial and government clients. Our expertise enables us to successfully conduct newly promulgated EPA test methods (e.g., PM2.5/CPM or FTIR).

SAS conducts comprehensive (inlet/outlet, fuel, ash) Hg and multi-pollutant emissions testing programs for coal-fired boiler operations. SAS provides field gas chromatography testing for TRS from refinery and speciated VOC for organic chemical and pharmaceutical operations.

Compliance Testing:
- EPA Reference method testing
- RATAs (Part 75)
- Multi-pollutant control full-scale field trials
- Air pollution control equipment evaluation, design and startup/commissioning
- Ambient air monitoring
- Air permitting and regulatory compliance support
- Emissions inventory programs
- Fugitive emissions programs
- Indoor air quality evaluations

Startup/Commissioning:
- SCR tuning
- ESP/FFBH PM efficiency
- APH performance
- FGD performance (WFGD, SDA)
- DSI performance
- ACI performance


Single & Multiple Pollutant Projects

SO3 Control Project for Tennessee Valley Authority – Widows Creek Fossil Plant
Allegheny Energy – Mitchell Station, Seminole Electric Cooperative, Inc.
Constellation Energy – H.A. Wagner Station
Conducted SO3 emissions by NCASI Method 8A at multiple points throughout each APC system to determine SO3 generation profiles. Provided SO3 testing services for various SO3 dry sorbent injection mitigation trials.

HCl Control Demonstration - East Kentucky Power Cooperative
Portable hydrated lime injection full scale demonstration on a 300 MW circulating fluidized bed (CFB) coal-fired electric power plant equipped with a flash dryer absorber (FDA) and fabric filter baghouse (FFBH) for multi-pollutant control of HCl, HF, SO2, SO3, and metals.

Testing included air pre-heater inlet and FFBH outlet sampling for halogens with next-day analytical results. Result of injections was a reduction of halogen acid gases to levels less than 1 ton/yr. Boiler limestone injection was reduced supplemental lime was injected to the FDA for control of SO2. Result was 40% reduction in limestone usage rate (80 klb/hr to 50 klb/hr) with a co-benefit 20% reduction in NOx emissions.

Activated Carbon Injection System – Bridgeport Harbor Generating Station
Startup performance testing of an activated carbon injection (ACI) system/pulse jet fabric filter (PJFF) for a 400 MW coal-fired electric power plant for removal of Hg from flue gas. Testing consisted of concurrent Ontario Hydro Method (ASTM D6784-02) sample trains at the economizer outlet and stack for demonstration of total system vapor phase Hg removal (90%) or emission limit at the stack 0.6 lb/TBtu. All OHM analytical was conducted on-site with results within 24 hours. System performance was successfully demonstrated.

Dry Sorbent Injection Field Trial - Oklahoma Gas & Electric Sooner Station
Conducted mobile full scale trona and sodium bicarbonate injection trial on a 550 MW PRB coal-fired utility boiler. Installed and operated three full scale dry alkali sorbent injection systems delivering trona and sodium bicarbonate into boiler post-combustion flue gas up to 18 tons/hr for removal of SO2 and HCl. Boiler was equipped with ESP. SO2 removal exceeded 80%.

Multi-Pollutant Control Demonstration Testing - Constellation Energy, Allegheny Energy
Trona and powder activated carbon (PAC) injection full scale demonstration on 320 MW and 100
MW coal-fired electric power plants for removal of SO2, SO3, HCl, and Hg. Testing was conducted in three coal campaigns including CAAP coal (bituminous), PRB (sub-bituminous) and Adaro (Indonesian sub-bituminous). Testing included unit inlet and outlet (stack) continuous mercury monitoring system (CMMS) in conjunction with OHM at the inlet and outlet. All OHM analytical was conducted on- site with results within 24 hours. Injection studies were conducted to optimize trona and PAC injection rates for maximum removal of multi-pollutants. Impact to PM2.5/10/CPM was evaluated. Impact to speciated VOC emissions was evaluated.

Condensable Particulate Matter Evaluation at Ethanol Plant – Heron Lake BioEnergy LLC
Evaluation of condensable particulate matter (CPM) emissions on a PRB coal-fired industrial boiler at an ethanol production facility. Boiler was equipped with selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) for NOx reduction. Optimized NH3 injection to minimize slip and trona to minimize SO2 emissions. Utilized new proposed EPA Method 202 (a.k.a. OTM-28 dry impinger method) which resulted in significantly reduced artifact particulate matter (AMP) in CPM results (by as much as 70%). Tuning of APCD systems plus implementation of new Method 202 demonstrated compliance to rigid CPM emission limits.

Selective Catalytic Reduction Tuning Services - Alstom Power
Startup tuning of new SCR for a 620 MW PRB coal-fired electric generating unit. Developed algorithm for adjusting ammonia injection grid (AIG) to produce consistent target NOx reduction efficiencies across the entire catalyst discharge area while minimizing NH3 from the unit. Result was an optimized AIG with minimized NH3 slip.

Activated Carbon Injection System – Allegheny Energy
Activated carbon injection full scale demonstration involving several vendor grades of PAC. Testing included inlet and outlet Hg CEMS in conjunction with OHM at the inlet and outlet. All OHM analytical was conducted on-site with results within 24 hours. Final product was performance curves for each grade of PAC.

Trona Demonstration Test – Allegheny Energy
Trona and sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) injection full scale demonstration on a 250 MW coal-fired electric power plant for removal of SO3 and Hg from flue gas. Testing included FGD inlet and outlet continuous mercury monitoring system (CMMS) in conjunction with OHM (Ontario Hydro Method) at the inlet and outlet. All OHM analytical was conducted on-site with results within 24 hours. Testing for SO3 by NCASI Method 8A with on-site analysis by ion chromatography. Injection program was for the evaluation of trona for the removal of SO3 (blue plume) emissions and reduction of Hg re- emissions from wet FGD.

Fleet Wide CMMS RATA – Westar Energy
Relative accuracy (RATA) test audits of fleet wide continuous mercury monitoring systems (CMMS) (total 9) for a large power generation company. Reference method testing was done using paired OHM trains. All analytical was conducted on-site with results within 24 hours of sampling.

Hg Sorbent Trap Monitoring - North Valmy Generating Station
Hg sorbent trap monitoring as part of EPRI research project deploying novel air pollution control technology to a flue gas slipstream from a 400 MW PRB fired utility unit. Very low Hg concentrations necessitated extended sample run times and close attention to trap analytical quality assurance. Result of project was demonstration of highly effective field pilot scale pollution control system (very low Hg emissions not measurable by OHM).

Mobile full scale trona injection demonstration project for control of HCl and SO2 emissions from a Portland cement kiln. Trona was milled on site and injected into cement kiln final baghouse. SAS conducted trona injection and stack emissions testing. Testing was for Hg by EPA Method 30B (speciation traps), HCl by Method 320 (FTIR) and M26A (including PM fraction). Result was removal of HCl and SO2 up to 99%. Performance with unmilled trona was also evaluated. Compliance with the low Portland Cement HCl MACT limit was successfully demonstrated.

Part 75 RATA for Combined Cycle Unit – American Electric Cooperative, Inc.
40 CFR 60 and 75 continuing RATA of NOx, CO and THC CEMS for two large CTG/HRSG combined cycle units. Testing also involved compliance testing for low-level lead (Method 12) and ammonia emissions (CTM-027). Testing was also for filterable PM and inorganic/organic condensable PM.

RATA and Compliance Testing Services
Large CTGs for New York City
Small CTGs for AT&T
RATA and compliance testing for NOx and SO2 CEMS for two large diesel-fired electric generators used for electric power generation of pharmaceutical manufacturing facility. RATA testing of several small (<10 MW) peaking natural gas-fired combustion turbine generators (CTG) in New York City. Compliance testing of several small oil-fired CTGs for a major communications company.

RCRA Trial Burn for a Major Energy Company
RCRA trial burn for a major energy corporation in the South. The facility operates three liquid incinerators with heat recovery to destroy hazardous and nonhazardous waste streams from the production of synthetic organic chemicals. Tests were conducted for semi-volatile organics, volatile PICs and POHCs, particulate and hydrochloric acid, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides simultaneously. VOST was used to measure emission rates of the POHCs, carbon tetrachloride and chlorobenzene. EPA Reference Method 5 was used to determine the particulate emission rate. Modified Method 5 was used to test for semi-volatile organics. Continuous emission monitors were to measure the carbon monoxide concentration and a second analyzer to measure the NOx concentration in the gas stream.

Based on the test results, the incinerators were able to demonstrate greater than 99.99 percent DREs for each of the POHCs.