TIDMAEG
Active Energy Group PLC
07 March 2016
7 March 2016
Active Energy Group Plc
("Active Energy Group" or the "Group" or the "Company" or
"AEG")
AEG CoalSwitch Deposition and Burn Test Results Confirm
Lower Emissions, More Efficient Combustion and Fewer Deposits
than Coal;
Prove Technical and Commercial Viability, Further
Information
AEG CoalSwitch, the renewable energy division of Active Energy
Group Plc (AIM: AEG.L), the AIM-listed supplier of timberland
management and development services, industrial wood fibre and
Biomass coal replacement fuels, announces that late last week it
received the results from the burn testing of its CoalSwitch fuel
at the University of Utah (announced in the RNS dated 8 February
2016).
The University reported on CoalSwitch's technical and commercial
viability for use a standalone fuel - or co-fired in high
concentrations with coal in coal-fired power plants - and confirmed
that it provides significant environmental and commercial
advantages for industrial power generators; exceeding the Board's
expectations.
The burn testing, conducted at the University's Clean and Secure
Energy Institute laboratory under the aegis of Dr Andrew Fry,
Director of the Industrial Combustion & Gasification Research
Facility and an internationally-recognised expert in the field,
evaluated the performance of AEG CoalSwitch fuel in its 100kW
pulverised coal combustor, which closely replicates the full-scale
facilities utilised in industrial coal-fired power plants around
the world.
The five-day testing process recorded the energy output, flame
stability and behaviour, furnace reaction, depositions (fouling and
slagging) and emissions produced by CoalSwitch Biomass fuel (in
this case, derived from low-grade Aspen/Poplar feedstock) during
combustion; included real-time analysis and interpretation of its
combustion, particle and deposition characteristics; and compared
the results to those achieved with Illinois Number 6 coal (a
typical feedstock used for industrial power generation in the US),
and a CoalSwitch/Illinois coal mix under the same test
conditions.
The mix tests were conducted with a 50%/50% blend of CoalSwitch
Biomass fuel and Illinois coal; a much higher concentration of
Biomass material than it has previously been possible to use in
existing coal-fired plants without causing significant slagging and
fouling issues in their boilers.
The University both confirmed the potential of CoalSwitch fuel
for the power generation industry, and that it delivered
significant financial and environmental benefits over current
Biomass fuel solutions. Key findings included:
-- CoalSwitch fuel burned at near-identical temperatures to coal.
There was only a 50(o) F difference between the temperature at
which the CoalSwitch/coal blend and pure coal combusted (the coal
burnt at 2,220 (o) F).
This confirmed that CoalSwitch can be co-fired with coal in
power plants without any hardware furnace modifications, produces
an equivalent energy output, and can improve the efficiency at
which the coal component of the blended feedstock burns.
-- CoalSwitch fuel burned more efficiently than coal, and produced far less ash.
The ash content in CoalSwitch was 1.69%, compared to 9.42% for
the pure coal; and whilst the carbon content within that ash was
similar between the two fuels in 'unstaged' conditions (when all
the oxygen was introduced at the same time as the fuel), there was
a 40-55% reduction from the CoalSwitch/coal blend in 'staged'
conditions (typically used in industrial power plant furnaces to
control NO(x) emissions).
This demonstrated that co-firing CoalSwitch with coal can not
only deliver the environmental benefits of burning processed
Biomass, but also significantly increase the efficacy of the coal
with which it is burnt; providing a further compelling reason to
utilise it in coal-fired power plants, even where coal continues to
be part of the feedstock mix.
-- CoalSwitch fuel burned cleaner than coal, and when co-fired
with coal generated less Sulphur Dioxide (SO(2) ) than the coal
alone.
The reduction in SO(2) in the CoalSwitch/coal blend was between
45% and 72%; higher than the laboratory team had anticipated, based
on their significant experience of testing other Biomass fuel
solutions in their test facility.
This resulted in far fewer ultrafine particles being released
into the environment during combustion, confirming that CoalSwitch
can generate fewer emissions, greatly enabling compliance with
pollution and clean air regulations.
-- CoalSwitch fuel was essentially free of both Potassium (K)
and Sodium (Na), so combustion will not cause fouling
(deposits).
The very low levels of these chemical elements inhibit the
deposition precursors (compounds that contribute to chemical
reactions) that are usually found in coal/Biomass fuel blends;
evidenced by an 8% to 18% decrease in deposition rates in
'unstaged' conditions, and 51% to 53% reduction in 'staged'
conditions.
This further demonstrated that utilising CoalSwitch in
coal-fired power stations will not create deposits on furnaces or
chimneys; overcoming one of the principal objections to using
Biomass-derived fuels for industrial power generation in existing
coal-fired power plants. In fact the coal being burned today is
likely to foul more than CoalSwitch used standalone, or when
blended with CoalSwitch.
-- Besides reducing the amount of ultrafine particles in the
CoalSwitch/coal blend, the mineral matter (ash) particle size
distribution was nearly the same as that for pure coal.
However, there was a noticeable reduction in ultrafine particles
(less than 100 nanometres in diameter) with the CoalSwitch/coal
blend, likely due to the reduction in sulphur levels.
This demonstrated that CoalSwitch can significantly outperform
existing Biomass fuels with regard to depositions that cause
slagging and fouling, and which have to date prevented their wide
scale adoption in coal-fired power plants; and that co-firing
CoalSwitch with coal can reduce the depositions created by pure
coal... an extremely important development.
-- The CoalSwitch/coal blend had a lower LOI (Loss on Ignition)
than the pure coal, leaving far less unburned carbon in the
ash.
The total unburned carbon flow rate for CoalSwitch was much more
favourable, due to the reduced total ash content and lower LOI
(Loss on Ignition, a measure of unburned carbon) carbon in that
ash. The unburned carbon flow rate was reduced by 34% to 50% in
'unstaged' conditions, and by 65% to 74% in 'staged'
conditions.
This confirmed that CoalSwitch fuel burned more efficiently in
the furnace and, consequently, released more of its energy; and had
a lower LOI - a key issue for power plant operators, to which they
devote considerable resources.
Dr C Drew Tait, who led the testing process for AEG CoalSwitch,
noted "The very low concentrations of Potassium and Sodium in
CoalSwitch fuel can inhibit the fouling precursors usually found in
coal/Biomass blends. Our unique technology specifically targets
these mineral contaminants for removal during the preparation
process, and is expected to have a favourable impact on deposition
by fouling."
"These outstanding results confirm that the AEG CoalSwitch fuel
manufacturing process - which works with any fibrous- or wood-based
Biomass material - removes the vast majority of minerals, salts and
other contaminants that have prevented renewable Biomass-derived
fuels from entering the energy mainstream. "
Philip Scalzo, AEG CoalSwitch Chief Technology Officer, added:
"Even after eight years of developing and assessing CoalSwitch
fuel, the results of the University of Utah deposition tests
exceeded our expectations; and we look forward to sharing them with
the numerous power plant owners and operators that have expressed
real interest in integrating CoalSwitch fuel into their
feedstock."
The test findings will not just enable the AEG CoalSwitch team
to progress its ongoing discussions with a number of international
power generation utilities, but will have a considerable positive
impact upon Active Energy Group's other trading divisions, in line
with the company's long-term strategic vision.
Richard Spinks, CEO of Active Energy Group Plc, said: "The
results of the CoalSwitch testing prove that our faith in the
technology and our investment in it over the past twelve months
were fully justified. They demonstrate that, for the first time to
our knowledge, the glass wall between coal and Biomass usage within
existing power generation plants has been shattered."
"Raw Biomass material, after processing via the patented AEG
CoalSwitch technology, can be directly introduced into the
mainstream fuel mix, which has global implications for the
environment, the economy and the power generation industry. We are
understandably very excited about the results of these tests and
delighted for our partners in the United States who continued to
develop this unique process in the face of considerable industry
scepticism."
"Moreover - and in line with the long-term strategy of the Group
- this confirmation of CoalSwitch's viability will now flow through
to AEG's other businesses."
"The value of the forestry resources under the management of our
AEG TimberLands division are likely to be enhanced, as the
low-grade and waste timber can be utilised for the production of
high value CoalSwitch fuel, the very reason that we created our
CoalSwitch fuel for this test with low-quality Aspen/Poplar (which
forms the majority of Alberta's Boreal forestry species mix); and
it will likely give us further traction in securing new forestry
management and development deals in Europe, North America and
elsewhere."
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