CATALYST MANAGEMENT
At the end of 2005, SCR systems had been installed on over 100 GW of coal-fired capacity in the United States. As more operating hours are accumulated on these SCR reactors, the Reactor Potential will decrease and eventually the catalyst must be replaced, or new catalyst layers added, in order to maintain the necessary NOx reductions and ammonia slip. Planning these catalyst replacements and additions is a major element in a successful SCR management and operating strategy, and a task that is not easily done or taken lightly. If catalyst is replaced too soon, operating costs can increase; but if the catalyst is replaced too late (it is allowed to degrade too far), unplanned outages may become necessary, or NOx reductions may have to decrease, possibly resulting in penalties. Failure to plan properly in either direction will inevitably result in the same unwanted scenario of higher costs.
FERCo has numerous resources available to assist with your own Catalyst Management Strategy, ranging from suppliers of equipment and management tools, to utilizing our vast knowledge base and experience to develop and maintain a management strategy specifically for you.
Aside from our extensive experience in SCR reactor design and tuning, some of the tools that FERCo offers include an patented process to assess your In Situ Catalyst Activity with CatalysTraK™ - Activity , without ever having to wait for an outage or take a core sample. This data can be used with CatalysTraK™ - Manage, a spreadsheet-based software tool, to develop catalyst replacement strategies, resulting in more efficient use of catalyst and potentially saving millions of dollars in outage and replacement costs.
For those looking for a NOx control plan, and considering SCR applied to a new fuel, FERCo also offers an In-Situ Mini SCR Reactor to test catalyst with your actual flue gas. This mini reactor serves as a means of understanding and addressing potential deactivation issues, before incurring the expense of installing a full-scale reactor.
Finally, FERCo also has a Micro Scale Catalyst Activity tester, for more traditional activity tests of catalyst samples.
Please contact FERCo directly if you are interested or would like pricing information on any of our Catalyst Management services. |
