NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR CONTROL OF N2O EMISSIONS FROM FLUID BED COMBUSTORS

LARGE AMOUNTS OF PRIVATE AND PUBLIC FUNDS HAVE BEEN INVESTED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF FLUID BED COMBUSTION TECHNOLOGIES (FBC) IN THE EXPECTATION THAT THESE TECHNOLOGIES WOULD PROVIDE A METHOD OF BURNING COAL WITH VERY LOW EMISSIONS OF SOX AND NOX. THIS INVESTMENT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL, THE COSTS OF ELECTRICITY GENERATED BY SYSTEMS USING FLUID BED COMBUSTION ARE COMPETITIVE, AND FBC SYSTEMS OF OVER 5.3 GW OF CAPACITY HAVE BEEN INSTALLED OR ARE IN THE WORKS. UNFORTUNATELY, HOWEVER, IT HAS RECENTLY BEEN RECOGNIZED THAT FLUID BED COMBUSTION OF COAL PRODUCES COPIOUS N2O EMISSIONS. SINCE N2O IS BOTH A GREENHOUSE GAS AND A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO DEPLETION OF THE OZONE LAYER, SUCH EMISSIONS ARE UNACCEPTABLE. RESEARCHERS ARE DEVELOPING A NOVEL METHOD OF CONTROLLING N2O EMISSIONS FROM FLUID BED COMBUSTORS. COMPUTER MODELING CALCULATIONS SUGGEST THAT THIS PROCESS IS EFFECTIVE AND THE COST MODEST. THE TECHNOLOGY IS APPLICABLE TO BOTH NEW AND EXISTING FBC UNITS.