Retrofitting Electrostatic Precipitators to Meet Current Emission Limits 19/2/19, 11'24 AM

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Retrofitting Electrostatic Precipitators to Meet Current Emission Limits

Retrofitting Electrostatic Precipitators to

Meet Current Emission Limits
07/01/2017 | Jose Sanchez and Tom Keeler

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Retrofitting Electrostatic Precipitators to Meet Current Emission Limits 19/2/19, 11'24 AM

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Electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) offer a tried-and-true technology for particulate matter control.
However, existing ESPs can be challenged to meet the latest regulatory requirements. Retrofitting
power supplies and other equipment offers the potential for improved ESP performance.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards
(https://www.epa.gov/mats) (MATS) rule, which became effective in April 2015, provides emis-
sion limits for filterable particulate matter (PM) and other hazardous air pollutants, such More
as Jobs JOB FEED
mercury, acid gases, trace metals, and organics, from coal-fired power plants. Under the (http://jobs.powermag.com/jobseeker/search/results/)
MATS
rule, the maximum achievable control technology total particulate emissions limit is 0.03 Lead Structural and Piping Engineer -
lb/MMBtu for existing coal-fired plants. HRST, Inc. - Tampa, FL
(https://jobs.powermag.com/job/lead-
To meet these emissions limits for control of PM, one of the most-reliable and often-utilized structural-and-piping-

control technologies is an electrostatic precipitator (ESP), which is a well-established and ma- engineer/46863874/2669/)

ture technology. However, as regulatory requirements have become increasingly more strin-
Custom Solutions Technician -
gent, many existing precipitators are being challenged to collect PM beyond their original de-
Swagelok Chicago| Milwaukee| St.
sign specifications. Louis - Glendale Heights, IL
(https://jobs.powermag.com/job/custom-
For example, some plants may now use dry sorbent injection for acid gas control and activat- solutions-technician/46768929/2669/)
ed carbon injection for mercury control, with the expectation that the existing ESP will remove
Electric Utility Project Coordinator - City
the PM. In some instances, depending on ESP size and condition, the ESP may no longer oper-
of Redding Electric Utility - Redding, CA
ate as efficiently under these conditions.
(https://jobs.powermag.com/job/electric-
utility-project-
Few, if any, new precipitators are currently being built and installed in today’s U.S. coal-fired coordinator/46663632/2669/)
marketplace. As a result, plants that are seeking to meet the new limits, and that have suffi-
ciently sized ESPs in good mechanical and working condition, are aiming to enhance perfor-
mance of their existing ESPs through upgrades or rebuilds of the ESPs with newer power sup- Search Jobs

plies. Modern-day power supplies that deliver higher average and peak voltage operation pro- Post a Job
(http://jobs.powermag.com/c/profile/index.cfm?
vide a viable means of boosting the operating performance of an existing precipitator. site_id=2669&referrer=2669)
Post a Resume
(http://jobs.powermag.com/r/jobs/post/post.cfm?
Over the past several years, the Electric Power Research Institute (https://www.epri.com/#/) site_id=2669)

(EPRI) has conducted a number of studies on the effectiveness of retrofit options for ESPs to
meet new environmental regulations. The most recent study surveyed power supply technolo-
gy advancements, such as high-frequency power supplies (HFPSs) and new three-phase low-
and mid-frequency power supplies. The study also documented case studies of ESP retrofits at
five different plants. The study and its findings are described in an EPRI report, ESP Upgrades
and Optimization: Operating Under MATS Conditions (https://www.epri.com/#/pages/prod-
uct/000000003002006099/) (3002006099).

ESP Power Supplies

When a plant is considering re-powering an existing precipitator to meet an emissions goal,

the plant owners should first undertake a full evaluation of the precipitator and plant operat-
ing conditions to assess whether the re-powered precipitator could reasonably be expected to
meet the goal and to determine what additional steps, if any, might also have to be taken to Most Read () Most Commented ()
attain that goal. Additional steps might include mechanical repairs, gas and particulate flow
modifications, additional electrical sectionalization, rapper sequence modifications, and flue Most Shared ()
gas conditioning.

Most Read

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Retrofitting Electrostatic Precipitators to Meet Current Emission Limits 19/2/19, 11'24 AM

If the ESP is found to be in good mechanical order, and operating near the desired emissions Financial and Gas Turbine Blade Troubles
Plague GE Power
level, then replacement of the power supply may provide the best means of ensuring its
(https://www.powermag.com/financial-
performance.
gas-turbine-blade-troubles-plague-ge-
power/)
Precipitator performance is directly related to the operating voltages in the system, and the GE Cutting Another 468 Jobs
power supply is the key system component providing the high-voltage (HV) direct current (DC) (https://www.powermag.com/ge-cutting-
power (voltage and current) directly to the discharge electrodes needed for electrostatic another-468-jobs/)
Iraqi Official Casts Doubt on Deals With
precipitation.
GE, Siemens
(https://www.powermag.com/iraqi-
Historical Development of ESP Power Supplies official-casts-doubt-on-deals-with-ge-
siemens/)
PG&E: Judge’s Proposal Could Cost Utility
Throughout the developmental history of ESPs, their design and performance have been limit-
$150 Billion
ed by the rating and design of the power supplies. As the power supply and circuit component
(https://www.powermag.com/pge-
design improved and higher voltages were achievable, ESP designs evolved to utilize the high judges-proposal-could-cost-utility-150-
voltages and currents by increasing the collecting plate-to-discharge electrode spacing, in- billion/)
creasing the total collecting area connected to one power supply, and modifying the dis- Colstrip Power Plant Threatened by
Westmoreland Bankruptcy
charge electrode geometry.
(https://www.powermag.com/colstrip-
power-plant-threatened-by-
The earliest power supplies used a step-up transformer to generate high voltage with a sepa-
westmoreland-bankruptcy/)
rate rectifier component. Mechanical rectification was the first option available for converting
alternating current to DC. Mechanical rectifiers function through the use of multiple switches
that are opened and closed to alter the electric path of the electric current. TWITTER FEED

Vacuum tube rectifiers, introduced in the 1950s, were a breakthrough that permitted DC elec-
Tweets by ​@POWERmagazine
trostatic precipitation to become more practical. The tubes were fairly large because of the
high voltages needed and were typically glass enclosures. The tube rectifiers offered a quan- POWER magazine
tum improvement in reliability and practicality over mechanical rectifiers. The disadvantages @POWERmagazine

of tube rectifiers, as compared to solid-state rectification, are the relatively high cost, limited Lead Structural and Piping Engineer - HRST, Inc.
- Tampa, FL bit.ly/2DUmDQB
life cycle, and excessive heat created by the filament.

Lead Structural and Piping…

Transformer rectifiers (TRs), using silicon diodes for rectification of the HV output of the step- A new Lead Structural and P…
up transformer, were first used in the 1960s and have been the standard for many years. The jobs.powermag.com

HV transformer and rectifier components are housed together in a single dielectric oil-filled
tank that is sealed and suitable for outside use. The TRs are of robust design and are manu- 5h

factured specifically for the conditions unique to the ESP application. The power supplies are
POWER magazine
designed to operate with an incoming voltage ranging from 400 V to 600 V, single phase, at ei-
@POWERmagazine
ther 50 Hz or 60 Hz.
The Connected Plant Conference starts
tomorrow! Get a preview today:

High-Frequency Power Supplies ow.ly/wCkA30nyuT8

Show Preview: Connected …

At present, the most commonly used power supply in ESP retrofits and upgrades are HFPSs. The 3rd annual Connected P…
Unlike conventional single-phase TRs that operate at 60 Hz, three-phase HFPSs operate at powermag.com

considerably higher frequency levels—up to 35 kHz. These power supplies became available
around 1994 and are typically referred to as switched-mode power supplies (SMPSs) or HFPSs. 6h

The main components allowing the power to be switched at high frequency are insulated-gate POWER magazine
@POWERmagazine
bipolar transistors (IGBTs), which have been improved over the past two decades to allow
What is Active Control Technology (ACT)?
Embed Read
View on Twitter
high power levels to be achieved and to improve reliability. These power supplies operate at about how @PsixeSolutions is deploying its ACT
approximately the same peak kV levels as the conventional TRs they replace, but due to the
higher frequency, they maintain average kV levels that are significantly higher than the aver-
age kV levels attained with a conventional single-phase, 60-Hz power supply. Using digital to build the wo
wo…

>
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Retrofitting Electrostatic Precipitators to Meet Current Emission Limits 19/2/19, 11'24 AM

The change from a single-phase circuit to a three-phase circuit provides better balance for the
electrical load, and this tends to result in power factor improvement. For instance, the same
input power into the SMPS can deliver 20% to 30% more output power than a conventional
single-phase TR and power savings can be realized. The high-frequency operation also results
Innogy Consulting-
in quicker response time to circuit disruption (sparking). The result is more power applied to Using digital to build
the precipitator field (Figure 1). the workforce of the
future
(https://www.powerm
ag.com/videos/innogy
-using-digital-to-build-
the-workforce-of-the-
future/)

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(https://www.powermag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/25chart1.jpg)

1. More power. This image shows a scope trace and voltage-current curve comparing a high-frequency
power supply/switched-mode power supply (HFPS/SMPS) to a conventional 60-Hz transformer-rectifier (TR)
power supply. The high operating frequency of HFPSs/SMPSs produces a nearly pure direct current output
waveform. Source: Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

HFPSs integrate all the main circuit components, including the transformer, rectifier, and con-
troller, into a single, compact unit that is comparatively lightweight. Their operation also of- VIDEOS & INFOGRAPHICS
fers greater control flexibility.

The reliability of the HFPSs is now nearly on par with the conventional 60-Hz TR and circuit An Iconic Nuclear Plant Sh…
components. However, this was not always the case. When they were first introduced, and as
they grew in size capacity, problems occurred related to power quality, harmonics, and volt-
age transients on the power lines; high-voltage transients due to sparking/arcing and poor
grounding; inadequate cooling, leading to overheating; and high-temperature failures. These
problems tended to be site and installation specific. They have been largely overcome, and
HFPSs are now well-accepted as a reliable product for increasing precipitator power.
AN ICONIC NUCLEAR PLANT SHUTS DOWN

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Retrofitting Electrostatic Precipitators to Meet Current Emission Limits 19/2/19, 11'24 AM

New Technologies: Three-Phase Low- and Mid-Frequency Power The Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in
New Jersey, the oldest operating nuclear plant in
Supplies the U.S., was shut down on September 17, 2018.

For more, see “Oldest U.S. Nuclear Plant

A number of other technologies have been introduced in the past few years and are being
Shuts Down
used in ESP retrofits. These technologies include three-phase TRs and controls operating at (https://www.powermag.com/oldest-u-s-
180 Hz, and mid-frequency TRs and controls that operate in the 100-Hz to 400-Hz range. Like nuclear-plant-shuts-down/)."
the HFPS, the goal of these power supplies is to increase the average kV closer to the peak kV
in the ESP to improve power. Also, like the HFPS, the mid-frequency power supplies rely on
use of IGBT switch technology. Visit our video archive (/power-video-
archive/)
While the voltage ripple reduction and performance enhancement capabilities of these lower-
frequency power supplies are not comparable to that of HFPSs, they are still able to attain sig-
INDUSTRY NEWS
nificant ripple reduction with the design intent of avoiding the complexity of HFPSs and pre-
serving the proven reliability associated with the conventional single-phase, 60-Hz power INDUSTRY PRESS
supply.
Siemens H-class gas turbines achieve one
These new technologies are not integrated like HFPSs. They comprise a separate TR, a sepa- million operating hours
rate control cabinet, a switch assembly that is usually housed in the control cabinet, and a cur- (https://www.powermag.com/press-
releases/siemens-h-class-gas-turbines-
rent-limiting reactor that may be located in the TR set, the control cabinet, or in a separate en-
achieve-one-million-operating-hours/)
closure. These power supplies offer greater compatibility with existing ESP equipment, such
Wärtsilä power plants will support
as voltage controls, rapper controls, and supervisory controls. Cost, availability, and predicted Dominican Republic’s growing tourist
reliability may make these power supplies more attractive than HFPSs. industry
(https://www.powermag.com/press-
releases/wartsila-power-plants-will-support-
Case Studies dominican-republics-growing-tourist-
industry/)
The most recent EPRI study documented five case studies of plants retrofitting their ESPs. The Voith wins modernization order for Togolese
plants involved were of the following designs: hydropower plant Nangbeto
(https://www.powermag.com/press-
releases/voith-wins-modernization-order-
■ Two 1,200-MW units with one-third of the ESP sectionalized and retrofitted with a HFPS.
for-togolese-hydropower-plant-nangbeto/)
Portland General Electric and NextEra
■ Two 423-MW units retrofitted 100% with HFPS.
Energy Resources to develop nation’s first
major energy facility co-locating wind, solar
■ One 550-MW unit retrofitted 100% with HFPS. and battery storage
(https://www.powermag.com/press-
■ One 550 MW unit retrofitted 100% with HFPS. releases/portland-general-electric-and-
nextera-energy-resources-to-develop-
■ One 112-MW unit sectionalized and retrofitted with a three-phase low-frequency power nations-first-major-energy-facility-co-
locating-wind-solar-and-battery-storage/)
supply.
Tri-State and EDP Renewables announce
104-MW Crossing Trails Wind Farm
Some of these case studies also involved increased electrical sectionalization, which enhances
(https://www.powermag.com/press-
the collection efficiency of the various fields across and through the ESP (Figure 2). The case releases/tri-state-and-edp-renewables-
studies are summarized in Table 1. announce-104-mw-crossing-trails-wind-
Morefarm/)
(http://www.powermag.com/press-
releases/)

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Retrofitting Electrostatic Precipitators to Meet Current Emission Limits 19/2/19, 11'24 AM

FROM THE WIRE

Energy Fuels Producing Vanadium at

Commercial Levels; Vanadium Shipments
Commenced
(https://www.powermag.com/from-the-
wire/?rkey=20190212TO51037&filter=15633)
FENOC Submits Requests to NRC as Part of
Plan to Shutdown Davis-Besse Nuclear
Power Station
(https://www.powermag.com/from-the-
wire/?rkey=20190205NY44406&filter=15633)
Refueling activities and performance
enhancements underway at Plant Hatch Unit
2 (https://www.powermag.com/from-the-
wire/?rkey=20190204CL43436&filter=15633)
CNL & Federal Partners Cut Ribbon on New
Radiation Portal Monitor Facility
(https://www.powermag.com/from-the-
wire/?rkey=20190122C7810&filter=15633)
FPL announces groundbreaking '30-by-30'
(https://www.powermag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/fig-2_electrostatic-precipitator.jpg) plan to install more than 30 million solar
panels by 2030, make Florida a world leader
2. Sectionalization. The best possible performance and reliability always occurs when each bus section is
in solar energy
powered by one properly sized power supply. In most cases, if the existing TRs are in good condition, the (https://www.powermag.com/from-the-
most cost-effective approach to upgrading performance is to sectionalize the precipitator using new HFPSs wire/?rkey=20190116FL25644&filter=15633)
on the inlet fields and reusing the existing TRs to sectionalize the outlet fields. Frequently, the existing TRs
More news (https://www.powermag.com/from-
can be left in place, and new bus bars/cables can be utilized to reconnect to the intended field. Source: EPRI the-wire/?start=1&filter=15633)

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2020 IEEE PES Transmission & Distribution
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Table 1. Five retrofits. EPRI studied five plants that retrofitted their electrostatic precipitators (ESPs). This
table provides some details associated with each project. (kacfm = thousands of actual cubic feet per

minute) Source: EPRI

Potentially Improved ESP Performance

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Retrofitting Electrostatic Precipitators to Meet Current Emission Limits 19/2/19, 11'24 AM

All of the new power supplies (HFPS, three-phase low- and mid-frequency) and other equip-
ment described in the EPRI report offer the potential for improved ESP performance and
should be considered when an existing precipitator is in need of a performance upgrade or
the existing conventional TR sets are in need of replacement.

Voltage-current curves generated from ESP operating data (secondary voltage versus sec-
ondary current) and computer modeling can be used to predict potential performance en-
hancement and the best new power supply configuration. Exact performance will depend on
the size of the ESP, the fuel quality, and consequently its particulate properties. Process condi-
tions, including the application of sorbents for environmental control, flue gas and particulate
distribution, and other site-specific conditions, will affect results.

The new power supplies are not a panacea for an ESP that is in poor mechanical condition, but
for precipitators that are in reasonably good mechanical condition, they offer a viable means
for performance enhancement. For some ESPs, they can be the difference between a margin-
ally compliant ESP and a reliably compliant ESP at substantially less cost than adding collect-
ing surface area or a polishing unit. ■

—Jose Sanchez (josanche@epri.com (mailto:josanche@epri.com)) is technical leader for the Inte-

grated Environmental Controls Program in EPRI’s Generation Sector, and Tom Keeler (trkeng@apc-
network.com (mailto:trkeng@apcnetwork.com)) is president of TRK Engineering Services, which spe-
cializes in ESPs.

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