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Controlling SO3 in Coal and Oil Fired Utility Boilers: Technology and Experience
"Computer Modeling Brings Slag Control into the 21st Century"
FUEL CHEM® Modeling Video

FUEL CHEM® Overview


The FUEL CHEM® technology platform revolves around the unique application of specialty chemicals to improve the efficiency, reliability and environmental status of plants operating in the electric utility, industrial, pulp and paper, and waste-to-energy markets. FUEL CHEM programs are currently in place on over 85 combustion units, treating a wide variety of solid and liquid fuels, including coal, heavy oil, biomass and municipal waste.(Click here for a breakdown of customer units.)

Central to the FUEL CHEM approach is the introduction of chemical reagents, such as magnesium hydroxide, to combustion units via in-body fuel application (pre-combustion) or via direct injection (post-combustion) utilizing Fuel Tech’s patented TIFI™ Targeted In-Furnace Injection™ technology. By attacking performance-hindering problems, such as slagging, fouling, corrosion, opacity, acid plume and loss on ignition (LOI), as well as the formation of sulfur trioxide (SO3), ammonium bisulfate (ABS), particulate matter (PM2.5), carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx), our programs offer numerous operational, financial and environmental benefits to owners of boilers, furnaces and other combustion units.

Identifiable benefits fall into five broad categories: Availability and reliability gains; Efficiency gains; Fuel flexibility; Maintenance benefits; and Environmental improvements, as follows:

Availability and reliability gains reflect the incremental degree to which power generators avoid service interruption or degradation as a consequence of the failure or deterioration of a system component. FUEL CHEM programs can:

  • Reduce derates arising from slag shedding
  • Reduce derates due to less sootblowing and burner anomalies
  • Reduce water lance/water cannon usage
  • Reduce forced outages due to fewer repairs
  • Reduce the number of planned outages
  • Reduce downtime for outages due to less maintenance, including deslagging

Efficiency gains encompass the potentially sizable benefits arising from improved energy efficiency from the fuel combustion process. FUEL CHEM programs can offer the following:

  • Increased MW per unit of fuel input (or constant MW with lower fuel consumption)
  • Reduced power requirements for Induced Draft/Forced Draft (ID/FD) fans
  • Reduced sootblowing requirements
  • Reduced unburned carbon and LOI in ash
  • Reduced furnace exit gas temperature (FEGT)
  • Reduced operating O2
  • Reduced furnace and stack CO

Fuel flexibility is critical to plant owners and operators wishing to burn lower quality, lower cost fuels in their combustion units. In particular, coals originating in the Powder River Basin (PRB) of Wyoming and Montana and the Illinois Basin (IB) can offer compelling economics for fuel switching. A FUEL CHEM program can mitigate the effects of slag-forming impurities such as sodium and iron, which are present to varying degrees in PRB and IB coals, respectively. The use of higher-sulfur coals, such as those found in the IB and certain Eastern coalfields, can also be made less problematic with a FUEL CHEM program, which can be designed to ameliorate the adverse effects of SO3 formation in power plants utilizing NOx-reducing Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems.

Maintenance benefits reflect the numerous opportunities available for operating cost reductions (including labor cost savings) and avoided equipment replacement. FUEL CHEM programs can offer the following:

  • Reduced cold end corrosion in the air pre-heater, stack and ductwork
  • Reduced high-temperature tube repairs/replacements (corrosion/erosion)
  • Increased life of super heater pendants
  • Reduced clinker formation
  • Elimination of equipment damage from falling slag
  • Reduced air pre-heater fouling
  • Reduced fireside cleaning expenses, including explosives
  • Reduced water/air treatment costs (less steam/air for sootblowing)
  • Reduced sootblower maintenance (manpower and parts)

Environmental improvements recognize the value of reducing the impact of undesirable by-products of combustion. FUEL CHEM programs can help mitigate the effects of:

  • SO3, which can lead to acid plume formation as well as the suppression of otherwise effective mercury removal processes
  • Particulate matter, a source of opacity at the stack
  • NOx, a precursor to ozone and smog formation
  • CO2, a "greenhouse gas" believed to cause global warming

Depending upon the unit being treated, NOx reductions of 5%-10% have been demonstrated, while CO2 reductions of 0.5%-1.5% can be realized, reflecting energy efficiency improvements.

FUEL CHEM programs can be customized to solve any of the foregoing operational issues. Our programs range from an in-body fuel application with chemical reagent and feed equipment to a complete package including proprietary Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD) modeling, technical services and our proprietary TIFI program. Our multi-functional product line includes the most stable organo-metallics and magnesium in oil for turbine and boiler applications, respectively.

Customized fuel and fireside treatment programs include:

These programs include custom designed, state-of-the-art pumping/injection equipment and on-site technical support. FUEL CHEM programs are monitored, serviced, and supported worldwide by our North American- and European-based sales and project execution teams. Performance is monitored using Return on Investment (ROI) as the foundation for program success. FUEL CHEM customers have achieved ROI of as much as 700% or greater by identifying and quantifying the relevant operating benefits described above.

FUEL CHEM programs are successfully used in all utility and industrial segments. Within the pulp and paper industry, applications include recovery boilers, power boilers and hog fuel boilers. Within the waste-to-energy industry, the Company has developed a new corrosion control technology marketed as the TCI™ Targeted Corrosion Inhibition™ program. This approach is designed to inhibit chloride-induced corrosion of high temperature surfaces, arising from plastics and other materials contained in municipal solid waste or refuse derived fuel.

As a key participant in fireside and fuel treatment programs, Fuel Tech is a member of the following organizations:

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