Project Highlights
- Assessed current selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and combustion oxidation (CO) catalyst performance using continuous environmental monitoring systems (CEMS) data, design documents, and catalyst testing results.
- Identified performance limitations associated with dated SCR and CO catalysts, elevated nitrogen dioxide/nitrogen monoxide (NO2/NO) ratios, and ammonia slip control under current operating conditions.
- Projected future post-uprate SCR and CO catalyst systems performance.
- Developed an action plan and conceptual modification strategies for SCR, CO catalyst, and ammonia injection systems to support current and future post‑uprate permit requirements.
Project Description
Alpha Generation (AlphaGen) selected Sargent & Lundy to evaluate existing SCR and CO catalyst systems at its Sewaren, New Jersey, combined cycle plant to address potential emission rate performance improvements. Sargent & Lundy also assessed planned turbine upgrades to determine if increased unit output would further affect existing SCR and CO catalyst systems’ performance. The project’s objectives were to enhance current system performance and assess future performance considering planned turbine upgrades.
Project Scope
Sargent & Lundy’s role included analyzing historical operational data, recommending system upgrades for current SCR and CO catalyst systems, and estimating post-upgrade nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide emissions to project future system performance.
- Compiled and analyzed CEMS data, SCR and CO catalyst design documents, and laboratory catalyst activity tests to characterize unit operating hours, catalyst performance, ammonia slip emissions, and temperature effects.
- Assessed SCR and CO catalyst capability relative to existing and post‑uprate permit limits, including flue gas flow‑based performance curves for natural gas and fuel oil cases, and identified where catalyst life, NO₂/NO ratios, and ammonia injection limitations constrained performance.
- Identified existing equipment margins and expected post-uprate inadequacies.
- Evaluated possible system upgrades, such as additional catalyst volume, and revised operating strategies to maintain post-uprate compliance.
- Developed system modification recommendations and implementation steps, including:
- Catalyst replacement and volume increases.
- Potential specialty catalyst applications.
- Ammonia injection and dilution air-system upgrades.
- Temperature control improvements.
- Vendor modeling.
- Computational fluid dynamics analysis.
- Detailed design evaluations supporting current and uprated operations.
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