Coleson Cove Generating Station
To convert the oil firing 3 x 350 MW Coleson Cove Generating Station into a medium load generator, its owner NB Power decided to install flue gas desulfurization (FGD) plants. NB Power also constructed a new 183 m / 600 ft high concrete stack with two Pennguard® lined steel flues. The new stack will operate as a wet stack, which has great implications for the design and materials selection of the stack flues.
Reduced condensate formation in Pennguard® lined wet stacks
Wet stack operation without any reheat of the gas stream above its water dewpoint, is often economically attractive. However, one specific environmental risk, related to operating a wet stack, is the entrainment of acidic condensate droplets into the gas flow. This phenomenon (often called "spitting") results in the deposition of acidic droplets near the stack.
The use of an insulating Pennguard® lining can help to reduce condensate formation during start-ups of wet stacks. Details are given in the Project Report on page 2.
Predicted behaviour of condensate film in Pennguard® lined wet stack
The use of thermally insulating Pennguard® linings will help to reduce condensate formation in the stack, but the presence of a thin film of condensate has to be expected during non-reheated, wet stack operation. To learn more about the expected behaviour of a condensate film on a Pennguard® lined surface Hadek approached Alden Research Laboratory in Holden, Massachusetts.
Alden’s findings are described on page 3 of the Project Report.