PROCESS EQUIPMENT UPDATE
industrial boilers T
Modernising
he Medium Combustion Plant Directive (MCPD became European law on 19th December 2017, setting emissions limit values (ELVs)
to reduce levels of harmful sulphur dioxide (SO2
) nitrogen oxides (NOX)
and particulates in exhaust gases from all combustion plant rated between 1MW and 50MW thermal input. All new plants 2018 must be registered with the Competent Authority and comply with new ELVs from that date. 43 Air Quality Zones in the UK meet the requirements for NOx emissions levels laid out in the directive, with slow progress forecast over the next 20 years. The MCPD rules also allow the Competent Authority to change these limits because of poor local air quality should they choose to do so, meaning to be determined, particularly in relation to further restricting emissions in areas that do not meet certain air quality requirements (Directive 2008/50/EC). in particular, it is clear that this fuel source cannot meet future ELVs. As a result, operators considering upgrading or switching their boiler plant in order to ensure compliance with the MCPD need to consider carefully the long-term implications if these ELVs are reduced even further in the future.
FUEL CHOICE around 150,000 medium combustion plants across Europe, of which 17,000 are located in the UK, using systems such as boilers, turbines and electricity generators.
In addition, there are around
gas network in the UK. This means operators who will face the additional challenge of choosing the cleanest, most economically viable energy solution when their boiler needs replacing. The ELVs set in the MCPD will
have to be applied from 20 December 2018 for new plants and by 2025 or 2030 for existing plants, depending on their size. With the average lifespan of a commercial boiler between 10-15 years, it pays to think carefully now about new capital equipment investment, to ensure capable of meeting the new standard. Unfortunately, heavy-fuel oil
installations will not meet the new ELVs for SO2
or particulates without
abatement. This may make some operators more cautious about investing
A SWITCH TO LNG OR LPG? can enable operators to ensure their installation meets the demands of the
With a new directive in place, Kevin Houlden advises on the steps that operators can take to upgrade their existing boiler plant
MCPD. Both fuels already meet standards for SO2
and NOX and particulate
CO2
tightening of ELVs in the future. Burning gas emits less CO2
in
comparison to some oil types, with LNG being the cleanest burning of all fossil step change in carbon reductions. These clean burning properties also
which can exceed 90% as well as reduced maintenance, both of which contribute to long-term reduction in operational costs.
One success story is C&D Foods, a
premium dry pet food manufacturer, which has saved in excess of £50,000 and more than halved its CO2
emissions since
converting its boiler fuel from oil to LPG from Calor.
FUTURE PROOFED energy supply with cleaner-burning, lower carbon outputs to oil. With a mature market of boiler and burner technologies readily available, the fuels are ready and able to meet the challenging emissions limits of the MCPD – if and when they change in the future.
Kevin Houlden is an industrial and commercial specialist at Calor.
www.calor.co.uk/business
output, with margin to handle some
12
www.engineerlive.com
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