The Power Station

An ecoTECH ecoPHASER Power Station is described as a Waste to Energy (W2E), Combined Heat and Power (CHP) energy generating facility. The main structure houses one, or a number of modules operating in a parallel array, each delivering 12 megaWatt/hours of electrical power and circa 5 megaWatt/hours equivalent

(15 Mbtu or 15.8 GJ) of process and sacrificial heat. As confirmed “energy misers” we define our sacrificial heat as only that energy left in our (very clean) exhaust gas to ensure lift away from the local air shed in all ambients and weather conditions. We seek applications for by-produced heat.

Each CHP Energy module operates independently, having its own boiler and fluids circulation systems and its own exhaust stack. Our latest series 440 Hz sonic standing wave pulse burners have a near zero NOx signature, so the scrubber system operates on demand in the event of the spectrographic gas analyzers indicating a problem. Most indications of an operating module are a heat shimmer in the clear stack plume and a hum of the sonic combustion system.

Larger power stations are designed on the basis of the number of modules a given amount of economically viable, locally available, solid fuel will support. As the ecoPHASER sublimation reactor was originally designed as an economical system heater (as distinct from the adapted high volume incineration systems commonly used), the energy yield is extraordinarily high for a given volume of input fuel. This facilitates smaller fuel handling and feeder systems, savings in fuel, great reduction of industry standard emissions and less overall degradation of performance through moving component wear. We prefer to always work with a standby module in the system, to guarantee firm 24/7 power which yields higher prices. (EPA) electricity provision contracts can therefore be based on a firm hourly rate.

A 12 MW/hr CHP Module will consume the biomass and light plastic gleaned from about 8 tonnes (8,000 kg) of “Western or EEC” garbage. Third world MSW usually needs an additional 2-3 tonnes, plus an anaerobic digester to turn slop waste into a producer gas that can be injected directly into the pulsed oxidizer of the ecoPHASER.

(see

1987 2007

Sustainable Fuel Energy ecoPHASERSolid to Gas Phase Thermal Reactor

Delivery of Heat from

CHP Stations

A 12 mW waste to energy, combined heat and power unit produces raw heat

energy in the magnitude of 165 GigaJoules (156 Mbtu) per hour, running 24 hours per day for 365 days per year. That means 17 mWe (17 megaWatts electricity equivalent) per ecoPHASER Reactor x 2, radiated into the boilers, superheaters, reheaters and economizers. Converting that energy into steam that turns the

multiple stages of turbo-fans that comprise the steam turbines, to produce mechanical energy to revolve the generators to electromagnetically generate electricity, results in heat and mechanical losses that are circa 15 Mbtu (roughly 16 GigaJoules) of energy, most of which is available as high heat energy for use or transportation to a consumer. Steam and mechanical losses bring the net output down to 12.5 MWe per hour (12 MW Nameplate).

The consumer can be an industry, institutional, commercial or district client. Many operations, including our associate Bio-Still®, horticulture (see pages 24 through 27), wood drying, pottery, fuel pellet manufacture, for example, can benefit from the heat, as can schools, municipal buildings and housing blocks via a district heating distribution system. The heat is transported via a piped Thermax® oil medium, that does not boil until over 700 oF (371 oC), hence no pressure of expansion as in steam systems; so no leakage, corrosion or burst potential. The insulated transmission pipes are small bore <55 mm (2.2”), pumped at high speed around the circuit, usually 5 feet (1.5 m) below ground and very safe. Heat is pumped to take-off points (heat exchangers/radiators) that may be housed in boilers for steam or hot water heaters, which are each stations on a looped small-bore pipeline (circuit).

ecoTECH Energy Group. (the “Company”) was incorporated with the express purpose of developing systems based on sublimation (gasification) for use in agriculture and industrial applications where waste products may be converted to energy rather than being discarded.

In municipal, commercial, institutional, agriculture, forestry and industry management, the waste and effluent streams have become the focus of intense concern. The sheer volume of effluent and waste materials requiring disposal solutions without adding to the long term effects of greenhouse gases, and to the current waste, contamination and pollutant problems are becoming an increasing socioeconomic drain. By recapturing the energy value of the waste, these concerns can be resolved at a substantial net gain - not only to the specific operator, but on a societal basis by helping to meet the increasing demand and cost for energy, whilst safeguarding health and environmental sustainability.

The resulting systems are available for utilization in projects world wide and designed to generate carbon and greenhouse gas credits under the Kyoto Accord and subsequent green energy protocols that are scheduled to be introduced by some non-participating countries.

Mk V ecoPHASER Reactor Cutaway (looking head-on to the flame).

Secondary VortexCombustion Zone

with slurry, emulsion,and coal gas

injectors.

Primary Gasifying Zone

Multi-Fuel ecoPHASER:MANY FUELS FOR THE THERMAL OXIDATION PROCESS

CoalLignite

LeonarditePeat

Chipped TyresStraw

Wood wasteForestry Slash

CroppingsBarkCoke

SawdustPaper

Natural GasLandfill Gas

BagassePresorted Garbage*

Manure**Dried Sewage**

* = Segregated Combustible Components (Chopped to

< 75mm = < 3”)

** = With other open fibre materials

Contact:#300 – 34334 Forrest Terrace

Abbotsford, British Columbia, CANADA V2S 1G7

tel: +1 604 288 8263 e-mail: info@ecophaser.ca

web site: www.ecophaser.ca & www.ecotechenergygroup.com

The ecoPHASER CHP Generation System New Advances in Combined Heat & Power Thermal TechnologySustainable Biomass Oxidation, or Co-fired Fossil Fuels and Biomass

Co-firing usually involves substituting biomass for a portion of coal, lignite or anthracite coke in an existing power plant furnace. It is the most economic near-term option for introducing new biomass power generation.

Because much of the existing power plant equipment can be used without major modifications, co-firing is far less expensive than building a new Bio-Power plant. Compared to the coal it replaces, biomass reduces sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and net greenhouse gas emissions. After “tuning” the furnace combustion process, there is little or no loss in efficiency from adding biomass. This allows the energy in biomass to be converted to electricity with the high efficiency (in the 33-37% range for single cycle operation) of a modern coal-fired power plant.

ecoTECH Energy Group Incorporated has developed an environmentally superior system which allows the co-firing of biomass with natural gas. This is possible in areas with supplies of natural gas and a demand for power greater than that which can be derived from available local biomass sources.

A valuable extension of this system allows for the cleaning and co-firing of coal-bed methane gas, an especially clean form of natural gas. This form of fuel use for energy generation will be incorporated in the plant design.

Sublimation: Solids to gas phase conversion (gasification)

Biomass and coal gasifiers operate by heating the fuels in a reduced oxygen (sub-stoichiometric) environment where the solid matter breaks down (changes phase) to form an inflammable gas, known as “syn-gas” or “producer” gas. This offers several advantages over directly

burning the biomass. In some chemically toxic fuel applications, the syn-gas can be cleaned and filtered to remove problem chemical compounds before it is burned. Ordinarily, low pressure sublimation and pulse combustion eliminates this need in virtually all applications. This allows use of a wider range of biomass or coal derivative fuels, including coals, lignins, pulp liquors and sour gas emitting fuels that are marginal or impossible for standard combustion systems.

Also, biomass derived bio-gas or coal syn-gas can be used in more efficient power generation systems called combined-cycles, which combine gas turbines and steam turbines, with sequential heat capture to power heat recovery steam generators, or our own high to low pressure steam to steam reheat cascade system, transferred to turbine-generators for energy conversion to electricity.

Whereas, the most modern single cycle power systems operate at up to 40% total efficiency, these newer systems can exceed 85% of fuel potential energy to electrical energy conversion.

The remaining heat drives the clean exhaust gases clear of the exhaust stack.

Actual through porthole view of ecoPHASER’s combustion system primary gasifying chamber.

PRE-HEAT PHASE

OPERATIONAL PHASE

BIOMASS or COALPHASE CONVERSION REACTOR

The Thermal System Explained

Phasers, boilers & heat capture energy conversion system

The energy conversion system consists of a matched pair of solid to liquid-suspension (superheated steam) and solid to gas phase reactors, (syngas generation primary zone), mated to boiler steam generation systems, (2 ecoPHASER reactors and one boiler system per 12 mW module), which are placed in arrays. Each ecoPHASER sublimation reactor is fitted to a secondary stage cyclonic,

carburettor and a proprietary pulsed flame burner (“The Phaser System”). A Phaser embodies a primary stage coal or bio-gasification reactor/generator, a second stage carburettor and a super SSW high temperature burner, with superior environmental protection and heat radiance characteristics.

The waste is fed into this system and fuelled by a combination of the coal or biomass contained in the fuel and in co-fired systems, (where coal bed gas is available), 100% methane [CH4] natural gas. The gas or micronized particle coal emulsion (20-50 micron particle size) is injected into the second stage of the Phaser in steam cogeneration systems, or is filtered into the fuel injection systems of gas turbine cogeneration systems.

In the primary stage the solid fuel is burned under starved air (sub-stoichiometric) conditions, so that it releases a combustible gas mixture. Ash residue is minimal (circa 2%). The process is actually enhanced by the moisture content of the coal or woodwaste.

In the second stage, with a swirled vortex of pressurized air added, the resultant gas mixture ignites in the nozzle of the SSW Burner, generating high frequency waves of heat energy, ensuring complete burnout of particulate matter with temperatures sufficient to crack the hydrocarbons and break down gases to simple products of combustion.

The combustion gases that occur with entrained superheated steam plus released carbon are described in the following equation:

Csolid+H2O steam = CO + H2 *

* = per “Biomass Energy Systems & Technology (BEST) Project” research analysis by Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development - 1998.

Introduced in the mk VII (2007) design, the new Sonic Standing Wave (SSW) combustion unit produces a high radiance, mushroom-head flame that pulses the combustion flame at 440 Hz. The high frequency flame oscillation disrupts the recombination of elements of combustion, giving a NEAR ZERO NOx emission profile!

This tertiary combustion unit is connected to a heat extraction system via a tertiary chamber (firebox) which acts as a thermal reservoir and stabilizer due to its high mass of super-insulated, reflective refractory. In most cases the sender (receptacle) radiator for the hot oil transmission system is sited within, servicing remote heat radiators for process heat via the high speed pumped oil circuit or boilers that generate steam for power turbines, which power electricity generators. Boilers may also be close coupled to the firebox, depending on the system purpose, and the power to process-heat ratio.

Temperature band control systems in the tertiary (firebox), and the following combustion and heat transfer chambers (boiler, superheater, re-heater, economizer) further prevent undesirable recombination of the simple products of combustion, (NOx & SOx). On-demand bubble or cloud scrubbers complete the throughput hot gas transfer and treatment system for exhausts with zero entrained particulate and near-zero nitrous oxide emissions.

Waste heat from the power generation process is fed through excess and residual energy recovery systems that feed industrial processes, provide district or local heating and preheat boiler influent water to prevent shocking of the boiler tubes or heat transfer vanes. The energy depleted exhaust is fed through a patented wet, enhanced surface recovery cloud or bubble scrubber arrays, depending on fuel.

Sonic Standing Wave High RadianceCombustion Unit

The Thermal System Explained:Phasers, boilers & heat capture energy conversion system module, per 12 mW (2 x 85 GJ or 80 Mbtu) ecoPHASERs:

The Combined Heat & Power FireboxDue to the intense heat characteristics of the tertiary stage SSW (sonic standing wave) pulse combustion unit that follows the second stage vortex carburetion zone of the Phaser, an intermediary ceramic lined firebox is used to absorb and radiate the heat into the boiler complex. The firebox diffuses the pulsed energy in the flames from the SSW burner of the phase conversion reactor, sometimes including a Thermax® hot oil circuit depending on the specified CHP heat usage allocation format (power or circuit heat emphasis).

A unique burner, the SSW oxidizer generates its own sonic standing wave to give a pulse burn, (without mechanical frequency modulation) producing a high radiation 440 Hz staccato sequence of thermal pulses. The high emissivity shield refractory of the firebox flows heat onto all of the boiler, superheater, reheater and economizer zones without the high velocity jet action usually associated with vortex ram-jet combustion systems, deflecting and blending hot spots to achieve a homogenized, long residence radiance, which heats the boiler tubes without zone shock.

The boiler of each 12 megaWatt energy module is of the Benson type and is of a pyramid design, with the firebox forming the lower zone. All of the boiler heat zones are walled with highly reflective olivine/dunite and heavy foamed ceramic insulation.

The Modified Once-through Boiler of the ecoTECHPower Generation & Industrial Process Heat System: The principles of the “Once-through” boiler are not new or untried. A once-through boiler was constructed in England under the direction of Mark Benson as far back as 1923. Some years later their development was taken over by Siemens of Germany. No steam drum is used in the once-through principle. The feed water is forced through the tubes in a true forced-circulation manner.

The auxiliary heating tube by-passed around the throttling device is used to thermally indicate a change in rate of firing before steam pressure or temperature is affected. Pure feed water (from treated condensate) should be used with boilers of this type. Accordingly, we use closed loop water systems, with excess steam and water recovery via combustion inlet air preheat through the system’s condensers.

Make-up feed is derived from an evaporator so that distilled water is produced for feed. Any salts formed on internal surfaces of the tubes are dissolved and removed when the unit is started up or shut down, operating as a flooded system. Due to its sensitivity of response to changes in combustion rates the once-through boiler is well adapted to the principle of variable-pressure operation in conjunction with specially designed cascade (high pressure then low pressure) turbines.

All types of fuel have been used with success (including mechanical stoker coal, gas and pulverized fuel, or the MSW or forestry derived biomass described for our sustainable energy system).

Advantages of the ecoTECH derivative of the once-through style of boiler are:

√ Lower cost and weight due to elimination of drums. √ Elimination of trouble due to natural circulation. √ Extreme flexibility in respect to pressure, temperature and overloads.

The Company has researched many ways to inhibit the corrosion usually associated with steam production. With new advances in understanding high temperature microbial action on boiler tubes, recent development of biofilm colony disruption additives will ensure a trouble-free extended life for our project. New understanding of the signal mechanisms that allow biofilms to form has brought about a remarkable additive that disrupts communication signals and prevents link-up of high temperature microbial tube munchers!

Phaser Mk II hearth photographed during bi-annual servicing & refractory inspection (1990) showing vertical auger feeder unit and

removable-for-servicing airway wedges

The Mark V Phaser’s Primary Zone chamber

sublimation (gasifying) hearth, showing the vertical fuel feeder screw and starved-air feeder ports (airways).

The author examines a Mk II gasifier in April 1990, after 3 years in operation.

The unit continues to heat an 800,000 sq. ft. factory in Wisconsin USA.

The author examines a Mk II gasifier in April 1990, after 3 years in operation.

The unit continues to heat an 800,000 sq. ft. factory in Wisconsin USA.

New power plants are currently built for a service life of 30 to 40 years. They must therefore continue cost-effective electric power generation through the year 2050. High efficiency contributes significantly to the cost-effectiveness of steam power plants. Biomass (or fossil fuel) sublimation and SSW oxidation virtually eliminates particulate travel abrasion and the usual wear in the boiler and ancilliary areas of the system, resulting in a clean, environmentally benign, zero particulate exhaust and the use of a spectrographically triggered on-demand scrubber, that is deployed only if undesirables are found in the gas stream from problem fuels.

One of the most effective measures for achieving high power plant efficiency is selecting a high design steam pressure. Efficiency increases by roughly 3% on making the transition from 167 bar ,or 2422 p.s.i.g. (e. g. drum boiler) to 250 bar, (3625 p.s.i.g.) without significant increases in investment costs. The increased costs for the greater wall thicknesses of the pressure section are largely compensated by the lower costs of the smaller fuel/air/flue-gas path.

The once-through type boiler can be built with essentially the same design for sub-critical and super-critical pressures. Only the dimensions, materials specifications and wall thicknesses of the tubes and headers change with increasing pressure.

Main steam properties are selected based only on aspects of cost-effectiveness. Once-through boilers have been built to date for pressures from 40 to 310 bar (580 to 4500 p.s.i.g.). Increasing steam pressure is the most effective way to increase the efficiency and hence the cost-effectiveness of a power plant.

With the complete ecoPHASER system, you will note that all aspects and opportunities of heat capture in flue gases have been addressed, including gleaning all but the necessary stack lift energy from the fluid and gas exhausts via sophisticated heat exchangers, to recycle into the input fluid and inlet air.

This includes heat recovery from the fluid (bubble) exhaust scrubber, from the economizer heat transfer and the sinusoidal, through-stack exhaust-heated inlet air warmer (air-to-air heat exchanger). The scrubber and the steam make-up water filtration units (hour glass filters) are insulated to conserve and retain heat in the fluids. The design is crafted to achieve evenly-balanced warming curves throughout the circuit, thereby preventing thermal shock to the hot vessels and heat transfer tubes, in all ambients, arctic to tropic.

Main steam temperatures in the ecoPHASER once-through boiler are independent of load. This results in a higher process efficiency for the power plant over a wide load range. The fuel to feed-water flow ratio is controlled in the ecoPHASER boiler system such that the desired steam temperature is always established at the main steam outlet. This is made possible by the variable evaporation end-point. The evaporation and superheating surfaces automatically adjust to operating conditions. In dynamic processes, the superheaters support maintenance of constant main steam temperature.

Minimum output in once-through operation at high main steam temperatures is 35 to 40% for furnace walls with smooth tubes and is as low as 20% if rifled tubes are used. The outstanding heat transfer characteristics of rifled tubes enable simplification of the design of the boiler and further improvement in its operating behaviour. The Company is continuing to research the potential application of Free Energy Inc.’s super conductivity elements for next generation steam generation and for hybrid enhanced geothermally heated feed water plus sustainably fuelled, ‘Phaser-powered thermal systems. These systems will sometimes using Rankine-cycle turbo generators for smaller or remote and off-grid stand-alone, or distributed CHP energy installations.

Of the more than 1,000 once-through boilers constructed to date, roughly 600 have a vertically tubed furnace, most of these with several trains connected in series. Implementation of optimized rifled tubes with enhanced heat transfer characteristics now enable parallel configuration of all furnace tubes even in vertically tubed boilers.

Overview of the advantages of Once-through BOILERS: • Highest achievable plant efficiency with super-critical steam parameters • High plant efficiency even at part load • Suitable for all coal grades available on the world market• Short start-up times• Sliding-pressure operation with high load transients• Proven thousands of times over and available worldwide• Continuous further development of this technology.The transition from sub-critical to super-critical steam pressure significantly increases process efficiency, with a considerable decrease in fuel costs.

Investigations such as those of the Coal Industry Advisory Board of the International Energy Agency have shown that this reduces life-cycle costs:

The positive effect of low fuel consumption on electric power generation costs is greater than the only slightly higher investment costs for the power plant.

Advantages of theSSW BURNER

• Near ZERO NOx !

• Radiant, even burn• Burns any combustible gas• Long Hot Zone residence times•Maximum thermal oxidation of contaminants• Exclusive to the ecoPHASER•Continuous development of this technology.

Fabrication Shop

Large Vessels & Boilers

© Copyright C. Victor Hall & ecoTECH Energy Group. 2007/2011