Plant Scherer

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Plant Scherer

• Coal to Electricity

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Electrical Generation

• Methods Resources
• Laws of Physics
• Economic and Environmental
• Plant Scherer Current Technology
• Whats Next?

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Generation Methods

• Fossil Fuels
• Coal
• Oil
• Natural Gas

• Alternative Sources
• Solar
• Wind
• Nuclear
• Biomass
• Hydropower
• Geothermal

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Economic Cost

• Coal most economic 3.5 cents per kilowatt hour.
• Solar 20-30 cents per kilowatt hour cost
  associated with massive land use, not practical
  at this time in the Southeast.
• Biomass cost more than coal and would require
  large land areas to produce plant material not
  practical for full scale use in Southeast at this
  time.
• Hydropower is reliable and efficient but requires
  falling water, not available in all areas.
• Wind is still evolving. Would require massive
  land areas at this time.
• Geothermal is site specific and not available
  everywhere.
• Nuclear high cost associated with building new
  plants.

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Environmental

• Coal emissions into the atmosphere carbon
  dioxide, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide,
  mercury.
• Biomass has emissions also but lower sulfur
  mercury and is carbon dioxide neutral. Waste
  material disposal sawdust, tree trimming, sludge.
  Land use approximately 1/3 of the state of
  Georgia needed to produce.
• Solar no emissions but land needed would exceed
  11.
• Nuclear waste disposal radioactivity lasts
  one-million years.
• Wind turbines can kill birds bats. 1/6 of the
  state need to provide 10 of energy currently
  used.
• Geothermal - emissions. Only available in western
  US.

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The Bottom Line

• Coal burning power plant most affordable to the
  public.
• Renewable energy sources are not cost effective
  at this time.
• Coal - Emissions of NOX and Sulfur declining.
• Coal Mercury emissions soon to be cut
  dramatically.
• Alternatives not available in all areas.
• The Southern Company continues research and
  development with alternative sources and is
  committed to environmental protection.

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What Does the Future Hold Southern Company

• Research Development
• FutureGen Partnered with the US Dept of Energy
  focused on designing, building, operating an
  emissions free coal plant
• Over 400 million in environmental research
• Biomass Switchgrass research being conducted at
  various plants
• Wind Partnered with GA Tech, offshore wind
  power project off the coast of Savannah
• Use of Landfill Gas as an energy source
• Continue Solar research
• Continue Nuclear research
• Evaluation of fuel-cells
• Reduction of NOX and Sulfur emissions 40 since
  1990, additional reductions planned

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Law of Conversation of Matter Energy

• Matter can not be created or destroyed
• The Law of Conservation of Energy states that
  energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can
  change its form.
• The total quantity of matter and energy available
  in the universe is a fixed amount and never any
  more or less.
• The Law of Conservation of Mass ( The
  Lomonosov-Lavoisier law ) basically states that
  mass cannot be created or destroyed, but can
  change its form.

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What Does It Mean?

• Electricity is not made or produced by man.
• All the energy in the world is set you cant make
  it or destroy it.
• Energy is either potential (stored) energy or
  kinetic (the energy of motion) energy.
• Power plants generate electricity by changing one
  form of energy to another form of energy.
• In simplified terms, coal is burned and energy is
  released to heat water to produce steam which
  turns a turbine that pushes electrons
  (electricity) over conductors (power lines) to
  our homes.
• Elemental Emissions can NOT be destroyed but can
  be harnessed.

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Plant Scherer

• Located in Monroe County near Forsyth
• Sits on 12,000 acres
• 8,500 acres and Lake Juliette part of Rum Creek
  Wildlife Management Area.
• Largest Coal-Fire Power Plant
• Two stacks 1000 ft four cooling towers 536 ft
• 4 Separate Units means 4Xs the power
• Each unit provides 880 Megawatts
• Original Cost 2.1 Billion Dollars
• 718 million dollars invested in pollution
  control equipment
• Employs about 400 people

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It Starts with Coal

• Power Generation at Plant Scherer starts with PRB
  coal.
• The coal is brought in on trains from the Powder
  River Basin in Wyoming.
• The coal is moved by conveyors to the pulverizer
  which crushes it to dust making it easier to
  burn, like smashing firewood to kindling.

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The World of Coal

• Fossilized plant material formed 300 million
  years ago
• 4 types Anthracite, Bituminous (Eastern), Sub
  bituminous (Western or PRB), Lignite
• Powder River Basin
• By Products
• Dangers

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Plant SchererPRB Coal

• Lower in NOX emissions than Eastern
• Lower sulfur emissions
• Less ash
• Brought in by train from Wyoming
• Must keep it moving and compressed or spontaneous
  combustion will occur

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On to the Boiler

• From the pulverizer the coal is burned to heat
  water in the boiler.
• This turns the water to a hot steam.
• The steam is used to drive a turbine.

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Generator

• The turbine is made of fan blades attached to a
  shaft, when the steam turns the blades the
  kinetic energy of the steam is converted to
  mechanical energy.
• The generator then transforms the mechanical
  energy into electric energy.

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Transmission

• The electric energy is sent to a transformer in a
  switchyard.
• The transformer reduces amperage while increasing
  voltage which is sent down the high voltage
  transmission lines to power your home.

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What about the Water?

• Water (a lot of it) is used in the process.
• Water is used for cooling, the cooling towers
  allow reuse by transforming steam back into
  water.
• No smoke is emitted from the cooling towers, that
  is steam you see coming out of the top, its like
  making clouds.
• At Plant Scherer water is taken from Lake
  Juliette to replace water lost as steam.
• Water is also used in the boiler and must be as
  pure as possible because even the smallest
  particles cause wear on the turbine blades.
• On site water treatment plant ensures water
  purity.

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The Future for Plant Scherer

• Reduction in Mercury Emissions
• Activated Carbon Injection
• Baghouses

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Mercury (Hg)

• AKA Quicksilver - liquid metal element.
• Organic and inorganic compounds, found in the
  earths crust, found in coal.
• Occurs both naturally and as by-product of
  industry
• U.S. Power plants account for gt1 of total
  mercury emissions.
• Oxidized falls in immediate area when contacted
  by precipitation.
• Elemental stays in atmosphere approx 1 year adds
  to global mercury.
• Main concern bioaccumulation of mercury in the
  food chain through fish.

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Natural Emissions of Mercury

• Found in the ground and in rocks
• Degassing of the earths crust
• Evaporations from natural bodies of water
• Emissions from volcanoes
• Natural emissions 2700-6000 tons a year

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Global Mercury Emissions
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Activated Carbon Injection

• Injected into gas stream before the baghouse.
• Large surface area acts like a sponge.
• Absorbs mercury in gas stream.
• Absorption due to chemical and physical
  characteristics

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Properties of ACI

• Surface Area
• Capacity for Hg capture increases with increasing
  surface area and pore volume
• Pore size distribution
• Pores are large enough to provide free access to
  internal surfaces by Hg while not blocking entry
• Particle size distribution
• Particle size decrease allows for more internal
  absorption

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Baghouses

• Pulse jet type
• Flue gas forced from outside to inside the bag
  and out the top
• Fabric Filters over cages stop the particulate
  material
• Particles trapped in a dust cake on the outside
• To clean a burst of air is sent from the top to
  dislodge dust cake which drops into the hopper
  for collection
• The carbon along with the mercury is collected
• Works like a giant vacuum cleaner
• Disposed of with ash

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Questions?
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References

• Plant Scherer New Employee Training Manual By
  The Georgia Power Company
• http//www.southerncompany.com/learningpower/home.
  asp?mnuOpcosocomnuTypelpmnuItemoc
• http//www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter06.html
  
• http//www.southerncompany.com/gapower/about/pdf/c
  ooling-towers.pdf
• http//www.affordable-energy.org/kids/power-plant-
  tour/plant-tour3.asp
• http//www.p2pays.org/ref/10/09873.pdf
• http//environmental.southernco.com/scs/renewable_
  energy.html
• http//www.energy.gov/energysources/electricpower.
  htm
• http//www.ket.org/trips/coal/agsmm/agsmmtypes.htm
  l
• http//www.answers.com/topic/law-of-conservation-o
  f-matter-1
• http//www.nreca.org/Documents/PublicPolicy/Mercur
  yEmmisionsFAQ.pdf
• http//www.epa.gov/mercury/control_emissions/tech_
  merc_specific.htm
• http//www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/einstein/ance-m.html
• Presentation developed by Candice R Jones 2006
  GIFT Fellow, CCPS, MHS