Cost-effective transformation of a Highly-Efficient, Advanced, Thermal Ultra-SuperCritical coal-fired power plant into a CHP by retrofitting and integrating an ARBAFLAME biomass upgrading process.

Project Information

ARBAHEAT

Grant agreement ID: 818349

DOI

10.3030/818349

Project closed

EC signature date 26 September 2018

Start date 1 October 2018

End date 30 September 2022

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Secure, clean and efficient energy

Total cost

€ 26 022 635,28

EU contribution

€ 19 262 647,70

Coordinated by

PNO CONSULTANTS BV
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - ARBAHEAT (Cost-effective transformation of a Highly-Efficient, Advanced, Thermal Ultra-SuperCritical coal-fired power plant into a CHP by retrofitting and integrating an ARBAFLAME biomass upgrading process.)

Reporting period: 2021-10-01 to 2022-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

ARBAHEAT seeks to increase the share of renewable energy in the heat and power sectors and improve the flexibility of the energy grid and security of energy supply. This will be secured by demonstrating the cost-effective transformation of a Highly-Efficient Advanced Thermal Ultra-SuperCritical coal-fired power plant into a combined heat and power plant (CHP) by retrofitting and integrating an ARBAFLAME biomass upgrading process. The EC’s “Roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy in 2050” suggests that by 2040 the EU should cut GHG to 60% below 1990 levels and to 80% by 2050. Achieving this goal will require a fundamental transformation of Europe’s energy system. ARBAHEAT will contribute to decarbonisation of the energy system, ensuring secure, sustainable, affordable and competitive energy for households and industry.

The project will validate initial operational results that prove a feasible and affordable solution for a future sustainable energy system in which coal fired plants can comply with 2030 climate goals as set out in “A stress test for coal in Europe under the Paris Agreement”, by climate research institute Climate Analytics by repowering with biomass. The Biomass Technology Roadmap states, that if 100 coal-fired CHP plants would use 5% thermally treated biomass in co-firing, this would enable the substitution of 33 Mtons of coal which corresponds to a greenhouse gas emission saving of 79 Mtons CO2. It is further estimated that co-firing rates with coal can reach up to 50%, enabling the substitution of 300 Mtons of coal and greenhouse gas emission savings of 695 Mton CO2. Ultimately not only large-scale coal fired power plants, but also other smaller installations can easily be retrofitted with the envisaged technology from the ARBAHEAT project. By using existing infrastructure, the costs for retrofitting can be significantly lower than realizing new biomass-based CHP installations.

Due to significant permit delays caused by the Dutch Nitrogen crisis, a CO2 emission reduction verdict in NL and the potential closure of Power Plant Rotterdam in 2020, the consortium had to draw the unfortunate conclusion that the ARBAHEAT project could not proceed as planned. The project was therefore suspended beginning of 2021 which ultimately resulted in a termination of the project on request by CINEA.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Within the first 18 months of the project ARBAHEAT has completed 18 Deliverables and reached 1 Milestone. Several results were achieved in all components of the projects. Main achievements are connected to assessments of requirements, risks and opportunities, mapping of stakeholders, developing design requirements satisfying also the authorization/permission requirements, and reviewing state-of-the-art connected to the whole value chain, as a basis for the value-chain framework development. The results form a basis for work to be carried out in the rest of the projects.

Suitable feedstocks have been identified and categorized in several sessions and the consortium has checked which certification systems are needed to comply with all Sustainability Criteria. The SBP, PEFC and FSC certification were deemed best suited, which was therefore decided to certify for these three schemes. Test-batches of black pellets of suitable feedstocks have been produced and used for test-burns in the Maasvlakte Power Plant. For this purpose, feedstock handling and transport has been thoroughly investigated, including using existing infrastructure such as coal conveyers and unloading facilities, including comprehensive ATEX studies.

For the integration of the ARBAFLAME biomass upgrading process, engineering has been executed. This has resulted in an integrated process analysis with identification of improvements to the thermal treatment process. This has led to a Front End Design Study resulting in a permit engineering package. A procurement report, detailing the equipment procurement strategy has been delivered to support the structured decision making on the equipment for the demonstration unit.

During this period also the first two large-scale co-firing measurement campaigns were conducted at the Maasvlakte Power Plant. Representative samples of all process-related raw material, by- and end-product streams were taken along the process chain, covering the whole trajectory from the burner section up to the flue gas stack. The aggregated measurement results materialized in full in Q1 2020. Besides the Characteristics of the pellets have extensively been researches and characterized. Both the pre-conversion aspects like handling, (intra)storage, grindability and pneumatic transport, as well as the thermal conversion behavior show promising results.

Overall, the first 18 months of the ARBAHEAT project has produced very promising results.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Within the first 18 months of the project, ARBAHEAT has progressed beyond state of the art. The consortium finished amongst others the framework and requirements definition, including an assessment of available data and current state of the art, an update of the risk analysis, defining requirements and specifications, update of reference cases, establishing a validation annex impact assessment framework and stakeholder analysis identifying primary and secondary stakeholders. The value chain framework is described in terms of the mathematical parameters that will be used to perform a probabilistic analysis based on uncertainties or quantified ranges for the parameters.

Heat diversion from the Power plants in CHP operations modes has been investigated. Using the most relevant information, the potential heat clients of the power plant, the local authorities and the available scientific and industrial literature, the consortium established typical demand profiles for the different heat clients. Based on these profiles, the consortium composed relevant, global heat demand scenarios for the future. A Thermoflex model of the Maasvlakte Power Plant and the heat roundabout was developed that can be used to perform simulations to predict the impact of potential future scenarios.

Application of biomass fuel in a state-of-the-art pulverised UltraSuperCritica power plant has been tested during two large scale measuring campaigns. Besides, for the thermally treated biomass pre-conversion aspects like handling, (intra)storage, grindability and pneumatic transport were studied at lab-scale. The main conclusions are that the produced pellets behave in many technical aspects similar to coal. The thermal conversion behavior was also mapped. The results show that the pellets and blends with coal devolatilize quickly yet controllably and the subsequent char burnout is almost complete for the representative millings. The pellets produce very low NOx emissions hence have the potential to reduce NOx emissions at the plant, especially under co-firing with coal. They also exhibit a very low fouling propensity, increasing the overall efficiency of the Power Plant thus contributing to a cleaner decarbonized future.

Also diversification of feedstock/fuel portfolio. This innovative target is achieved by both physically diversifying the feedstock as well as the actual geographical localization of the plant. The feedstocks identified can be sourced more broadly in geographical term, while also using the commodification aspect of thermal upgrading (i.e. achieving much more homogeneous fuel composition from diverse portfolio of feedstocks.

Kick-off meeting ARBAHEAT project