A 'First' for Duplex Stainless Steel
THE MAGAGINE DEVOTED TO NICKEL AND ITS APPLICATIONS
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INLET OPENING for the flue gas desulphurization (FGD) plant at the Coleson Cove generating
station in New Brunswick, Canada prior to assembly. It was constructed of S32205 duplex stainless
steel.
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DETAILS OF THE ABSORBER TRAYS in the inlet module shown above.
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THE UNDERSIDE OF A FGD MODULE showing spray piping.
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DETAILS OF THE INLET MODULE
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For other recent Nickel Magazine articles on the use of nickel-containing materials in the energy sector, click here. |
Duplex stainless steel is used in an absorber of a flue gas desulphurization (FGD) plant in North
America for the first time. By Dr. Gerry Crawford
Nickel magazine, October, 2003 -- Hundreds of tonnes of half a dozen different
nickel-containing alloys are being used in two new flue gas desulphurization (FGD) installations in Canada.
One is NB Power's Coleson Cove oil-fired power generating station on the Bay of Fundy, near Saint John, New
Brunswick, and the other at the Syncrude Canada oil sands operation at Fort McMurray, Alberta (click here for separate story).
The Coleson Cove plant is the first FGD application in North America to use duplex stainless steel S32205 for the absorbers. A total of 360 tonnes of this material, containing 5.5% nickel, is being used. In addition to imparting an increased yield strength and elevated corrosion resistance, the nitrogen addition in S32205 overcomes potential ductility problems resulting from welding. (For a list of all the nickel-containing alloys used in this project, click here.)
Another novel feature of the 1,050-megawatt generating station is placement of the wet electrostatic
precipitator on top of the absorber. Together with the outlet ductwork, the entire FGD unit stands nearly 60
metres high and is 17 metres in diameter.
An interesting operational feature of the Coleson Cove project is that it will convert the 30-year-old
generating station to Orimulsion [TM] as a fuel from heavy fuel oil. Orimulsion [TM] is a low-cost aqueous
emulsion with 70% bitumen from the Orinoco region of Venezuela.
The Coleson Cove station was built in the 1970s and is now being refurbished with the latest air pollution
control technology to meet strict Canadian pollution requirements and to extend the life of the station to
2030. The general contractor for the upgrade is Babcock Wilcox of Barberton Ohio. The welding is being done
locally by Maritime Welding of Bathurst, N.B. The FGD plant is scheduled to go into operation in October,
2004.
Dr. Crawford is a consultant to the Nickel Development Institute.
PHOTOS: courtesy of Babcok Wilcox
 NB Power |
For other recent Nickel Magazine articles on the use of nickel-containing materials in the
energy sector, click here. |
