Opening New Fuels for UK Generation

Completed

Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electric power conversion)
Renewable Energy Sources(Bio-Energy, Other bio-energy)

Basic and strategic applied research

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (General Engineering and Mineral & Mining Engineering)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Chemical Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Dr P Fennell
Chemical Engineering
Imperial College London

Standard

EPSRC

01 April 2015

30 September 2018

42 months

£1,035,606

Energy

London

Energy : Energy

Dr P Fennell, Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London

Dr H Chalmers, Sch of Engineering and Electronics, University of Edinburgh
Dr J Gibbins, Sch of Engineering and Electronics, University of Edinburgh
Professor GP Harrison, Energy Systems, University of Edinburgh
Dr JM Jones, Energy Resources Research Unit, University of Leeds
Dr J Li, Sch of Engineering and Electronics, University of Edinburgh
Dr MS Lucquiaud, Sch of Engineering and Electronics, University of Edinburgh
Dr L Ma, Computational Fluid Dynamics, University of Leeds
Dr N Mac Dowell, Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London
Professor M Pourkashanian, Energy Resources Research Unit, University of Leeds

Project Contact, Alstom Ltd (UK)
Project Contact, Dalkia
Project Contact, Howden Group Technology
Project Contact, Orchid Environmental Limited

This project seeks to investigate the potential for using waste materials within combustion systems within the UK in the future, and how the combustion of such wastes might affect the ability of a power station to respond to changes in electricity demand. The purpose is not to look at today's electricity system and systems of governance with respect to combustion of wastes, but to consider how a rational system would be designed that utilised all potential fuel streams (and takes into account that different wastes will contain different levels of trace elements, some of which may be quite minor). An important point is that many wastes are currently landfilled - meaning that both the energy content of the waste is lost and a bulky material ends up in landfill.Here, we will conduct experiments looking at emissions of trace elements during combustion and co-firing (with coal) of different types of "waste" materials (for example, wood from demolition sites), together with analysis of ashes produced. The results will then be used to generate models of power plants burning wastes, and used to determine whether, for the wastes examined, the most rational use of the waste is combustion in dedicated facilities or co-combustion. It is clear that some of the wastes we will examine currently fall within the remit of the waste incineration directive (though all will be non-halogenated). We will examine whether this is scientifically valid.

06/01/15