Enviropower Maintains Constant Power Output with Gas Analysers

Highly reliable ABB gas analysers that have not suffered a single time loss failure in five years have

allowed a waste to energy plant in West Sussex to achieve its target of 85% percent operating time.

The plant, owned and operated by Enviropower in Lancing, has a 5MWe capacity, burning around

60,000 tonnes a year of biomass fuel derived from construction and demolition waste.

Built in 2008, the plant uses an ABB ACF-NT multi-gas analyser on each of its two combustion lines.

Used to measure all the gas emissions from the plant, their data is sent to an emission reporting

system, allowing Enviropower to prove that it is meeting the requirements of the Environment Agency.

Working with its construction company for the project, Enviropower chose ABB as the analyser

vendor because of the high reliability of its products and its demonstrated ability to integrate complete

solutions.

Steve Donnelly, Analytical Sales Specialist for ABB, says: “ABB was chosen not only because of the

quality of its products, but also for its ability to integrate these products with third party systems as

part of a complete solution. Another attraction for Enviropower was ABB’s ability to install and service

the solution.”

“We were looking for a big name supplier,” says the plant’s General Manager, Mick Adams. “We

wanted an organisation that had experience in the industry and which could offer the kind of service

support we needed.

“Because our operation is permit based, we have to meet certain criteria. One of these is the use of

equipment that complies with the requirements of the Environment Agency’s MCERTS standards. Our

permit specifies a minimum oxygen content of 11%, which will shortly reduce to six percent, so it was

important that the analysers had the flexibility to adapt to changing regulations.

“There were a number of large companies that could meet our needs but none we felt so comfortable

with. All the people we met at ABB were very helpful and easy to deal with.”

Reliability of the analysers was also key to the selection of ABB for Enviropower, as was excellent

service. Says Adams: “If the analysers are not online we cannot produce power, so it was vital that

reliability was high and that servicing was kept to a minimum.”

The ABB analyzers need servicing only once every six months. “ABB provides us with very good

support,” says Adams. “We are very happy with the service regime which is very well organised and

gives 24/7 support through a dedicated helpline.”

ABB also liaised closely with the Environment Agency to ensure the solution provided to Enviropower

would meet the company’s needs. “We conducted a pre-design consultancy phase to ensure that the

analyzer solution would fit onto the site, could connect to the plant control systems and would be

maintainable in-situ,” says Donnelly. “Every analyser solution we produce is designed to the specific

requirements of a particular site and includes a support package.”

The ABB ACF-NT emission and process monitoring analyser offers continuous, quantitative and

selective measurement of numerous gasses, including HCl, HF, H2O, CO, CO2, SO2, NOX, NH3, N2O,

O2, TOC and NMHC (non-methane hydrocarbons). The product achieves high stability, accuracy and

reliability through proven FTIR technology.

It also offers integration and display of signals from other instruments, including data on dust, mercury, flow, pressure and temperature.

ABB’s support extended to helping complete the project when the original contractor ran into difficulties towards the end of the contract. “ABB stepped up to ensure that the contract could be completed and took on the financial burden of seeing the project through to completion,” says Adams.

“ABB has done its very best to support us and has looked after our interests very well.”