EU Directive on the Limitation of Emissions from Medium Combustion Plants Published

The directive (EU) 2015/2193 of the European Parliament and Council on the limitation of emissions of certain pollutants from medium combustion plants into the air - MCP-directive - was published on 28 November 2015 in the European official journal.

The directive limits emissions (SO₂, NO_x and dust) from new and existing combustion plants with a total rated thermal input of 1 to 50 MW. It also lays down rules for the monitoring of emissions of carbon monoxide (CO).

Download...

Call for a VGB Workshop on Mercury

The technical part of the BREF -LCP process ended this year and the emission ranges (BAT-AEL) are fixed now. With regard to mercury removal our industry is challenged to meet the new values which will become mandatory in the next years. Therefore, it is an urgent need to bring together all parties for an exchange of ideas and experiences regarding the reduction of mercury release into air and water.

VGB would like to provide a platform for this with by an international workshop “on "mercury control”" that could, take place in Berlin in June 2016 for the first time. If you are interested in sharing your experiences and ideas in this workshop please contact:

Contact: Dr. Andreas Wecker

Call for Papers - Flue Gas Cleaning 2016

For the VGB Conference "Flue Gas Cleaning", which will take place on May 11/12, 2016, in Copenhagen, Denmark, we would be pleased to receive your concise summary not later than January 22, 2016.

more ...

KRAFTWERKSSCHULE E.V.: Ernst Michael Züfle New Managing Director

The Board of Directors of KWS PowerTech Training Centre has appointed Ernst Michael Züfle as new managing director of the KWS. Züfle will assume his position at the Essen-based basic and advanced training institution of the power industry on January 1, 2016.

Züfle is a graduate mechanical engineer with 24 years of professional experience, 11 years of which he served in management functions. His resumé encompasses positions at key power in-dustry players like Vattenfall, Westinghouse Electric Germany, Enron Energy and ABB.

Ernst Michael Züfle’s appointment is part of KWS’s ongoing process of changes in personnel as well as in the reorientation of its current lineup of services, reflecting the transformation of the energy market.

more ...

New Power Plants in Europe:
Update November 2015

The excel sheet New Power Plants in Europe comprises power plants in planning and under construction. Energy sources like gas, hard coal, lignite, wind, water, waste etc. are considered. Based on this sheet, the planned total output (MW) and the portions of the sources of energy (MW) can be determined.

more...

Call for Participation in a VGB-Standard "Dosing Technology"

After the VGB-Standards on feed water (VGB-S-010-T-00;2011-12.EN) and sampling (VGB-S-006-00-2012-09-EN ) have been completed, the TC Chemistry suggests to establish a complementary standard on dosage and dosing technology, which should not only cover the boiler area but also cooling water treatment. 

There are already some proposals for a table of contents.

If you are interested in cooperation, please contact:

Contact: Dr. Andreas Wecker

Abstracts of Minutes

• Power Plant Concepts - October 5/6, 2015
• Machines - April 27/28, 2015
• Steam Turbines - March 24/25, 2015

Innovative and Ecological Approach for Dam Restoration for Implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD)

The banks of most water bodies used for HPP with dams are covered with wave breakers made of concrete not providing an ecological habitat. In the course of dam restoration old concrete surface is usually exchanged by new concrete elements without improving the environment for flora and fauna. When dams have to be elevated, the dam becomes broader on the landside, which increases land consumption and has an impact on the floodplain forests (usually Flora-Fauna-Habitat under FFH directive).

Core of the innovative approach of this new research project is the implementation of eco-berms at the water side, which are matching the needs of dam stability, provide the basis for dam elevation and improve the ecological situation of the river banks.

more ...

VGB PowerTech Journal 10 (2015): Steam Turbines and Steam Turbine Operation. Environmental Engineering: Flue Gas Cleaning; Thermal Waste Utilisation.

Editorial

Wolfgang Schreier

Changes and chances for the power plant industry

Some topics:

• Impact of the flexible operation of lignite-fired power plants on the occurrence of damages and malfunctions (Thomas Brunne and Frank Nowak)
• Challenges for a European utility considering the EU directive on industrial emissions by the end of 2015 (Quinto Di Ferdinando, Hans Ulrich Thierbach, Emil Shopov and Ralf Kriegeskotte) Download ...
• Increasing efficiency – Using a temperature-range-probe to optimize the choice of material in waste incineration plants (Marie Kaiser, Dominik Schneider, Joos Brell, Dominik Molitor and Tobias Kuttner)
• Risk and insurance management for waste to energy plants (Michael Härig)
• Forecasting the reliability of components in thermal power plants using the VGB database KISSY (Henk C. Wels) Download ...

Issue 10/2015

VGB-S-002-T-01;2012-04.FR-ebook - Basic Terms of the Electric Utility Industry - Is Now Available in French!

The VGB-Standard ‘'Basic Terms of the Electric Utility Industry’' has been translated into French and is now available free of charge.

Definitions of the following areas are covered:

• Structural concepts in the industry,
• Power plant, grid, and integrated supply system concepts,
• Energy and capacity concepts,
• Stock exchanges and trading markets.

A continuous revision of this VGB-Standard is provided by the international Technical Group Performance Indicators.

Download...

VGB PowerTech Journal 11 (2015): Environmental Technologies

Editorial

Dr. Rüdiger Krüger

Environmental protection technology – The key to social acceptance of fossil fuel energy generation
Some topics:

• Opportunities and chances of lignite beyond the electricity market (Reinhold Elsen, Urs Overhoff and Karl Josef Wolf)
• Modernisation of flue gas desulphurisation plant units 5&6 at Belchatów power plant, Poland (Jerzy Mazurek and Paulina Molas) Download ...
• Security of supply of energy commodities (Adriana Neligan and Hubertus Bardt)
• Overview of the Turkish energy market and the emission control technology in coal fired power plants in Turkey (Muzaffer Basaran)
• Personnel development in times of difficult economic conditions (Heinz-Gerd Blank and Christian Umierski) Download ...
• CO₂ post combustion pilot plant tests at the Dürnrohr power plant with amino acids (Markus Rabensteiner, Gerald Kinger, Martin Koller and Christoph Hochenauer)

Current Issue