- JEA Northside Generating Station
JEA Northside Generating Station in
Jacksonville ,Florida is a major power plant, one of the three power plants owned and operated byJacksonville Electric Authority (JEA). It produces electricity by burningcoal andpetroleum coke at Units 1 and 2, the largestcirculating fluidized-bed combustors, (CFBs), in the world. These combustors, completed in 2002 and rated at 297.5megawatt s each,cite web
title = Existing Electric Generating Units in the United States
publisher =Energy Information Administration
date = 2007
url = http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/capacity/capacity.html
accessdate = 2008-06-19] produce enough electricity to light more than 250,000 households. In addition, a much older Unit 3 produces 518 megawatts of electricity by burning oil and/ornatural gas . [http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/coalpower/cctc/topicalreports/pdfs/topical22.pdf The JEA Large-Scale CFB Combustion Demonstration Project, Clean Coal Technology, Topical Report Number 22, The U.S.Department of Energy and JEA (March, 2003)] ]Location
The Northside Generating Station is located at coord|30|25|43|N|81|33|10|W|display=inline,title, to the north-east of the intersection of Routes 9A and 105 in the city of Jacksonville, Florida. It is convert|8.5|mi|km from the
Atlantic Ocean coastline, on the north bank of a back channel of theSt. Johns River , which is being used as awaterway for fuel delivery as well as a source of cooling water. The Northside Generating Station also bordersTimucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve that consists of North Floridawetland s and contains historic sites ofTimucua peoples.History
The Northside Generating Station began producing electricity for Jacksonville in March, 1966 with oil as its only fuel, when former Unit 1, rated at 275 megawatts, was installed. In June, 1972 a similar Unit 2 was launched, but had to be shut down in 1983 due to major boiler problems. A plant expansion in 1977 added a 518-megawatt Unit 3, which is still in operation today. This expansion enabled the use of oil and natural gas fuels. In 1996, JEA committed to reduce certain pollutants from the Northside Station by at least 10% when it upgraded Unit 2 (non-functional at the time) and Unit 1 by introducing the new
clean coal technology .http://www.nsrp.org/lean/lean_forum06/Tour_Description_JEA_Northside_Power_Station.pdf] This most recent upgrade fas funded by JEA (234 millionUSD ) and theU.S. Department of Energy (75 millionUSD ). Initial synchronization was achieved for Unit 2 on February 19, 2002, and for Unit 1 on May 29, 2002. As a result, the facility generates significantly more power now.CFB Technology
CFB technology is an advanced method for burning coal and other fuels efficiently while removing air emissions inside the sophisticated combustor system. CFB technology provides flexibility in utility operations because a wide variety of solid fuels can be used, including high-
sulfur , high-ash coal andpetroleum coke . [http://www.eh.doe.gov/nepa/eis/eis0289/eis0289_3.pdf DOE/EIS-0289, Final Environmental Impact Statement for the JEA Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustor Project (June 1, 2000) ] ]In a CFB combustor, coal or other fuels, air, and crushed
limestone or othersorbent s are injected into the lower portion of the combustor for initial burning of the fuel. Thecombustion actually occurs in a bed of fuel, sorbent, and ash particles that are fluidized by airnozzle s in the bottom of the combustor. The air expands the bed, creates turbulence for enhanced mixing, and provides most of theoxygen necessary for combustion of the fuel. As the fuel particles decrease in size through combustion and breakage, they are transported higher in the combustor where additional air is injected. As the particles continue to decrease in size, unreacted fuel, ash, and fine limestone particles are swept out of the combustor, collected in a particle separator (also called a cyclone), and recycled to the lower portion of the combustor. This is the "circulating" nature of the combustor. Drains in the bottom of the combustor remove a fraction of the bed composed primarily of ash while new fuel and sorbent are added. The combustion ash is suitable for beneficial uses such asroad construction material, agriculturalfertilizer , and reclaimingsurface mining areas.The limestone captures up to 98% of the sulfur impurities released from the fuel.Citation
title = DOE/FE-0351
contribution = Clean coal technology demonstration program project fact sheets
publisher =U.S. Department of Energy
year = 1996
place = Washington, D.C.
url =
format =
doi =
accessdate = ] When heated in the CFB combustor, the limestone, consisting primarily of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), converts to calcium oxide (CaO) and CO2 . The CaO reacts with the SO2 from the burning fuel to form calcium sulfate (CaSO4), an inert material that is removed with the combustion ash. The combustion efficiency of the CFB combustor allows the fuel to be burned at a relatively low temperature of about convert|1650|F|C, thus reducing NOx formation by approximately 60% compared with conventional coal-fired technologies. Greater than 99% of particulate emissions in the flue gas are removed downstream of the combustor by either an electrostatic precipitator or a fabric filter (baghouse).The heated combustor converts water in tubes lining the combustor's walls to high pressure steam. The steam is then superheated in tube bundles placed in the solids circulating stream and the flue gas stream. The superheated steam drives a steam turbine-generator to produce electricity in a conventional steam cycle.
Fuel supply
The plant uses a continuous ship unloader, the only one of its type in the continental United States. The solid fuel is transferred from barges onto the fuel conveyor system, which in turn transports it to the two largest fuel storage domes in North America. Pet coke and coal travel from the ship to the domes in about twenty minutes, entirely inside a sealed system to prevent dust particles from escaping into the surrounding environment.
Water use
Water is delivered by an elevated intake
flume from the back channel of theSt. Johns River to cool the station's condensers, after which the water is returned to the back channel. This cooling water does not mix with other liquid process streams while in contact with the condensers. Because Unit 2 has been out of service since 1983, the actual demand for cooling water by Northside Generating Station at full load since that time has been approximately 620 millionU.S. gallon s per day (Mgd), or convert|430700|USgal|m3 perminute , to operate Units 1 and 3. Operation of the entire 3-unit plant occurred only from about 1978 until 1980. During that time, the demand for cooling water was approximately 827 Mgd (convert|574000|USgal|m3 per minute): 24.5% for Unit 1, 24.5% for Unit 2, and 51% for Unit 3. This amount of surface water supplied to the station was approximately 10% of the average flow passing through the back channel of the St. Johns River. [http://www.eh.doe.gov/NEPA/eis/eis0289/eis0289_4.pdf DOE/EIS-0289, Final Environmental Impact Statement for the JEA Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustor Project (June 1, 2000) ] ]Before passing through the condensers, noncontact cooling water at Northside Generating Station is treated intermittently with a
biocide to prevent biological growth on the heat exchanger tubes.Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and occasionallysodium bromide (NaBr) are used. Treatment occurs no more than 2 hours per day per operating unit. TheSt. Johns River Power Park taps into the discharge side of the Northside Generating Station condensers to obtaincooling tower makeup. The average surface water flow supplied to the Power Park heat rejection system is 50 Mgd (convert|34400|USgal|m3 per minute). Approximately 25% of this surface water evaporates into theatmosphere from the cooling towers. Cooling tower blowdown is routed back into Northside Generating Station's discharge collector basin. The daily average temperature of the cooling tower blowdown is limited to convert|96|F|C.Emissions
Preliminary Emission Tests were conducted on Units 1 and 2 over the summer of 2002. Testing was conducted on both units burning coal and petroleum coke. Results are summarized in the table below. Emissionsresults from both units met all emission requirements for particulate, SO2, acid gases and heavy metals.cite conference
last = Goodrich | first = William
coauthors = Sandell, Michael; Petti, Vincent; Rettura, Louis
title = Summary of air emissions from the first year operation of JEA's Northside Generating Station
publisher = ICAC Forum
booktitle = Multi-Pollutant Emission Controls and Strategies
year = 2003
place = Nashville, Tennessee
date =2003
url = http://www.icac.com/files/public/ICAC03_Goodrich.pdf
accessdate = 2006-12-20 ]Conflicts and controversies
Soot coming from the JEA Northside Generating Station has prompted Distribution and Auto Services Inc. to threaten leaving Jacksonville area if the problem persists. Vehicle processing companies such as Auto Services Inc. prepare automobiles for dealers by cleaning, inspecting, customizing, and fixing defects. In 2001, such companies at Jacksonville processed 579,924 vehicles. Auto Services Inc. had to wash 50000 cars to remove soot, the letter from the company's attorney said in 2002. The soot did not caused any damage to the vehicles, but a fallout occurring during a drizzle or when dew forms on vehicles could release acid that mars plastic equipment, the letter said. The JEA paid $82000 to the vehicle-processing company to cover the cost of washing automobiles during the summer of 2002, according to JEA spokesman. [ [http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/110502/met_10882381.shtml Port tenant threatens pullout over soot 11/05/02 ] ]
References
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