Petcoke
storage:
Similar to coal, Petcoke (a by-product of
the oil refining process) is widely used in thermal power plants for
power generation due to its higher carbon emissions than already
carbon-intensive coal. Petcoke is also used as a complementary fuel in cement
industries.
Many concerns about possible
public health consequences by petcoke emission have been raised due to the
establishment of large outdoor petcoke storage.
Moreover during its bulk
storage, many problems like
spontaneous combustion, fugitive emission etc can occur at any stage of
transport, storage & handling which is also a reason for the inefficient
power generation at captive thermal power plant.
Best Practices to Control Petcoke Emissions & Spontaneous combustion:
To control Petcoke emission, a variety of
procedures & techniques should be followed based on knowledge of specific
facility and product conditions. Followings are the best practices that should
be adopted to control petcoke emission :-
·
Stockpile
Handling & Maintenance: Following the “first in, first
out” rule in petcoke stocking and stacking under petcoke dome or petcoke storage shed reduces the
chances for hot spots in stockpiles by dissuading heat build up for portions of
petcoke stockpiles so that the handling procedure may remain undisturbed for a
long term. Moreover, proper
maintenance of petcoke stockpiles like ‘piles compaction’, ‘piles stacking with
minimum drop height’ etc will help to reduce petcoke fugitive emission.
· Wetting with water: The systematic application of water
to petcoke helps to control fugitive dust emissions and maintain product
moisture content. This periodic
reapplication of water is generally needed to overcome the hydrophobic nature
of petroleum coke.
·
Maintenance
of Temperature: It is better to maintain the ambient temperature near a specific
threshold during plant operation not only for avoiding the problems of
spontaneous combustion & fugitive emission but also for obtaining efficient
power output.
· Electronic
controls & self-checking systems: Automatic calibration
with electronic equipments as well as manual calibration and checking should
also be performed at regular basis to avoid Spontaneous Combustion in petcoke storage
plants.
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Hindustan Alcox Limited
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