Coal-to-biomass
conversions and co-firing
RJM is helping coal-fired plants massively reduce their carbon footprint by co-firing with biomass or converting fully to 100% biomass fuel.
RJM has completed over
12,650MW
of biomass conversion feasibility studies for nine EU and UK power stations.
RJM team members have been instrumental in the success of numerous biomass co-firing and coal-to-biomass conversion projects in the UK and Europe, including assessing and trial-burning a wide range of international biomass fuels on large coal-fired power plants, and co-authoring industry best practice guides for biomass co-firing.
Coal-to-biomass conversion projects are complex and challenging and require a thorough understanding of the new fuel and its impact on all aspects of plant performance, operation, and safety. RJM has extensive experience delivering Feasibility Studies that form the foundations of any successful conversion project and the basis for large investment decisions. Additionally, RJM staff have the practical experience of actually delivering and leading large-scale coal-to-biomass conversions, and subsequently overseeing unit operation and performance post-conversion.
Our biomass fuel experience includes: wood chip, sawdust, wood pellets, torrefied wood pellets, steam-exploded wood pellets, olive pellets, olive cake, Palm Kernel Expeller (PKE), Empty Fruit Bunches (EFB), palm shells, coffee grounds, miscanthus and many more.
Tackling climate change
Governments the world over are introducing new legislation to help tackle climate change, a key policy area being the de-carbonisation of the power generation sector.
For over a decade, RJM has been helping fossil fuel power plants evaluate the opportunities presented by co-firing or a full conversion biomass. Our approach provides certainty on how the technical challenges imposed by fuel-switching can successfully be assessed and resolved.
With more and more governments introducing low carbon legislation and some now targeting net zero by 2050, the range of work that RJM work is undertaking on behalf of its customers is increasing, as generators of all sizes implement their own low-to-zero carbon strategies.
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Biomass and biofuels made from biomass are alternative energy sources to fossil fuels – coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Burning either fossil fuels or biomass releases carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas. However, the plants that are the source of biomass for energy capture almost the same amount of CO2 through through photosynthesis while growing as is released when biomass is burned, which can make biomass a carbon-neutral source of energy. Ref. U.S. Energy Information Administration
In contrast, firing a tonne of coal will release around 2.8 tonnes of CO2 and a typical 500MWe power station will burn 4,500 tonnes of coal per day, equivalent to daily carbon emissions of 12,600 tonnes. As governments incentivise the transition to biomass-firing and impose financial penalties on coal-firing, RJM is playing a lead role in helping its generator customers adapt to the new low carbon environment.
France, Denmark, Switzerland, New Zealand, Hungary, Japan, South Korea and the UK have all introduced legally-binding net zero carbon emission targets by 2050.
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RJM’s first biomass burner
One of RJM’s first green energy-related assignments was developing a new Pulverised Fuel (PF) burner that could replace a coal PF burner to fire biomass material successfully. A programme of R&D was undertaken and this unit was one of the first to be installed at 3,900MWe Drax, the UK’s largest power station, when it began its fuel migration journey from coal to biomass. Today Drax has been fully converted to fire biomass wood pellets and its ambition is to be carbon negative by 2030.
between 2013 and 2019
12,650MW
of biomass conversion feasibility studies
Resolving operational and emissions issues at biomass and Energy from Waste plants
RJM is applying its world-leading expertise in material handling, fuel engineering, combustion chemistry and emissions reduction to biomass and EfW sites across the UK. Despite these plants firing very different fuels, ranging from pellets and wood chips to SRF and hospital waste, RJM is resolving complex issues and returning these plants to full, reliable generation.
RJM was recently invited to review all aspects of combustion and emissions performance at an 80MWth bubbling fluidised bed generator in the Netherlands by a financial house seeking to optimise its investment.
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Key issues
- Plant unable to meet emissions limits on CO, NOx and dust at full load
- Fuel blockages
- Reduced revenue
RJM solution
- Changes to various operational procedures
- Re-distribution of combustion air between ports
- Modifications to control curves
- Full CFD study to map complex interaction between fuel particles and air jets from secondary and tertiary air ports
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European coal to biomass conversion project
RJM’s most recent project to evaluate a coal to biomass conversion is still underway. As well as reviewing pellet safety and pellet combustion safety, RJM is considering all the other aspects of combustion conversion, including the likely impact on emissions of SOx, NOx and particulates, mill conversion, power output, efficiency and total project costs. The next stage is to carry out baseline testing to gather current combustion data. This can then be fed into the CFD model to predict furnace performance and emissions.
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RJM use a state-of-the-art solid fuel combustion CFD approach, including innovative volatile speciation treatment, NOx modelling, experiment based kinetics as well as custom sub-models to account for biomass-specific phenomena, such as particle size and shape heterogeneity and non isothermal large particle heat-up.
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EPH is committed to lowering its carbon footprint and wanted to explore how this could be achieved at its 2 x 320MWe coal-fired unit in Sardinia. RJM has a strong track record in this field and our biomass conversion feasibility study has enabled EPH to understand fuly every aspect of the project. The management team at EPH now has all the critical information it needs in order to take this project onto the next stage.
Steve Billett
Head of Projects, RJM
RJM’s first biomass burner
One of RJM’s first green energy-related assignments was developing a new Pulverised Fuel (PF) burner that could replace a coal PF burner to fire biomass material successfully. A programme of R&D was undertaken and this unit was one of the first to be installed at 3,900MWe Drax, the UK’s largest power station, when it began its fuel migration journey from coal to biomass. Today Drax has ben fully converted to fire biomass wood pellets and its ambition is to be carbon negative by 2030.
between 2013 and 2019
12,650MW
of biomass conversion feasibility studies
Resolving operational issues at a biomass plant
RJM was invited to review all aspects of combustion and emissions performance at an 80MWth bubbling fluidised bed generator in the Netherlands by a financial house seeking to optimise its investment.
Discover more +
Key issues
- Plant unable to meet emissions limits on CO, NOx and dust at full load
- Fuel blockages
- Reduced revenue
RJM solution
- Changes to various operational procedures
- Re-distribution of combustion air between ports
- Modifications to control curves
- Full CFD study to map complex interaction between fuel particles and air jets from secondary and tertiary air ports
European coal to biomass conversion project
RJM’s most recent project to evaluate a coal to biomass conversion is still underway. As well as reviewing pellet safety and pellet combustion safety, RJM is considering all the other aspects of combustion conversion, including the likely impact on emissions of SOx, NOx and particulates, mill conversion, power output, efficiency and total project costs. The next stage is to carry out baseline testing to gather current combustion data. This can then be fed into the CFD model to predict furnace performance and emissions.
Discover more +
RJM use a state-of-the-art solid fuel combustion CFD approach, including innovative volatile speciation treatment, NOx modelling, experiment based kinetics as well as custom sub-models to account for biomass-specific phenomena, such as particle size and shape heterogeneity and non isothermal large particle heat-up.
Interested in finding out more about our biomass conversion capabilities?
Discover how RJM is helping generators explore biomass as an alternative fuel source for their coal-fired plants
Changing fuel diet has an impact on many plant components, systems and processes—each one must be understood and evaluated before considering a new fuel. RJM can offer a range of services, solutions and technologies to support a plants co-firing or conversion goals, from Feasibility including fuel assessments, to Front End Engineering & Design (FEED) and CFD Modelling, through to solution design, implementation, commissioning, optimisation and performance testing.
The scope of RJM expertise covers; fuel sourcing, fuel assessment, fuel storage, materials handling, milling, combustion, boiler performance, emissions, control, boiler safety, and health and safety implications.
RJM has the resource, capability and experience to support your biomass co-firing or conversions ambitions from beginning to end.
Explore the reference projects where RJM has helped clients switch to a low-carbon fuel diet
Feasibility and cost/benefit study for alternative boiler ignition systems
United Kingdom
Drax
Key challenges
RJM was tasked with carrying out a study to identify the feasibility and cost benefit analysis of alternative boiler ignition systems and preparing a Mill Improvements report.
Detailed coal-to-biomass conversion feasibility study
Country
Italy
Fiume Santo, Sardinia
Key challenges
This 600MW coal-fired plant in Sardinia, owned by Czech utility EPH, tasked RJM with reviewing its options for converting to biomass fuel operation.
Combustion audit and CFD modelling
USA
Bubbling Fluidised Bed firing woody biomass
Key challenges
RJM was hired to assess and correct the high levels of CO at the stack and also tasked with exploring why the plant was utilising very high levels of costly SNCR reagent.
Combustion and emissions review on 80MWth biomass plant
Netherlands
BEC, Cuijk
Key challenges
RJM was invited to review all aspects of combustion and emissions performance at this 80MWth bubbling fluidised bed generator by a financial institution seeking to optimise its investment. The plant was unable to meet its emissions limits on CO, NOx and dust at full load and was experiencing fuel blockages. Consequently, revenue was below plan.