Typical Project Experience

The following projects represent the range of project experience of Johnk Engineering, Inc., but only a small fraction of the total project experience.

Robbins Resource Recovery Facility CFB, Robbins, Illinois. Provided on and off-site engineering support in a 10 month effort to solve a variety of combustion process control problems, material wastage problems, and tube fouling problems. Also provided boiler outage inspection and reporting services and led effort to improve fluidizing nozzle design. The Robbins Resource Recovery Project has two CFB boilers burning municipal solid waste to generate 47MW.

Fluidizing Grid Nozzle Development Program. Managed and provided the primary input for a program to develop an improved fluidizing grid nozzle. This was a multi-discipline effort, involving R&D, Engineering and Field Services organizations located in both Europe and the USA. The nozzle that was finally developed, provided a minimal tendency to ash backsifting while operating at a low pressure drop and was non-plugging. This nozzle has since been successfully retrofitted to a number of older CFB’s as well as being supplied as original equipment in newer CFB’s.

Mendota Biomass Power CFB and Woodland Biomass Power CFB, Mendota and Woodland (resp.), California. Provided engineering support to solve a high combustion temperature problem and associated tube wastage and fouling problems. Also provided boiler outage and reporting services. The result was a 100°F reduction in furnace exit gas temperature and significant reduction in tube wastage and fouling. The Mendota and Woodland plants each generate 25 MW while burning agricultural and urban wood waste.

AES Barbers Point CFB, Oahu, Hawaii. Provided engineering support to improve emissions performance with the boilers operating in cycling mode. Control of NO_x and SO₂ emissions was difficult during daily load cycles below 35% MCR. An extensive testing program resulted in the plant being able to reliably meet their low emissions limits while cycling the boilers on a daily basis from <35% MCR to 100% MCR. The Barbers Point facility has two 50MW CFB boilers burning low sulfur Indonesian coal, while maintaining stringent gaseous emissions levels.

Mount Poso Cogeneration Company CFB, Bakersfield, California. Provided start-up, performance testing and general engineering assistance over a ten year period on a state of the art 50MW CFB in Southern California. The regulated emissions levels at this plant are the lowest of any in the world. Meeting these requirements under all operating conditions initially presented a challenge. Extensive testing at the plant resulted in successful operation of the plant with an excellent environmental compliance record.

Scott Paper Company CFB, Chester, Pennsylvania. Lead start-up engineer for Lurgi Corporation’s first CFB boiler in the USA. This was a 65MW CFB boiler built in partnership with Combustion Engineering and was the first waste coal burning CFB in the world.

Gas Turbine Marine Propulsion Development Project. Program manager of a >$10 million multi-discipline project to develop a marine propulsion package utilizing an existing 20,000 HP gas turbine. The package included the gas turbine, reduction gear box and propulsion package control system. Although the package design was completed on time and on budget, changes in the company precluded the sale and construction of the first packages.

Engineering Services Provided To Power Plants Designed By The Following Manufacturers: Foster Wheeler, Ahlstrom Pyropower, Lurgi (aka ABB, Stein, Alstom, etc.), Gotaverken (now Kvaerner), EPI, Combustion Power.

Experience With Combustion And Emissions Control Of Following Fuels: Coal (all types, including waste coals), Biomass (wood, agricultural and urban waste), Petroleum Coke, Municipal Solid Waste, Oil, Gas, Tires, Paper Mill and Other Sludges, Oil Shale and Tar Sand.