WHAT IS AN ACTIVATED CARBON INJECTION (ACI) SYSTEM?
It is an engineered system from which powdered activated carbon (PAC) is pneumatically injected from a storage silo into the flue gas ductwork of a coal-fired power plant. The PAC adsorbs the vaporized mercury from the flue gas and is then collected with the fly ash in the plant’s particulate collection device.
ACI is the most established commercial technology for reducing mercury emissions from coal-fired boiler flue gases. It has been proven through numerous full-scale demonstrations to be the most effective, cost-efficient way to reduce mercury emissions from most coal-fired boilers. Depending upon the type of coal being burned and the type of air pollution control equipment installed on the plant, ACI can reduce mercury emissions by more than 90%.
ADA Environmental Solutions has been developing ACI systems technology for the utility coal-fired market for the past ten years and participated in more than forty full-scale demonstrations and tests. We offer mercury control guarantees with our ACI systems, so you can be assured of the performance of any system you purchase from us.
WHAT ARE THE STANDARD FEATURES OF OUR ACI SYSTEM?
Silo
- 14-foot diameter, up to 98 feet tall
- Welded steel construction with structural skirt
- Roof-mounted 24-inch diameter manway hatch with pressure relief valve
- OSHA-compliant caged ladder to silo roof
- Up to three product discharge connections with knife-gate isolation valves
- Air fluidization system for reliable PAC discharge
- Fill pipe with cap
- Paint: SP-6 prep, epoxy prime and finish paint standard
Bin Vent Filter
- Pulse cleaned cartridge design
- 99.999% efficient for particles > 0.5μ
Feed Systems
- Rotary valves to fill feed hoppers
- Feed hopper
- Stainless steel volumetric feeder with metering and conditioning augers
- 480V inverter duty motor, gear reducer
- Speed adjusted with variable frequency drive (VFD)
- Pneumatic Conveying Systems
- Regenerative blower
- Eductor
- Automated diverter valve assembly
Truck Unloading Panel
- NEMA 4X panel with switches, indicating lights and alarms
|
Power Distribution and Marshalling Panel
- Shop-mounted in silo electrical room
- NEMA 4 panel
- Isolated 480V termination compartment with breakers and VFDs
- Isolated low-voltage termination compartment
- DCS terminal blocks for integration with plant controls
- Optional PLC
- Shop-wired and tested
Instrumentation
- Redundant guided wire radar transmitters measure PAC level in silo
- Blower discharge pressure and eductor suction pressure switches
- Bin vent filter ΔP switch
Silo Enclosures
- Lighting and convenience recepticals
- Space heaters and ventilation fans
- Skirt interior wall insulation
PAC Distribution
- Custom manifolds with isolation valves and flex hoses
- Custom injection lances with mounting flanges
Options
- PLC controls with HMI (Allen-Bradley)
- Gravimetric feeders
- Positive displacement blowers for high feedrates and/or long conveying distance
- Ceramic-lined eductors
- Deluxe instrument package
|
STANDARD DESIGN ACI SYSTEMS AND CUSTOM DESIGNED SYSTEMS
Standard Design ACI Systems
ADA offers a large selection of standard designed ACI systems that are based on our years of experience with the coal-fired power industry. These systems are designed to meet the rigorous requirements of the power plant environment and operate for extended time periods with little or no maintenance. Our standard top quality components have been chosen for their reliability and cost-effective performance.
ADA offers several options to tailor our standard ACI system to meet the requirements of almost any power plant application. These options include:
- PLC or DCS controls
- Gravimetric or volumetric feeders
- Positive displacement or regenerative blowers
- Standard or deluxe instrument package
Using our standard design ACI systems will reduce the amount of engineering time required for a project and result in cost savings. Also, the amount of time required to fabricate and install the ACI systems is reduced, resulting in greater efficiency and cost savings.
Below is a list of our standard ACI systems.
| Model |
# Feed Trains |
Eave Height
(~ feet) |
Silo Capacity
(X 1000 lbs.) |
Truckloads |
Options
Feeder Type
V = Volumetric
G = Gravimetric
Blower Type
R = Regenerative
P = Positive Displacement
Control
D = Distributed Control System
P = Programmable Logic Controller
Example: 3-77-V-R-D |
| 2-27 |
2 |
45 |
60 |
1.5 |
| 3-27 |
3 |
45 |
60 |
1.5 |
| 2-42 |
2 |
55 |
100 |
2.5 |
| 3-42 |
3 |
55 |
100 |
2.5 |
| 2-64 |
2 |
69 |
160 |
4 |
| 3-64 |
3 |
69 |
160 |
4 |
| 2-77 |
2 |
78 |
200 |
5 |
| 3-77 |
3 |
78 |
200 |
5 |
| 2-92 |
2 |
88 |
240 |
6 |
| 3-92 |
3 |
88 |
240 |
6 |
| 2-110 |
2 |
98 |
280 |
7 |
| 3-110 |
3 |
98 |
280 |
7 |
Custom-Designed ACI Systems
ADA has extensive experience working with utilities and their engineering firms' specifications for ACI systems. We can build our systems to meet the strict specifications required for your unique application and insure that it will operate within all the limits required. Our team of project engineers and designers will work closely with your engineering team and/or the utility engineering group to insure that all specifications and requirements of the system are built into the ACI system to integrate seamlessly into the plant where it will be installed.
Mercury Control Guarantees
After managing and participating in more than forty full-scale mercury control tests and demonstrations, ADA has the most extensive data base of mercury control information in the power industry. This enables us to offer mercury control guarantees with most of our ACI systems. We can accurately predict the level of control that our systems can provide for your application and give you the assurance of guaranteed performance when you purchase one of our systems.
We will evaluate your plant air pollution control configuration, along with the type of boiler and coal being burned. From this information, we will calculate a mercury control performance guarantee for our ACI system. This guarantee is good up for up to 100% of the value of the ACI system.
Our Experience Makes the Difference
At ADA, we bring together a dedicated team of designers, engineers, project managers, and technology development experts to insure the success of your mercury control project. We are not just an equipment supplier, ADA has been a leader in developing and commercializing mercury measurement and control technology since the early 1990s. We apply all of this experience and knowledge to your project to insure it’s completed on budget, on time and meets your mercury control requirements.
We provide a complete project package of services:
- Project Management
- Project controls and scheduling
- Formal document control system
- Full in-house engineering capabilities
- AutoCAD design
- CFD modeling using Star-CCM+ software
- Extensive experience with A/E firm specifications
- Extensive experience working with the utility power plants
- Formal safety program
- UL-listed panel shop
- Installation and start-up support
- Optional system sophistication programs available
|
ADA Environmental Solutions ACI system on a 380-MW PRB coal-fired power plant.
Features and Benefits
- Cost effective
- Dependable, proven technology
- Top-quality, utility-grade components
- Effective across a wide range of coals and plant configurations
- Standard equipment design to reduce cost and minimize delivery times
- Designed and built to meet utility and A/E specifications
- High availability and low maintenance
- Operational flexibility
- Fully automated, hands-free operation
- Fail-safe interlocks and alarms
- Comes with ADA's mercury control expertise and performance guarantees
Additional Information
ACTIVATED CARBON INJECTION SYSTEM
Place your cursor on the numbers above for more information.
Successful application of ACI technology requires optimum distribution of PAC into the flue gas to maximize contact with the mercury. ADA Environmental Solutions uses our customer’s physical model or our own in-house CFD modeling to design a custom distribution manifold and injection lance array for each application.
ADA provides in-house CFD modeling to optimize injection grid design for our customer’s ductwork.
|
ADA PROJECT EXPERIENCE
More than 16,000 MW of ACI systems under contract.
Place your cursor over the ACI system locations for more information.

WHY CHOOSE ADA ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS TO HELP MEET EMISSIONs CONTROL REQUIREMENTS?
ADA Environmental Solutions provides more than just equipment for your project. We have unmatched experience in mercury control and a team of professionals to support the project through completion. We offer:
- Guaranteed mercury control results
- Unparalleled experience with utility mercury control
- Standard designed systems for fast execution
- Custom designed systems to meet A/E specifications
- Full staff of designers, engineers, and project managers
- Top-quality, utility-grade components
- Shop-fabricated and assembled systems to reduce field labor
- Installation and start-up support
- Optimization programs available
|