KEPCO E&C Develops NOx Reduction Efficiency System

The Ulsan Thermal Power Unit now utilizing the advanced system

A ceremony to inaugurate the hybrid selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system at the Ulsan Thermal Power Unit No. 6 was held at the Korea East-West Power Co. (EWP) Ulsan Power Complex in Ulsan on July 2. KEPCO Engineering & Construction Co. (KEPCO E&C) played a leading role in the development of the hybrid SCR process.
Among the approximately 100 people on hand at the ceremony were Park Chi-sun, head of the KEPCO E&C Plant Business Division, Lim Han-kyu, chief of the EWP Business Division, and Chun Byung-yeol, head of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning.
The hybrid SCR process is one of the government-financed research tasks in the electric industry R&D sector. It is designed to improve installations in accordance with more stringent regulations of NOx emissions and fix low-load operation problems related to the SCR system. The successful research outcome was owed to the 10.5 billion won in funding by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy over a three-year period from August 2007. KEPCO E&C joined such SMEs as Hanmo Corp. and Daeyoung Chemical in the development of the hybrid SCR process and applied for a patent for the first time in Korea. The heavy oil-fueled Ulsan Thermal Power Unit No. 6 became the first utility facility fitted with the hybrid SCR process.
Korea’s dependence on foreign technologies is too high for NOx reduction efficiency, a requirement of the latest environmental restrictions on NOx emissions.
The expansion of the North American and Chinese NOx reduction markets is forecasted to push the value of NOx reduction equipment to 5 trillion won and the value of catalytic demand to 1 trillion won annually. Korea’s catalytic demand is estimated at 30,000 cubic meters, worth about 200 billion won. KEPCO E&C forecasts that the development of the hybrid SCR process will bring about economic effects worth approximately 233 billion won to the nation ― 200 billion won for substituting imports and 33 billion won in fuel costs related to the low-load operation of the SCR system.
The hybrid SCR process could result in 5,600 tons of GHG emissions reduction per unit annually, and it can be applied to 11 heavy oil-fueled thermal power units and 80 co-generation units, not just to cope with future environmental restrictions, but also to emerge as a potential Clean Development Mechanism project.
FUTURE USES ― KEPCO E&C seeks to make the most of the hybrid SCR process in improving NOx reduction efficiency facilities at the existing power plants and commercial boilers. The company plans to make the Ulsan Thermal Power Complex with the hybrid SCR system the itinerary of visiting NOx reduction facility procurement officials. In particular, China is forecast to build NOx reduction installations worth about 20 trillion won by 2015. A Chinese power company showed a keen interest in the introduction of the hybrid SCR system.
KEPCO E&C has secured a technological edge in the design of thermal power plants based on the design experiences and expertise it has accumulated since its establishment. In particular, in an effort to aggressively respond to international agreements on GHG emissions reductions, KEPCO E&C has turned to reducing pollutants coming from thermal power plants, particularly the development of flue-gas desulfurization and NOx reduction facilities designed to prevent air pollution.
The company has succeeded in the commercialization of the Korea Electric Power Absorption Reactor (KEPAR) flu-gas desulfurization process, one of the government-initiated G-7 environment technology R&D tasks, thus contributing to localizing desulfurization equipment. It also succeeded in the development of KoNOx and DeNOx catalysts reacting to both low and high temperatures. KoNOX, a patented technology in Korea, a certified NT technology and one of the government-designated global best products, is the sole NOx reduction catalytic technology without the payment of foreign royalties.
On top of the desulfurization and denitrification sector, KEPCO E&C is committed to evolving into a full-fledged environmentally-friendly company by continuing to invest in the energy service company (ESCO) business category. It is devoting itself to contributing to the national low-carbon, green growth cause by jump-starting the development of CO2 reduction technologies, certified carbon trading and CDM projects.
KOPEC Changes Name to KEPCO E&C
The company fleshes out its vision of becoming a global EPC leader
Korea Power Engineering Company, Inc. (KOPEC) held a shareholders’ meeting on July 9 and decided to change its corporate name to KEPCO E&C (KEPCO Engineering & Construction Company, Inc.) and unveil its new corporate identity.
These steps are designed not only to flesh out its plan on the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) sector, part of its vision of becoming a “global top five power EPC leader” that was proclaimed last October, but also to step up its competitiveness in making inroads abroad by integrating the brand of the power group following the historic landing of a nuclear power plant deal from the United Arab Emirates, said company officials. They said KEPCO E&C expects the moves to greatly contribute to raising its standing abroad and boosting its overseas business opportunities. nw

(left) Dignitaries participate in a ceremony to complete the installation of the hybrid selective catalytic reduction system, developed by KEPCO E&C, at the Ulsan Thermal Power Unit No. 6 on July 2. KEPCO E&C President Ahn Seung-kyu.