Composites for Clean Coal Energy

A new coal-fired power plant being built in Springfield, IL, USA, will help make the U.S. more energy independent while bringing more electric power to residents and businesses. In the United States, coal resources are larger than remaining natural gas and oil resources, according to the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy. To bring energy self-sufficiency closer to home, plans call for the completed plant to annually burn up to 700,000 tons (63,500 metric tons) of coal mined from the State of Illinois.

The plant was designed and built by KBV Power Partners of Springfield, which is a joint venture of Black & Veatch and Kiewit Power Constructors. The plant is designed to be one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly coal power units in the U.S. At the end of the plant air quality control system, the plant has a 440-foot (134-meter) tall concrete chimney with a fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite liner. Composite was specified for the liner because it is more cost-effective than metals for resisting the hot, corrosive environment of the exhaust process.

Tri-Clor, Inc., Hasting, MI, used state-of-the-art filament winding to manufacture the liner in 27 sections that were shipped to the construction site. Each section, referred to as a “can,” was 13.5 feet tall by 15 feet in diameter (4.1 by 4.6 meters).

For joining in the field, the sections were aligned to within 0.25-inch (6.35-millimeter) tolerance. After
surface preparation, the sections were then bonded together with interior and exterior laminates of 0.375-
inch (9.53 millimeter) thick fiberglass/resin composite. A top coat was applied after cure.

The high-performance resin for the liner was Vipel K022-AC fire-retardant, bisphenol A epoxy vinyl ester from North American corrosion resin leader AOC. AOC also provided valuable technical support, said Seumas St. George, lead project site engineer for KBV.

“The cooperation between fabricator and resin supplier and Tri-Clor’s workmanship were important elements in keeping the chimney project precisely on schedule,” added St. George. He said the quality of the liner cans was monitored by independent composite quality control consultant Juan L. Bustillos, P.E., President