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SaskPower
SaskPower is finalizing its agreement with Saskatchewan
Environment regarding this program. In June of 2002, an
understanding was reached on what would be done with respect to
sampling and analyzing coal and ash from all three of SaskPower’s
lignite-fired power plants. Details about stack sampling are
still being resolved. Once agreement is reached, it will be
incorporated into SaskPower’s overarching Memorandum of
Understanding with Saskatchewan Environment, which governs all of
SaskPower’s environmental concerns.
SaskPower began sampling
coal from its Boundary Dam Power Station on August 28th,
2002. The first coal sample from Poplar River Power Station was
collected September 8th, while sampling started at
Shand Power Station November 6th after the completion of fall overhaul.
The intent of
SaskPower’s coal program is to collect daily composite coal
samples from each of the plants’ automatic sampling system and to
analyze these samples for mercury and other parameters of
interest. Weekly samples of fly ash have also been collected from
each ESP field of at least one unit from each plant and analyzed
in a similar fashion to the coal. Bottom ash samples have also
been collected throughout the first quarter of this program and
analyzed for mercury.
The lab at each of
SaskPower’s plants analyzes the coal for the parameters the plant
needs for operating information. In the event of an equipment
malfunction at the plant the samples are sent to a commercial
lab. All of the mercury analyses for the coals and the ashes are
performed by SaskPower’s central lab in Regina. This in-house
analysis program ensures that the analytical difficulties
associated lignite are properly taken into account and that the
required large throughput can be accommodated.
In order to perform the
required mercury analyses SaskPower has acquired state-of-the-art
mercury analysis equipment to perform the most recent American
Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International method
for coal analysis. A SaskPower representative serves on the ASTM
International committee that oversaw the development of this method. SaskPower’s central lab also is participating in the CEA - CCME lab
round robin quality assurance program for mercury, and to date has
successfully demonstrated its proficiency in mercury analysis.
Most of the analysis of
the ash samples is also done at SaskPower’s central lab. Selected
samples of coal and ash are also sent to the University of North
Dakota Energy and Environmental Research Center (UND EERC), one of
the world’s leading organizations for coal-fired utility mercury
research, for chlorine analysis. UND EERC was chosen for this
work because of its demonstrated expertise in the most recent ASTM
method adopted for chlorine in coal and its experience in dealing
with analytical anomalies associated with lignite.
Because of the number of
labs involved in this process and the rigorous quality assurance
checks being used, generation of data is taking longer than
originally planned. Some samples produced prior to the end of
2002 have not been analyzed yet. This data will be incorporated
in later reports when it becomes available. SaskPower also plans
to do more detailed data analysis to determine any trends and
relationships between mercury and other factors. SaskPower is
also discussing options for other analyses with a number of
research organizations.
With respect to stack
testing, SaskPower plans to commission Ontario Hydro tests at each
of its three coal plants. These tests will probably be based on
the recently adopted ASTM International method for the Ontario Hydro test. Testing is expected to occur at Boundary Dam and Shand in 2003 and
Poplar River in 2004.
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