A cost-saving low-NOx process is to be demonstrated.

Developed by Thermal Energy International Inc. (TEI; Ottawa, Canada; thermalenergy .com), the Thermalonox process will be used for the first time on a 375-MW unit of American Electric Power's 2,000-MW coal-fired power plant at Conesville, Ohio. When the unit starts up in June, it is expected to reduce the NOx levels from 1.3-million [m.sup.3]/h of fluegas (FG) by at least 75-90%, or to about 25 ppmv.

Conventional selective-catalytic reduction (SCR) requires heating FG to above 500 [degrees] F in order to activate the catalyst -- typically Pt based -- for the conversion with ammonia. In contrast, Thermalonox works by injecting a water emulsion of phosphorous (as …