Opening New Fuels for UK Generation

This project seeks to investigate the potential for using waste materials within combustion systems within the UK in the future, and how the combustion of such wastes might affect the ability of a power station to respond to changes in electricity demand. The purpose is not to look at today's electricity system and systems of governance with respect to combustion of wastes, but to consider how a rational system would be designed that utilised all potential fuel streams (and takes into account that different wastes will contain different levels of trace elements, some of which may be quite minor). An important point is that many wastes are currently landfilled - meaning that both the energy content of the waste is lost and a bulky material ends up in landfill.

Here, we will conduct experiments looking at emissions of trace elements during combustion and co-firing (with coal) of different types of "waste" materials (for example, wood from demolition sites), together with analysis of ashes produced. The results will then be used to generate models of power plants burning wastes, and used to determine whether, for the wastes examined, the most rational use of the waste is combustion in dedicated facilities or co-combustion. It is clear that some of the wastes we will examine currently fall within the remit of the waste incineration directive (though all will be non-halogenated). We will examine whether this is scientifically valid.

The beneficiaries section introduced some key stakeholders that will benefit from this work. This impact summary focuses on how they will benefit.

ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS (OEMs)
This project will provide insights that allow OEMs to understand what adaptations (or more significant changes) to their products may be needed for potentially significant deployment of more challenging fuels. In particular, this work could help to facilitate acceleration of product development by clarifying technical requirements and identifying concepts that could be appropriate to meet these requirements.

FUEL SUPPLIERS
This project will advise on the best use of wastes and aims to extend the range of fuels that can be used in power plant applications. This should allow fuel suppliers to develop their business to include additional revenue streams.

POWER UTILITIES
Being able to draw on state-of-the art understanding of challenging fuels options and data from unique pilot scale trials is valuable to check and possibly extend knowledge and insights that have been developed by in-house analysis.

TECHNICAL CONSULTANCY AND SERVICE COMPANIES
Outputs from this project can inform decisions on potential priority sectors for these companies. Additionally, ideas and data emerging from this work could be applied to particular studies that are already being undertaken by these organisations.

SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises)
Benefits for SMEs are similar to other industry stakeholders. The availability of reliable, independent work to inform business priorities and provide insights that inform development and targeting of products and/or services can be of particular value to SMEs since in-house resources will typically be more limited than in larger organisations.

POLICYMAKERS
Timely access to relevant evidence for policy-making could significantly improve the quality of relevant legislation. If effective legislation can be introduced in a timely manner, this makes better use of available resources in policy-making organisations and increases the credibility of policy-makers with the broader community of stakeholders developing and using legislation. Outputs from this project that may be of particular interest are likely to be similar to those used by power utilities.

REGULATORS
Regulators can be expected to benefit from this work in similar ways to policy-makers. Additionally, they often require more detailed in-house technical understanding so that regulations can be implemented effectively and robust best practice guidance can be developed and maintained.

NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations)
NGOs can also be expected to benefit from this work in somewhat similar ways to policymakers. The impact within these organisations is, however, likely to be more significant since the contribution made by this work will be adding to a smaller in-house resource.

GENERAL PUBLIC
Resources developed to communicate key results from this work in an accessible format will be made available online and, hence, to interested members of the general public. Effective communication of key results of this work to other stakeholders will also provide significant benefits to the public by improving the quality of analysis that is used to inform decisions made by key stakeholders.

OTHER ACADEMICS
Pathways to impact activities will improve the visibility and impact of the conventional power research community. Additionally, contributions to science will complement work by other researchers providing insights that can be used to develop an improved overall contribution to state-of-the-art knowledge and understanding.