Page 11 - Issue 4 2023

NEWS

Babcock and B&W collaborate to

deliver smarter power solutions

or over 130 years, Babcock has abatement solution that Babcock
been trusted to deliver technology provided for a large industrial
Fand solutions to the steam petrochemical plant in association with
generation markets in Africa. In 1891, B&W. After an extensive technology
Babcock supplied the first boiler to South selection process, the compact Babcock
Africa’s gold mining industry, and over & Wilcox DRB-XCL® low NOx burner
the decades has designed and supplied was found to be the most suitable,
many steam boilers used in the utility and ongoing boiler installations at the
and industrial sectors in the region. As petrochemical plant have achieved
the original equipment manufacturer emission levels of almost 40% lower than Thava Govender
(OEM), Babcock has the expertise to the legal requirements.
design, build, operate, maintain and Babcock also worked in partnership
manage complex steam-generated with B&W to upgrade electrostatic While still in their infancy locally, B&W
infrastructure to meet the critical precipitators (ESPs) on boiler units at a has successfully implemented these
requirements of its customers. power station, Babcock designed and technologies in other parts of the
Babcock supports an agenda built in the 1980s, while B&W owns world and Babcock can help customers
of sustainable development and is the technology of the original design explore solutions for future challenges in
committed to helping customers of the precipitators. Using technology association with B&W.
optimise their operations and reduce not available at the time, Babcock and In addition to its strategic alliance
their impact on the environment, in line B&W are bringing the boiler units into with B&W, Babcock has supplier or
with global climate change objectives. the 2020s, enabling the power station to agency agreements with a suite of
To this end, Babcock has entered into comply with latest emission regulations specialised international partners,
a strategic alliance agreement with and reducing the impurities by 50%. to provide customers with the best
US-based Babcock & Wilcox (B&W), David Milner, Director Sales and solutions and products available. For
to jointly market B&W’s thermal and Business Development Sub-Saharan example, Babcock has entered into
environmental technologies in southern Africa at B&W, says that Babcock a long-term contract with Spanish
Africa. B&W was established more than can draw on a range of other B&W company Tubos Reunidos to receive
150 years ago and is regarded as a world technologies to customise engineering high-pressure boiler tubing on an
leader in developing technologies which solutions for any complex steam ongoing basis. Tubos Reunidos are
can generate power more efficiently, generation challenge. Among the certified up to x20 tubing material and
safely and reliably. The company technologies available from Babcock can manufacture tubing according
designed the first ever water-tube that can help customers achieve to Babcock’s stringent specifications.
boiler and continues to be committed their environmental and optimisation Additionally, Babcock is the exclusive
to bringing environmentally conscious, objectives are: agent for Persta high-pressure valves
technology-driven solutions and services • boiler cleaning in southern Africa. Manufactured in
to energy and industrial customers • ash handling Germany, these valves are fully forged,
worldwide. • flue gas desulphurisation (both wet conform to EN and ASME specifications
Thava Govender, Chief Executive and dry) and are synonymous with durability and
Officer of Babcock’s engineering • bubbling fluidised bed boilers quality.
business, explains that through this • circulating fluidised bed boilers “We manage the entire combustion
alliance, Babcock’s power and industrial • coal pulveriser systems value chain, from engineering to
customers have access to a wealth • boiler controls and optimisation execution, and together with our
of proven international technologies • industrial package boilers technology partners and suppliers, we
which can be applied to address local • chemical recovery boilers can identify opportunities to implement
challenges such as emission reduction, • waste-to-energy plants. environmental and optimisation
power reliability, and renewable energy. solutions throughout the various stages
He confirms that some of these Milner says that there is also a growing of the lifecycle, from analysing how a
technologies have already been interest in South Africa in technologies boiler manages a specific type of coal,
successfully implemented in South such as carbon capture, oxy-fuel firing to how emissions can be reduced,”
Africa, such as a nitrogen oxide (NOx) and hydrogen production and utilisation. concludes Govender.

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