KEY ISSUES OF COAL ASH HANDLING IN
RUSSIA
V.Y. Putilov, I.V. Putilova, E.A. Malikova
National Research University
“Moscow Power Engineering Institute”
Moscow, Russia
V Международная конференция "Золошлаки ТЭС", Москва, 24-25 апреля 2014 г.
Content
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Introduction
Legislation in the field of coal ash handling
On the necessity of creating the single state body
responsible for the coal ash handling issues
Expertise of new projects of coal-fired power plants and
projects of their retrofitting
Informing the public about the best available nature
protection technologies in power industry
On harmonization of coal ash handling legislation worldwide
Conclusions
Introduction

In 2010 total production of CCPs from the energy
sector of the countries world–wide made about 800
million tons, and ashes are the main of them.

Coal is one of the main fuels and its share in the
fuel mix of the developed countries tends to grow.

Ash ponds of the majority of the Russian coal-fired
power plants are close to their design filling.
Production of CCPs in different countries in 2010, mln t
Middle East Other Asian
and Africa, countries, 16.7
32.2
Australia, 13.1 Canada, 6.8
RF, 26.6
USA, 118.0
Japan,
11.1
China, 395
India, 131.0
Europe
(15 EU
countries); 52,6
Sources:
http://www.flyash.info/2013/171-Heidrich-Plenary-2013.pdf
http://www.cea.nic.in/reports/articles/thermal/fly_ash_final.pdf
Utilization of CCPs in different countries in 2010, %.
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
96.4
90.9
67.1
66.5
55.7
45.8
42.1
33.8
18.8
10.6
What explains a very low rate of coal ash use in
various applications and how to improve the
situation in Russia?
For effective addressing the coal ash handling problem in
Russia the following is needed:

Legislative Framework

National Responsible Body

Expertise of Technical Solutions

Information Support of activity of the coal-fired power plants

Harmonizing the legislation of the countries
1. Legislation in the field of coal
ash handling
Terminology
In the world there is no single legal definition of ash.
The legal definition of ash in different countries is mainly based on
national legislation.
What are ashes?
wastes?
products?
recycled materials?
Terminology
Country/Community
Status
Notes
EU
products
in case of meeting REACH
since 2007
UK
“end-of-waste”
according to EU Directive
2008/98/EC
USA
products
/wastes
depending the state legislation
South Africa
legally - wastes
practically - products
Australia
will receive the status of
products
till recently ashes were
officially wastes
Russia
wastes
Definitions of coal ash in Russia according to
Guidelines RD 34.27.109-96 for electric power
industry since 1997
Ash (fly ash)  particles of mineral residue of solid
fuel, including a certain amount of the unburnt
carbon (unburnt organic part of fuel), taken out by
flue gases from the boiler furnace.
Definitions of coal ash in Russia according to
Guidelines RD 34.27.109-96
for electric power industry since 1997
Bottom ash / boiler slag – particles of mineral residue of
solid fuel, including a certain amount of the unburnt carbon,
produced in furnaces of pulverized coal combustion boilers,
falling out of the flame of flue gas flow in the boiler furnace
and evacuated from the bottom ash/boiler slag extractor of
the boiler with size up to 40 mm or coming from the furnace
of the FB/CFB-boilers through the bottom ash/boiler slag
cooling units to the extractor with size up to 10 mm.
Suggested coal ash definition:
“Coal ash is a mineral raw material of the man-made
origin, being a commercial product after certification
of commodity properties and used in different sectors
of the economy. In the case of permanent coal ash
storage at disposal sites it refers to wastes”.
What to do if we accept this coal ash
definition?
For realization of this coal ash approach it’s
needed to fulfill the complex work: “Carrying on
the research and produce the Federal legal
document “Guidelines for certification of hygienic
quality of commodity products, produced using
coal ash and of coal ash as commodity products”.
Main objectives of the work:
 development
of the federal legal document having
direct action with clear and comprehensible
procedure for certification of hygienic quality of ash
as a commodity product, and commodity products
manufactured with the use of TPP ash;
 minimizing
the possibility of subjectivity,
arbitrariness and corruption of representatives of
supervising and licensing authorities at all levels.
2. On the necessity of creating
the single state body responsible
for the coal ash handling issues
On availability of coal ash production and
utilization statistics in Russian and some
other countries and communities
Availability of
statistics in
open sources
Notes
EU, ECOBA
Yes
Data on EU-15 delayed for
2…3 years
USA, ACAA
Yes
Data for 2012
UK Quality Ash Association
Yes
Asian Coal Ash Association
Yes
Israel, National Coal Ash Board
Yes
Data for 2012
Russia
No
No data since 2007
Country/Community
Data for 2011
Data for 2010
Main aftereffects of absence of the state
centre responsible for the coal ash handling
problem in Russia
1. No effective state policy on coal ash handling and resource management
issues
2. No holistic complex of the legal and normative documents
3. No target state financing of researches
4. Actual disinterest of top managers of power holdings in effective addressing
the coal ash handling problem
5. Extremely unsatisfactory information support of activity of power
companies in the field of coal ash handling
6. Actual absence of qualified experts in coal ash handling and implementation
of the best available techniques to the coal industry
Experience of system solution of the coal ash
handling problem in the Siberian Federal
District (SFD)

Participants of the Program:
JSC “TGC-11”;
 Representatives of the RF President in the SFD;
 Government of the Omsk Region.


Main results:
Regional Program on addressing the coal ash problem in Omsk
Region;
 Projects on using coal ash in agriculture, for ash ponds reclamation;
 Standards on use of coal ash for road construction, territory levelling
and improving the agricultural lands .

Pushing factors to address the problem





understanding by management of the JSC “TGC-11” the need
and the complexity to address the coal ash handling problem for
increasing the efficiency of work of power companies;
support of the Presidential Representatives’ apparatus in the
Siberian Federal District;
close interaction of JSC "TGC-11" management and
government of the Omsk region;
skilled specialists in the field of coal ash in "TGC-11";
willingness to solve it by management of JSC "TGC-11",
government of the Omsk region and apparatus of the
Presidential Representatives in the Siberian Federal District.
3. Expertise of the projects of
coal-fired power plants
Retrofitting the ash removal system of
Troitskaya SDPP
According to the Technical Inquiry:
 the current wet ash removal system remains as an emergency one.
 when it is impossible and/or unreasonable to retrofit the system for
evacuating bottom ash from the boiler throat, bottom ash is
evacuated using the existing wet ash removal system and transported
to the emergency ash dump
Main expected results of retrofitting the ash
removal system of Troitskaya SDPP
1. Parallel operation of wet and dry ash removal system
2. Increase in operational expenses for ash removal system
3. The wet ash removal system remains a point of discharge of
industrial and surface wastewaters of the power plant
4. Parallel operation of the dry and wet ash disposal areas
5. Ecological damage to the environment and the people living in
residential areas
Retrofitting the ash removal system of
Reftinskaya power plant
Option 1.
Option 2.
The existing wet ash
removal system remains
and expands
A system with removal and
shipment of dry coal ash
and storing the unclaimed
part at the dry ash disposal
site is created
Main indicators of wet and dry ash
removal systems of Reftinskaya SDPP
Indicators
Wet system
Dry system
Area for the ash dump expansion, ha
456,0
–*
The total capacity of the ash dump, million m3
137,2
185,3
Ash dump to be filled, years
20,6
36,0
Length of embankments, km
49,4
–
Volume of stone for construction of dams, thousand m3
4660,0
–
The cost of the dam (without VAT), USD million
269,0
–
Valuation of options for ash removal system (excluding
VAT), mln USD
448,0
241,0
Payback period of the investment project
Never!
Depending on the
volume of ash sales
* ― for constructing the dry ash disposal the filled ash pond sections are uses
Expected results of dry ash removal
system introduction at Reftinskaya SDPP
improving the environmental situation in the place of the
power plant location;
 no need to expand the ash dump and saving 465 hectares of
wood;
 reduction of water consumption at the power plant as a whole;
 prolongation of the ash dump filling of 1.8;
 reduction of the cost price of electricity generation;
 increase in ash sales.

Actual results of retrofitting the ash
removal system of Reftinskaya SDPP
 the
existing wet ash removal system remains as a reserve one;
 wet
bottom ash removal system, which should work in parallel
with the dry ash disposal, is under project;
 the
following is initiated: creation of the dry ash removal
system from ESPs hoppers, its pneumatic conveying to the
silo, partial shipment of dry ash to consumers and storage of
the unclaimed part of dry ash at the dry ash disposal site;
 appreciation of
the cost price of ash handling;
 appreciation of
the cost price of electricity generation;
 increased water
consumption at the power plant as a whole.
4. Informing all social groups
about the best available nature
protection technologies in power
industry and ways of addressing
the coal ash handling problem
4.1. On Electronic Information Systems of
the Open Access
Information System of the Open Access
"The Best Available and Perspective
Nature Protection Technologies in the
Russian Power Industry" both in Russian
and English - http://osi.ecopower.ru
4.2. Mass Media Role
by example of the ash spill at the ash pond of Kingston
Power Plant (Tennessee, USA) in 2008
 Extremely negative opinion about beneficial use of all
types of coal ash
 Adverse changing in U.S. legislation relating to CCPs
handling
 Closing of C2P2 Program (partnership in the field of coal
combustion by-products)
4.3. Organizing and holding the
international scientific conferences and
workshops
Proceedings of the International Ash
Conferences are placed in the mentioned
Open Information System at the section “Ash
handling” both in Russian and English.
4.4. Training of specialists in the field of
nature protection technologies and coal ash
handling
Improvement of professional skills and retraining in
the Training Center “Ecology of Power Engineering”
of MPEI

Tens of training programs have been developed;
 More than 1000 listeners have been trained;
 Manuals, monographs, hundreds of educational aids have
been issued
5. On harmonization of
legislation of countries worldwide in the field of coal ash
handling
Harmonization of nature protection legislation of
the countries world-wide, especially of the
trading partners, is an essential factor for
increase in efficiency of coal ash use and
introduction of BAT to the power industry
Aftereffects of the absence of the harmonized
legal and normative documents on coal ash
handling
1. Obstacle to the implementation of BAT of the world relating to coal
ash handling at the coal-fired power plants
2. Negative impact on timing of repayment and investment
attractiveness of BAT introduction in the field of coal ash handling
3. Obstacle to building national civilized market of commercial
products made of ash and marketable products produced using ash
4. Continued degradation of environment by ash ponds of coal-fired
power plants near their location and unsustainable use of natural
mineral resources
5. Barrier in trading commodity products made of ash between the
countries of the world
For addressing the coal ash handling problem in
Russia it’s required to implement the programtarget method, for which it’s necessary:
1. Create a single state responsibility Centre for coordinating the activities of all
Federal and Regional Ministries and Agencies relating to efficient solution of the coal
ash handling problem
2. Provide state funding of the permanent researches in the field of coal ash handling
for the following:
creating the holistic legal framework in the field of coal ash handling to be
constantly updated;
harmonization of Russian and foreign legal and normative documents;
constant updating the Information System of the Open Access "The Best Available
and Perspective Nature Protection Technologies in the Russian Power Industry" in
Russian and English
informing the public on BAT in the field of ecology in power engineering and coal
ash handling
For addressing the coal ash handling problem in
Russia it’s required to implement the programtarget method, for which it’s necessary:
3. Provide matching the qualification of staff of power companies and other
organizations, dealing with coal ash handling and introducing BAT at the coal-fired
power plants, to the modern requirements
4. Organize close interaction between management of energy companies and
Legislative and Executive Authorities at all levels on BAT introduction and beneficial
coal ash use.