Influence of Mineral Matter on Boiler Performance

Mineral matter and ash increase pollution, reduce boiler performance, and increase the cost of power generation. Emissions of pollution are increased by compounds librated from the ash such as toxic metals and sulfur and by the particulate fly ash itself. Fly ash decreases the performance of the boilers by decreasing availability, capacity, and efficiency. Loss of one percent availability or capacity or a decrease in 100 Btu kW-1 hr-1 (105 kJ kW-1 hr-1) increases the cost of generating power from a 1000 MWe plant by one million U.S. dollars per year (1).