On February 1, 2019, the Board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) unanimously approved a new joint demonstration project between ClearSign Combustion and World Oil Refinery. SCAQMD will sponsor and partially fund the retrofit installation of ClearSign’s Duplex™ technology within World Oil Refinery’s South Gate, CA refinery as part of the demonstration. Funding for the project, which was originally announced in September 2017 with another host site at that time, is a collaborative effort that includes contributions from the air district, ClearSign, and World Oil Refinery. SCAQMD’s goal is to implement new stationary source emission control technologies to achieve improved ambient-air quality standards.
[Source: World Oil Corp website]
The demonstration aims to achieve levels of nitrogen oxide (NOx), a criteria pollutant that is a precursor to photochemical smog, below the current rule and BACT (Best Available Control Technology) limits of 5 parts per million (ppm). The project will involve the retrofit addition of 5 Duplex Plug & PlayTM devices to the existing process furnace. The testing period will be one year after successful start up, using SCAQMD-approved source test methods. Particulate matter (PM) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions will also be monitored. Duplex has shown to reduce NOx to as low as 2.5 ppm without the use of complex or expensive mitigation methods such as Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR).
Based on preliminary estimates, the project is expected to reduce over 15 tons NOx emissions compared to current operations, without utilization of catalysts, chemicals, utility consumption or other inefficient requirements of established technologies. This will be ClearSign’s 14th installation utilizing Duplex technology.
See below to watch SCAQMD’s Technology Committee meeting on January 18, 2019 in which the joint sponsorship was approved for subsequent official Board approval on February 1, 2019.