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For full details and to register your place, please visit the event website.
Please briefly explain your role, involvement, and experience with fired power boilers and EfW
Mark Roberts (MR): As the head of engineering for Evero, I am involved in the boiler lifecycle replacements for five energy from waste power stations owned or part-owned by Evero. I work with waste wood and Refuse Derived fuels with Grates and with Gasifiers to produce heat, steam and electricity. I have been with Evero for 5 and a half years, seeing these projects through construction, commissioning and to operation.
What is the top challenge facing your industry at present?
MR: One of the biggest challenges facing me in the industry is the technology selection for gasifiers; I am involved with gasifiers from Outotec in the USA. This technology has been problematic and so seven power stations in the UK have struggled to gain reliability; this has affected the perception of gasification. I firmly believe gasification can unlock many new technologies around carbon capture, hydrogen production and future fuels such as sustainable aviation fuel.
How would you say your industry has evolved over the past five years?
MR: It is a combination of people from oil & gas, power and waste backgrounds; this brings an interesting mix to the way we do things.
What developments are going on in your industry that may have an impact on the development of future approaches to boiler technology and power generation?
MR: Material selection for boiler components is changing the lifecycle of boiler components.
Sootblower technology is changing the erosion of pressure parts. Combustion controls is changing the conditions for ash; one of our biggest problems considering 20% of the fuel turns to ash.
What will you be presenting at the 2023 ‘Boiler User Group’ and how will this benefit participants?
MR: How we have overcome the difficulties of gasification – and there have been many.
Why is it important for engineers and industry to come together at this event and share best practice?
MR: It is important for engineers to come together to learn from each other to ensure progression of the sector. This is so important to save the sector money and make sure we don’t all make the same mistakes. This will help the sector be more acceptable to the public, gain a greater confidence from investors and allow the industry to deal with one of our biggest problems – waste as well as producing electricity or future fuels.
The IMechE Boiler User Group 2023 will take place on 15-16 November 2023 in Nottingham.
The user group will address issues relating to all aspects of the design, operation, maintenance and integrity of boilers (fired boiler plant associated with power generation or industrial process steam). This will cover a wide scope of plant areas and fuels, including waste, biomass, fossil and other fuels.
For full details and to register your place, please visit the event website.