UNIVERSITY'S NEW BOILER ON LINE 30% OF TIME; BUGS IN HIGH-TECH EQUIPMENT NOT OUT, SAYS PLANT DIRECTOR

A $5.5 million bubbling-bed boiler that supplies power to Southeast Missouri State University has been operational only about 30 percent of the time since early 1990.

But the director of the university's power plant said Friday, because of the boiler's relatively new technology, problems are expected.

"We have had a lot of concern over it," said the director, Vincent E. Seyer. "But there are just so many items on a $5.5 million machine, you are bound to have things go wrong with it. We are still trying to work out the bugs."

Crews are working now to replace the bed refractory, which insulates the boiler from excessive heat, he said. It will be operational again in a week to 10 days, said Seyer. The repairs have taken about a month, he said.

The boiler, first installed and used in March 1989, is one of few in the country that burns high-sulfur coal, which is abundant in Southern Illinois. It uses limestone to reduce the amount of sulfur dioxide produced by burning the coal.

It is designed to emit fewer pollutants into the air than other coal-burning plants. The technology used to reduce the number of pollutants is considered by scientists to be one way of reducing acid rain.

Seyer said the amount of corrective work done on the boiler in the past two years has meant the university must fire up its old boilers when the new one is down.

But, he said, during the coming year problems should be minimized. "We are hopeful we are eliminating all of the items that are troublesome," he said.

Since it was first fired up, the boiler has had its share of problems. Air-emissions tests on the boiler during its early months of operation showed that the level of pollutants emitted from the plant were above allowable levels.

University officials said the emissions problems were the result of not being able to find the proper type of low-moisture limestone used to control sulfur-dioxide emissions produced from burning high-sulfur coal.

A stone company in Ste. Genevieve was able to provide the proper limestone, and by the end of 1989, the plant was releasing well below average amounts of pollutants.

Seyer said since early 1990, there have been no problems with meeting federal emissions standards. Emissions are monitored regularly, he said.

Beginning next month the limestone used in the plant will be purchased from a stone company in Valmeyer, Ill. The Ste. Genevieve company can no longer supply the university with the limestone it needs, Seyer said. More emissions tests will follow the switch, he said, to make sure they still meet environmental standards.

The university uses coal from Southern Illinois mines because it is close by and transportation costs are minimal, he said. The Peabody Coal Co., is a major supplier.

The boiler, which can produce 50,000 pounds of steam pressure per hour, is satisfying a need for an energy producer that does not harm the environment, Seyer said.

"This is leading technology. This is what people want. Some opt for gas plants, but this is just a better alternative."

Seyer said emissions from the plant when the new boiler is working appear much cleaner now than the emissions from the old boilers when they are in use. The old boilers produced thick black smoke, he said.

"Sometimes you can't tell the boiler is on; that's how clean it is," he said.