John B KittoAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers | ASME
John B Kitto
About
59
Publications
35,490
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Citations
Introduction
John B. Kitto, Jr., PE is currently a Renewable Energy Technology Consultant. He retired from Babcock & Wilcox Company in 2012 after 37 years in the energy business. His responsibilities included: research on boiling heat transfer/two-phase flow, physical flow modeling and combustion emissions control as well as product & business development (power - most recently waste-to-energy and biomass). A Fellow of ASME, he has been the Technical Editor & Advisor of the reference book "Steam; its Generation & Use" for 25 years. Other current areas of interest are natural sciences including archaeology, paleontology, cosmology and zoology.
Additional affiliations
June 2012 - present
Renewable Energy Consulting
Position
- Consultant
Description
- Engineering consulting and business development on renewable energy projects in particular biomass and municipal solid waste-to-energy; as well as boilers, environmental emissions control and sustainability.
February 1999 - July 2012
The Babcock & Wilcox Company
Position
- Business Development Manager
Description
- Development of new products and businesses arising out of internal R&D, partnering or business acquisition - major project development in new/advanced renewable energy systems (biomass & WTE)
January 1982 - January 1999
The Babcock & Wilcox Company
Position
- Development Specialist
Description
- New product technology R&D plus commercialization: vacuum insulated steam injection tubing, heat pipe heat exchangers, NDE, combustion systems, thermal storage media & air emissions control
Education
August 1976 - May 1980
August 1971 - May 1975
Publications
Publications (59)
Modern solid waste management including the use of advanced waste-to-energy (WTE) technology provides a comprehensive basis to maximize the recovery and use of resources while minimizing the emissions of greenhouse gases. This paper provides an overview of current municipal solid waste (MSW) streams and their strategic management practices followed...
While most critical heat flux or CHF studies focus on relatively straightforward geometries, actual equipment applications are complex. This paper summarizes literature which provides insights into the effects of selected inlet conditions on CHF and the occurrence of upstream CHF. Vertical smooth bore tube CHF tests found that the concept of “local...
“Steam Boilers,” Section 7.2, covers the design of industrial and utility steam boilers plus their associated fuel preparation, combustion and emissions control equipment. Updates in the 12th edition include expanded coverage of renewable fuels, ultra-supercritical pressure boiler operating conditions, updated water chemistry guidelines and recent...
America's first new waste-to-energy plant in two decades is a source of renewable energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. On July 18, 2015, Palm Beach Renewable Energy Facility No. 2 (PBREF No. 2) began commercial operation following successful completion of the plant acceptance tests. Combining the best of U.S. and European WTE emissions cont...
On July 18, 2015, Palm Beach Renewable Energy Facility No. 2 (PBREF No. 2) began commercial operation following successful completion of the plant acceptance tests. The plant is owned by the Solid Waste Authority (SWA) of Palm Beach County and is the first greenfield waste-to-energy (WTE) facility to come online in North America in 20 years. Combin...
Evaluation of boiling heat transfer and two-phase flow are critical to proper circulation in steam generating boilers and related equipment. This chapter provides a detailed overview of: 1) flow boiling phenomena and their evaluation including critical heat flux at operating pressures below the critical pressure and unique elements of heat transfer...
As part of the major Section on Power Generation, this Chapter covers boiler design and hardware, auxiliary equipment for boilers as well as major emissions control equipment found in modern central power generation facilities as well as major industry power and steam generation installations.
This book details advances in the production of steam and the utilization of all types of fuels. Extensively updated throughout including advance ultrasupercritical pressure and renewable fuels boilers, newest emissions control technologies and the latest numerical modeling analytical techniques. Section 1 covers Steam Fundamentals including thermo...
Deregulation of the power industry and tightening of NOx
regulations are creating challenges for electric utilities. Just
as utilities are striving to drive down costs, further NOx control
requirements will result in increased capital and operating
expenditures. A range of combustion technologies and postcombustion
systems are available, and the ke...
Deregulation of the power industry and tightening of NOx regulations are creating challenges for electric utilities. Just as utilities are striving to drive down costs, further NOx control requirements will result in increased capital and operating expenditures. A range of combustion technologies and post-combustion systems are available, and the k...
A system for providing heated fluidized bed gasifcation of
a residual waste liquor provides a bed of granular material
and a source of liquor provided to the material bed. An
injector is situated in the material bed and communicates
with an air source, a fuel source and a steam source. Fuel and
air are combusted in the injector and mixed with the s...
This chapter provides a general overview of steam generator or boiler technology. The first part covers watertube boiler design where the steam is generated inside of tubes. This includes steam-water circulation, combustion loop, design and construction considerations, package boiler designs, field-erected designs and heat recovery steam generator...
Coal-fired boiler systems will continue to be major contribu-tors in the future. New pulverized coal-fired systems routinelyinstalled today generate power at net thermal cycle efficienciesranging from 34 to 37% (higher heating value) while removingup to 97% of the combined, uncontrolled air pollution emis-sions. A new generation of pulverized coal-...
A variety of constituents found in the products of combustion
have been targeted for postcombustion control by national
and local regulatory agencies. Primary among these are sulfur
dioxide (SO2), oxides of nitrogen (NOx appearing mainly as NO),
and particulate. Additional emphasis has recently been placed
upon the control of hazardous air pollutan...
Deregulation of the electric utility industry is resulting in sig- nificant opportunities and challenges for U.S. power generators. Existing coal-fired capacity potentially offers the lowest vari- able cost power production option if these units are upgraded to optimize capacity, operating cost (including fuel), efficiency, and availability while a...
When integrated with a program of inspections and upgrades, routine maintenance has been shown to maximize the safely, reliability, longevity and efficiency of boilers.
As with any power plant fuel conversion, the extent of boiler modifications needed to address a change from heavy oil to Orimulsion® firing cover a broad range of boiler and plant areas depending upon the initial unit design and the final preferred operating conditions. In many ways, an Orimulsion fuel conversion parallels the types of changes need...
Coal has provided an important part of global power production. However, evolving economic and environmental drivers will bring changes where and how coal contributes to power production in the future. Coal use is projected to decline in the US and western Europe but increase in Asia and Eastern Europe. Emissions limits will continue to fall with t...
Coal-fired boiler systems generate approximately 38%
of the electric power generation worldwide and will continue
to be major contributors in the future. New pulverized
coal-fired systems routinely installed today generate
power at net thermal cycle efficiencies ranging from 34
to 37% (higher heating value) while removing up to 97%
of the combined,...
This Chapter recounts the history of the support provided by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers to the founding and advancement of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering.
As the US utility industry begins the transition from a highly regulated structure to a market-dominated one, older coal-fired boilers are targeted for upgrades and enhancements. Highest priority is given to projects that minimize operating cost, improve availability, maximize capacity and meet minimum emissions standards.
A system for providing heated fluidized bed gasification of
a residual Waste liquor provides a bed of granular material
and a source of liquor provided to the material bed. An
injector is situated in the material bed and communicates
with an air source, a fuel source and a steam source. Fuel and
air are combusted in the injector and mixed with the...
While worldwide regulations for the control of primary pollutants vary widely, it is clear that future emissions limits will be more stringent while the fuels being consumed will be more diverse. Today, an array of combustion and post-combustion technologies such as low NOx burners and wet SO2 scrubbers meet emission control requirements. Advanced...
Heat transfer--more broadly, thermal engineering--is playing an increasingly critical role in the development and successful application of advanced technology in virtually all fields. From space stations to hazardous-waste destruction to high-speed transport, from ozone-protecting refrigerants to ``night vision`` goggles, a vast range of technolog...
The objective of the Low-NOâ Cell{trademark}Burner (LNCB{trademark}) demonstration is to evaluate the applicability of this technology for reducing NOâ emissions in full-scale, cell burner-equipped boilers. More precisely, the program objectives are to: (1) Achieve at least a 50% reduction in NOâ emissions. (2) Reduce NOâ with no degradation to boi...
Rapid growth in electrical power generation capacity is expected in Asia, the Pacific Rim, and other areas as nations strive to improve the standard of living for their citizens, and as developing nations continue their rapid growth. Coal and lignite will play a significant role because of their cost and wide availability. The challenge will be to...
A low NO; burner system for a furnace having spaced apart front and rear walls, comprises a double row of cell burners on each of the front and rear walls. Each cell burner is either of the inverted type with a secondary air nozzle spaced vertically below a coal nozzle, or the non-inverted type where the coal nozzle is below the secondary air port....
The evolving global environment will change how coal will be used in the future to meet growing power production needs. The rapid development and deployment of advanced coal technologies (including ultra-supercritical boiler technology and advanced emissions control) will depend on the partnerships of suppliers, power companies, fuel suppliers and...
Existing boiler capacity burning low rank coals can continue to play an important role in meeting energy needs in central and eastern Europe. However, to conserve and use this resource in an environmentally sound manner, a strategic integrated approach is needed to extend boiler life, increase reliability/availability/efficiency, and reduce emissio...
This book details advances in the production of steam and the utilization of all types of fuels. Section 1 covers Steam Fundamentals including thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, boiling heat transfer/two phase flow/circulation, metallurgy/materials and structural design. Section 2 covers Steam Generation from Chemical Energy. Section 3...
Projections of future energy requirements throughout the world indicate that coal will continue to play a role. Babcock & Wilcox is involved in developing many new systems and technologies aimed at effectively utilizing this resource while providing the lowest possible emissions from these systems. However, there is always a balance which must be m...
Steam generating boilers are some of the most complex pieces of heat transfer equipment currently supplied for power and process applications. This chapter covers the fundamental technology elements for the design of boiler components with particular emphasis on water-steam circulation, boiling heat transfer, two-phase flow and pressure-drop, circu...
Fuel switching from high-sulfur coal to low-sulfur fuel, such as gas oil or coal, represents a key option when developing a compliance strategy to SO2 emissions control requirements of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. However, large coal-fired utility boilers in service today have been custom designed for selected fuels: changing the fuel may...
This presentation covers significant advances in heat exchanger technology and identifies important trends and future directions. It includes cooling towers, feedwater heaters, condensers, boilers, air heaters and advanced systems.
An apparatus and method for supplying a controlled flow of fluid transported solid particles, in particular, pulverized coal by the controlled injection of a fluid, such as a gas like compressed air, into at least one feed pipe. The flow of coal in feed pipes is controlled by selectively reducing or increasing the flow of primary air to achieve a b...
Current and pending state and federal regulations present coal-fired boiler owners with the increasingly difficult task of reducing NOx emissions while continuing to efficiently provide steam for power generation. To aid in this task, there are a range of combustion and post-combustion technologies for specific applications to provide the lowest co...
Modern heat exchangers are simple in concept but are actually complex machines requiring careful performance design with the melding heat transfer, fluid flow, mechanical design, corrosion science and material application to provide successful installations. This summary provides key elements of a panel discussion of 8 experts in the field discussi...
Maldistribution of flow in heat exchangers may have dramatic consequences on thermal and mechanical performance. This article summarizes some of the insights and experience discussed during a recent symposium on this subject. The paper concludes that maldistribution of flow should not normally be a problem in single-phase heat exchangers where good...
This arrival discusses the capabilities of a developmental system to control particulate, NOx and SO2 emissions from fired boiler systems using a single post-combustion device.
Acid rain legislation currently under consideration will present a challenge to both equipment owners and boiler manufacturers to provide economical options for retrofitting pre-NSPS boilers for NOx emissions control. The diversity of combustion methods, customer preferences, and local regulations will require a broad range of site specific solutio...
A bench-scale test program was conducted by McDermott Technology, Inc. (MTI, formerly the Research and Development Division of Babcock & Wilcox) to obtain proof-of-concept data for B&W's low-temperature black liquor gasifier design. The test program verified that black liquor gasification (BLG) was possible in a low-temperature, bubbling bed mode....
This chapter is concerned with the key elements of steam-water two-phase flow in fossil-fired steam generators or boilers. Particular emphasis is placed upon the evaluation of large, coal-fired, high-pressure steam generators which are prevalent in electric utility power stations. This provides the framework for the common elements with unique char...
This chapter is concerned with the key elements of steam-water two-phase flow in fossil-fired steam generators or boilers. Particular emphasis is placed upon the evaluation of large, coal-fired, high-pressure steam generators which are prevalent in electric utility power stations. This provides the framework for the common elements with unique char...
Heat pipes are high-performance heat transfer devices that are simple, inexpensive and reliable over a long service life. They offer a combination of benefits not possible with other devices. No moving parts and positive seal connections reduce leakage to effectively zero, while the high heat transfer rates permit a low-weight, low-volume, low-cost...
Maldistribution of flow in heat exchangers may have dramatic consequences on thermal and mechanical performance. This article provides the introductory remarks for the associated book and symposium of the same title. Conventional design practice accepts the assumption of uniform flow and temperature fields. However maldistribution of flow cannot be...
This book contains 16 selections. Some of the titles are: Review of Air Flow Problems Associated with Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers in the Process, Power and Petrochemical Industries; The Effect of Nonuniform Inlet Flow and Temperature Distribution on the Thermal Performance of Air-Cooled Condensers; Heat Exchanger Flow Analysis to Resolve Potential V...
The residual contaminants found in high-purity water flowing through boiler systems and waterside deposits can have a significant impact on the thermal-hydraulic performance of the system. Deposits created on the waterside tube surface can reduce or improve heat transfer rates, reduce the allowable critical heat flux and increase pressure drop. The...
An unusual form of "upstream" critical heat flux (CHF) has been observed and directly linked to the inlet flow pattern during an experimental study of high pressure (17 - 20 MPa) water flowing through a vertical 38.1 mm ID smooth bore tube with uniform axial and nonuniform circumferential heating. These upstream CHF data were characterized by tempe...
This book compiles the 10 papers presented at the conference on the subject of heat transfer mechanics and instrumentation related to heat exchangers which experience two-phase flow. Theoretical and experimental data are provided in each paper. The topics covered are: temperature effects of steel; optimization of design of two-phase heat exchanges;...
Two-phase flow is involved in over half of the heat exchanger equipment applications in both the process and power industries. Therefore, it is not surprising that strong research and development interest exists for equipment with two-phase application. This book compiles the 20 papers presented at the conference covering both applied and theoretic...
This paper presents some results of critical heat flux (CHF) tests which were conducted on 38.1 mm (1-1/2 in.) nominal ID smooth and ribbed bore tubes to evaluate the effect of nonuniform circumferential heating on the CHF phenomenon. The electrically-heated test sections were operated using upward, steam/water flow at 18.6 MPa (2700 psia) with 15-...
A new and improved design of a pulverizer air throat for low-pressure drop, reduced erosion and improved flow distribution.
The evidence in the open literature which argues for and against the existence of the limiting quality phenomenon. Data, correlations, and theories are presented and analyzed. Some new experimental data are also included for comparison purposes. The evidence appears to be adequate to support the existence of the limiting quality phenomenon. However...
Critical heat flux (CHF) tests were performed to evaluate the effect of dissolved, nonreactive contaminants on low-pressure industrial boilers (see also Conference Paper 79-HT-72 of the same title for text & details).These tests were conducted on a 2.38-inch (60.5 mm) I.D. vertical smooth bore tube with nonuniform circumferential heating at pressur...
The vast majority of critical heat flux (CHF) data available in the literature have been obtained using high-purity water (less than 10 ppm total dissolved solids). These conditions are usually associated with high pressure nuclear reactors or fossil steam generators used in the utility industry. However, such high-purity water is rarely found in l...
A fluidized bed combustor (FBC) using limestone to absorb SO/sub 2/ appears to have sound potential for burning high sulfur eastern coals (which are in ample supply) while staying within anti-pollution regulations. A literature search was conducted by the Alliance Research Center of Babcock and Wilcox for EPRI. The purpose: to collect available FBC...
A fluidized bed combustor (FBC) using limestone to absorb SO/sub 2/ appears to have sound potential for burning high sulfur eastern coals (which are in ample supply) while staying within anti-pollution regulations. A literature search was conducted by the Alliance Research Center of Babcock and Wilcox for EPRI. The purpose: to collect available FBC...
This volume contains the detailed appendices pertaining to the fluidized-bed combustion of coal including a bibliography of 645 references.