We support a specialist company for decontamination and substitution of calcium-containing insulation for gas engines in combined heat and power plants (CHP/CHP).
If you don't see it with your own eyes, you may not believe how high the proportion of carcinogenic and environmentally toxic chromate dust is on engines that were previously thermally insulated with calcium; watch the following video:
"In principle, every CHP plant engine that is insulated with textiles is contaminated with carcinogenic chromium (VI) compounds, which are released not only during maintenance work, but also during regular operation"
The reason for the contamination is the thermochemical high oxidation of alloys containing chromium (III) in stainless steels, with the calcium oxides of the applied thermal insulation to form hexavalent chromium compounds (calcium chromate).
After just a while, the environmentally harmful chromates have formed between the applied insulation and the hot parts of the engine.
The protection of employees from carcinogenic substances (calcium chromate is classified as "carcinogenic 1B") has long been defined in the EU Directive 2004/37 EC and is regulated e.g. in Germany by the Hazardous Substances Ordinance (GefStoffV).
Since there is no so-called threshold value for chromium (VI) compounds, a “high risk” always applies to the mandatory risk assessment. and the employer must comply with a whole package of measures to protect its employees or external service personnel (minimization requirement).
If you look at the gas engine and its applied thermal insulation (insulation), you get the usual picture. The gray, calcium-containing textile insulation covers the hot parts to keep process heat in the system and reduce the radiation temperature.
If the insulation has to be removed, you will see clear powder residue on the surface of the previously insulated engine parts:
For many years it was assumed that the yellowish deposits were sulfur, but it turns out that they are not sulfur, but carcinogenic and environmentally toxic chromium (VI) compounds, namely calcium chromate (CaCrO4), like chromium ( VI) test shows through its purple discoloration:
The harmful chromates have also formed on the inside of the insulation:
You don't need much imagination to imagine that the chromates are swirled around the entire engine compartment by the thermals during operation of the cogeneration engine.
In Germany alone there are 10,000(!) CHP plants in operation and almost every system is insulated with calcium-containing, textile insulation materials!
The danger to people and the environment is enormous. It is only slowly that operators realize that they have been exposed for years and continue to be exposed.
The thousands of service staff are slowly becoming aware of this and are causing unrest in the market.
The engine manufacturers only release very limited information, the consequences and liabilities cannot yet be foreseen.
Thousands of risk assessments have to be rewritten, operating instructions and employee training have to be adapted, but one thing is already clear; The new dress code for combined heat and power plants for work to be carried out where the calcium-containing insulation has to be moved will look like this in the future:
But there is also good news:
The substitution of calcium-containing insulation, which leads, among other things, to the formation of the chromium (VI) compound calcium chromate on chromium-containing hot parts, is possible - there are the first calcium-free insulation systems that prevent the formation of chromate due to their alkaline and alkaline earth metal-free (and therefore calcium-free) properties !
The Polish company Kavarmat s.c. - The Cleansulation company offers calcium-free chp plant insulation and will therefore certainly be the first choice of the so-called safety specialists (HSE), the operators of CHP plants and CHP systems, in the mandatory substitution test as a supplier of substitution solutions (combined heat and power) and are responsible, among other things, for risk assessments and other technical and organizational measures.
Kavarmat's services also include decontamination measures that significantly reduce the risk to people and the environment during the replacement work.
We will report on what this work looks like in one of the next articles (the picture shows the managing director installing the calcium-free insulation systems after dismantling and decontamination)!
