XN000022-1983-04-13 — Page 15

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 1983.

1983.

PRECIPITATORS FOR INCINERATORS

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NEW TECHNOLOGY HAS ENABLED THE GOVERNMENT TO UNDERTAKE A PILOT SCHEME TO INSTALL ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS IN THE KENNEDY TOWN INCINERATOR.

REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON STEPHEN CHEONG, THE SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE, THE HON GEOFFREY BARNES EXPLAINED THAT THE PRECIPITATORS WOULD BE INSTALLED IN TWO OF THE REFUSE BURNING LINES AT THE KENNEDY TOWN INCINERATOR, AT A COST OF $8.5 MILLION.

THE OTHER THREE UNITS AT KENNEDY TOWN WOULD BE FITTED WITH PRECIPITATORS BETWEEN JULY 1984 AND OCTOBER 1985, SUBJECT TO PROVISION OF FUNDS, MR BARNES SAID. THIS WORK WOULD COST $18 MILLION.

MR BARNES EXPLAINED THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS THREE INCINERATORS - AT KWAI CHUNG, KENNEDY TOWN AND LAI CHI KOK.

THE KWAI CHUNG INCINERATOR, COMMISSIONED ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO, HAS ELECTROSTATIC PRÉCIPITATORS WHICH WERE INCLUDED IN ITS DESIGN.

+1 UNDERSTAND THAT SINCE ITS COMMISSIONING NO COMPLAINT

HAS BEEN RECEIVED FROM THE PUBLIC,+ HE SAID.

THE KENNEDY TOWN AND LAI CHI KOK INCINERATORS ARE

MUCH OLDER PLANTS. WHEN BUILT, THEIR DESIGNED FLUE TEMPERATURES WERE TOO HIGH FOR ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS TO BE INSTALLED.

AS A RESULT OF NEW TECHNOLOGY, HOWEVER, THE GOVERNMENT HAS NOW EMBARKED ON A PILOT SCHEME TO INSTALL PRECIPITATORS ON TWO OF THE FIVE REFUSE BURNING LINES AT KENNEDY TOWN.

IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO SAY CONCLUSIVELY AT THIS STAGE HOW EFFECTIVE THIS WOULD PROVE, BUT THE INITIAL TEST RESULTS WERE SATISFACTORY AND THE PERFORMANCE OF THE UNIT WAS COMFORTABLY WITHIN THE LATEST DUST EMISSION STANDARDS ADOPTED IN THE U.K. HOWEVER, A PREMATURE CORROSION PROBLEM HAD DEVELOPED AND WAYS OF OVERCOMING THIS WERE BEING STUDIED BY THE STAFF OF THE ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE MANUFACTURER AND THE STAFF OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, HE SAID.

THE EIGHT UNITS FOR LAI CHI KOK WOULD HAVE PRECIPITATORS FITTED BETWEEN LATE 1985 AND MID-1990, AT A COST OF $116 MILLION.

HE SAID THE INSTALLATION PROGRAMME WAS ARRANGED TO MEET THE URBAN COUNCIL'S REQUIREMENT THAT ONLY TWO INCINERATION LINES SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN AT ANY ONE TIME FOR MODIFICATION WORK. IN THIS WAY AN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL OF REFUSE DISPOSAL CAPACITY CAN BE MAINTAINED, HE SAID.

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