BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION 

OPTIONS AND ECONOMICS

Authors: 

Criag H. Fleming, Gary D. Mooney 

Clyde Bergemann Delta Ducon, Malvern, PA 19355 USA 

Published at: 

Power-Gen International 

Orlando, FL USA 

December 14-16, 2010
BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION OPTIONS AND ECONOMICS 2

INTRODUCTION 

Wet Bottom Ash material handling systems and surface impoundments are presently 

regarded as the industry standard and are certainly the most commonly used method in 

the coal fired power industry around the world today. However, with the recent event of 

an ash pond (surface impoundment) failure and the ensuing EPA investigation of all 

existing facilities employing this technology, environmentally suitable alternatives are 

being investigated by coal fired electric power producers. 

This paper will address the available technologies and their comparison. The four 

primary Bottom Ash conversion approaches are as follows: 

 DRYCONTM SYSTEM: (retrofit) The collection, crushing, air cooling and 

mechanical conveying of bottom ash without the need for water quenching. 

 SUBMERGED SCRAPER CONVEYOR: (retrofit) The collection, water quenching 

and mechanical conveying of bottom ash; with a closed loop cooling water system. 

 CONVENTIONAL TANK FARM DEWATERING: The continued collection of 

bottom ash in water impounded hoppers, and the future addition of dewatering 

bins, settling tank and surge tank; with a closed loop water system. 

 ASHCONTM REMOTE SUBMERGED SCRAPER CONVEYOR SYSTEM: The 

continued collection of bottom ash in water impounded hoppers, and the future 

addition of a hybrid Submerged Scraper Conveyor; with a closed loop water 

system. 

This paper will detail the following for each of the four conversion options: 

 Site Specific Limitations: Facility Age, Physical Layout, and Boiler design type and 

configuration. 

 System Design Parameters: Thermal and Mechanical. 

 Environmental Issues and Benefits: Zero water discharge and Boiler Efficiency 

improvement. 

 Economic analysis, of each approach. 

Conversion projects will differ from plant to plant and variations on the systems will be 

discussed. 

Clyde Bergemann is recognized as a technical leader in the field of Bottom Ash and Fly 

Ash Handling Systems and has many reference installations around the world. 
BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION OPTIONS AND ECONOMICS 3

Wet Bottom Ash (BA) material handling systems and surface impoundments are 

presently regarded as the industry standard and are certainly the most commonly used 

method in the coal fired power industry around the world today. 

Water impounded bottom ash hoppers, 

located under the boiler throat are used to 

store the collected bottom ash and 

periodically (once or twice per 8 hour shift) 

the hoppers are discharged and Bottom 

Ash is hydraulically conveyed to surface 

impoundments (ash ponds). The ash is 

pumped utilizing either high pressure jet 

pumps or slurry pumps. 

Surface Impoundment are large water filled basins, 

either man made or constructed using natural 

topography and the employment of a retainage 

dam, to store the coal combustion residuals (CCR) 

for extended periods of time. 

At the time when many surface impoundments 

were constructed there was little state or federal 

regulation. 

However, with the recent event of an ash pond 

(surface impoundment) failure and the ensuing 

EPA investigation of all existing facilities 

employing this technology, environmentally 

suitable alternatives are being investigated by 

coal fired electric power producers. 

As of the date of preparation of this paper, there 

were 162 Power Plants utilizing Surface 

Impoundments. Recently the US EPA is 

proposing to regulate CCR under one of two 

scenarios. 

high water level

normal water level

mean ash level

jetting nozzles

sluice gate &

access door

clinker 

grinder

weir 

box high pressure

water inlet

jet pump /

eductor

Figure 1: Typical Bottom Ash Hopper Arrangement

Figure 2: Typical Surface Impoundment 

(Ash Pond)

Figure 3: Typical Surface Impoundment after 

berm failure
BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION OPTIONS AND ECONOMICS 4

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to regulate for the first time, 

Coal Combustion Residuals (CCRs) under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 

(RCRA) to address the risks from the disposal of CCRs generated from the combustion of 

coal at electric utilities and independent power producers. However, the Agency is 

considering two options in this proposal and, thus, is proposing two alternative 

regulations. Under the first proposal, EPA would reverse its August 1993 and May 2000 

Bevill Regulatory Determinations regarding coal combustion residuals (CCRs) and list 

these residuals as special wastes subject to regulation under subtitle C of RCRA, when 

they are destined for disposal in landfills or surface impoundments. Under the second 

proposal, EPA would leave the Bevill determination in place and regulate disposal of such 

materials under subtitle D of RCRA by issuing national minimum criteria. Under both 

alternatives EPA is proposing to establish dam safety requirements to address the 

structural integrity of surface impoundments to prevent catastrophic releases. Following is 

a summary of the two proposals. 

Figure 4: Proposed CCR Regulatory Differences 

http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/industrial/special/fossil/ccr-rule/ccr-table.htm
BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION OPTIONS AND ECONOMICS 5

In most cases, under the current proposed regulatory scenarios, surface impoundments 

will no longer be a viable disposal option. This paper will address the available 

technologies and their comparison for eliminating the need for surface impoundments. 

The four Primary Bottom Ash Conversion approaches are as follows: 

 CONVENTIONAL TANK FARM DEWATERING: The continued collection of 

bottom ash in water impounded hoppers, and the new addition of dewatering bins, 

settling tank and surge tank; with a closed loop water system. 

 SUBMERGED SCRAPER CONVEYOR: (retrofit) The collection, water quenching 

and mechanical conveying of bottom ash; with a closed loop cooling water system. 

 REMOTE DEWATERING CONVEYOR SYSTEM ASHCONTM: The continued 

collection of bottom ash in water impounded hoppers, and the added integration of 

a hybrid Remote Dewatering Conveyor; with a closed loop water system. 

 DRYCONTM SYSTEM: (retrofit) The collection, crushing, air cooling and 

mechanical conveying of bottom ash without the need for water quenching. 

This paper will detail the following for each of the BA conversion options: 

 Site Specific Limitations: Facility age, physical layout, and boiler design type and 

configuration. 

 System Design Parameters: Thermal and mechanical. 

 Environmental Issues and Benefits: Zero water discharge and boiler efficiency 

improvement. 

 Economic analysis, of each approach. 

Conversion projects will differ from plant to plant and variations on the systems will be 

discussed. 
BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION OPTIONS AND ECONOMICS 6  Conventional Dewatering Systems: 

When new power plants were being designed in the 1970’s, the state of the art ash 

handling systems at the time were closed loop water recirculation systems that involved a 

“tank farm” thousands of feet away from the boiler. 

Figure 5: Conventional Bottom Ash Dewatering System 

In these systems the bottom ash was pumped from the ash hoppers to the top of tall 

dewatering bins using either jet pumps or centrifugal slurry pumps. In either case, the 

Total Dynamic Head, TDH, that these pumps were designed to overcome included the 

height of the dewatering bins as well as the horizontal distance to the location of the bins. 

This vertical lift was a significant number and led to the phase out of jet pumps for these 

closed loop systems in favor of high-head single stage mining pumps to handle the high 

TDH as well as the larger slurry flows associated with greater ash generation rates. 

When the bottom ash slurry is pumped to the top of the dewatering bins, it is discharged 

into one of two bins: one bin is always ready to receive slurry while the other may be offline and in the midst of a 4-8 hour decanting cycle. All of the water entering or decanting 

from any dewatering bin overflows by gravity to a settling tank that reduces the Total 

Suspended Solids, TSS, and returns collected sludge back to an available dewatering 

bin. The clearer water overflowing the settling tank is stored in a surge tank for eventual 

return to the ash hopper to form the closed loop. There is still some ongoing particulate 

settling in the bottom of the surge tank which is also returned to an available dewatering 

bin. The actual discharge point from the surge tank for the closed loop recirculation path 

is above the lower settling zone. 
BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION OPTIONS AND ECONOMICS 7

The dewatering bins themselves have an upper portion with an inlet baffle, underflow 

baffle and overflow weir to force the ash itself down into the lower collection cone while 

providing a tortuous path for the water that reduces the ash carryover to the settling tank 

as much as possible, given the high flow rates. 

Once the incoming slurry flow to the dewatering bin ceases and the ash level is above the 

conical section, lower decanting valves are opened which allow water trapped in the ash 

volume to work its way by gravity out of the interstitial voids in the ash to decanting 

screens along the walls and possibly center of the bins. These screens have small 

openings to hold the ash in the bin while the water passes through them and down to a 

collecting ring header and out through the decanting valves to the settling tank. 

The settling tanks have to be quite large, on the order of 50 to 75 feet diameter, to slow 

the water flow velocity rates down and allow the ash fines to settle to the bottom. 

Underflow baffles and weirs are used here also to reduce the ash carryover to the surge 

tanks. 

 CONVENTIONAL TANK FARM DEWATERING: 

Where the boiler house configuration or type of boiler technology employed (cyclone 

boilers), prohibits the use of under the boiler retrofit technologies, the use of Conventional 

Tank Farm Dewatering can be utilized. 

Figure 6: Conventional Bottom Ash Dewatering System as Retrofit 

If the bottom ash currently is pumped to an ash pond, a complete closed loop water 

recirculation system can be erected in a field along the path of the existing ash lines and 

two diverter valves installed during a very short outage to divert the ash away from the 

pond and into the new closed loop system. 
BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION OPTIONS AND ECONOMICS 8

From a design standpoint, however, the biggest issue is replacing the low TDH capability 

of any existing jet pumps or even slurry pumps to handle the new vertical height and 

increased TDH of a closed loop system. This involves changing the water supply pumps 

and increasing the horsepower of their motors. 

 SUBMERGED SCRAPER CONVEYOR (Retrofit) 

Another viable option for Bottom Ash Handling is to utilize Submerged Scraper Conveyor 

(SSC) technology. For most Pulverized Coal (PC) fired boilers and some cyclone fired 

units it is possible to retrofit the bottom of the boiler with a Submerged Scraper Conveyor. 

However, for stations with multiple adjacent units, the physical arrangement of existing 

equipment may prohibit use of this technology, as the inclined dewatering section has no 

place to exit the boiler house. 

The SSC is a heavy duty dual drag 

flight chain conveyor. The conveyor is 

submerged in a water trough below the 

furnace which quenches hot bottom 

ash as it falls from the combustion 

chamber. The bottom ash is then 

dewatered as it travels up the inclined 

section before it discharges. Double roll 

crushers can be used for final particle 

reduction at the discharge of the SSC. 

The discharge of the SSC can be fed 

into removable containers or onto a transfer conveyor, which transports the Bottom Ash 

to storage, for by-product reuse or landfill. The SSC can be driven via single or twin 

hydraulic or electro-mechanical drives to suit the application requirements. Optional 

discharge Slide Gates can be provided depending on the application requirements, and 

removable or static conveyors can be engineered to suit boiler geometry or operational 

requirements. 

The final Bottom Ash moisture content is generally 

between 15 to 20 percent. If new regulations require 

further dewatering, the SSC can be discharged to a 

dual dewatering bin arrangement to further reduce the 

BA moisture content. 

To achieve “zero discharge” (water) for an SSC 

system, a “closed loop” water system can be installed. 

In order to minimize corrosion, water treatment for pH 

control and heat exchangers may need to be included 

as part of the total system. This adds additional capital 

cost and operating cost. 

Figure 7: SSC Factory Assembled for Testing

Figure 8: SSC Discharging to 

Dewatering Bins
BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION OPTIONS AND ECONOMICS 9  REMOTE DEWATERING CONVEYOR SYSTEM 

ASHCONTM Remote Submerged Scraper Conveyors: 

Clyde Bergemann Delta Ducon, CBDD, now offers a unique way to allow plants to retain 

all of their existing traditional wet bottom ash hoppers and slurry systems and still 

eliminate their ash ponds. By intercepting the pipelines leading to the ash ponds, the 

slurry flow is diverted to an ASHCONTM Remote Submerged Scraper Conveyor that has 

all of the bottom ash dewatering characteristics of a regular Submerged Scraper 

Conveyor plus the water flow control aspects of a dewatering bin without requiring the 

height of traditional dewatering bins. 

Figure 9: ASHCONTM Remote Submerged Scraper Conveyor as Retrofit 

By staying close to the ground, there is little, if any, increase in Total Dynamic Head, 

TDH, requirements on the existing jet pumps and water supply pumps associated with the 

existing pond disposal system. Rather than retrofitting jet pumps and water supply 

pumps to lift the slurry high in the air to reach new dewatering bins, the ASHCONTM 

Remote Submerged Scraper Conveyor easily accepts what exists and continuously 

dewaters the ash to the commercially required level of dryness. The resultant bottom ash 

product can immediately be loaded on to trucks for off site disposal or stored in temporary 

piles on the ground. The overflow water is handled by traditional or more state-of-the art 

water clarifiers. 

From 

Existing

Bottom 

Ash 

System

New 

ASHCONTM

System

Existing Ash 

Pond

Existing Bottom Ash Line

to Ash Pond 

PATENT

PENDING

Diverter 

Valves to new 

ASHCONTM

From 

Existing

Bottom 

Ash 

System

New 

ASHCONTM

System

Existing Ash 

Pond

Existing Bottom Ash Line

to Ash Pond 

PATENT

PENDING

Diverter 

Valves to new 

ASHCONTM
BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION OPTIONS AND ECONOMICS 10

The ASHCONTM RSSC Advantage 

The continued use of the entire ash hopper system with seal troughs, gates, grinders, jet 

pumps and water supply pumps means many of the advantages of a true SSC retrofit 

cannot be realized but adding a Remote SSC as opposed to traditional water recirculation 

tanks with dewatering bins, settling and surge tanks, allows the plant to eliminate the 

pond and save costs. These benefits include; 

 The ability to retrofit to multiple existing Units and remove the ash pond 

disposal without interfering with the boiler islands. Multiple Units can use 

one ASHCONTM. 

 Lower power consumption than with a traditional water recirculation system 

with tall dewatering bins starting with savings with the initial water supply 

pumps. 

 Simplified process complexity: only one continuous conveyor is used 

instead of two batch-type dewatering bins to reach the same level of 

dryness. 

 Lower operational and maintenance costs than traditional water 

recirculation systems. 

Figure 10: ASHCONTM Remote Submerged Scraper Conveyor 
BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION OPTIONS AND ECONOMICS 11

The ASHCONTM compared to an SSC 

Both a traditional SSC and an ASHCONTM Remote SSC is used for the continuous 

removal of bottom ash from conventional Pulverized Coal fired boilers and are particularly 

well suited when high ash generation rates are expected. Both conveyors are capable of 

quenching, dewatering and transporting high rates of ash and offer greater energy 

efficiency than hydraulic systems of comparable capacity. Factory assembly and a trial 

prior to shipment ensures an accelerated installation and start-up program, avoiding 

timely delays. 

The differences start with the location of the conveyor relative to the boiler. An SSC 

located under a large Pulverized Coal fired boiler has to be designed for the potential of 

large slag falls associated with some coals and certain events such as boiler cleaning 

with soot blowers. This leads to additional structural steel beyond what is needed for the 

conveyor function itself. The ASHCONTM Remote SSC, by contrast, receives bottom ash 

that has already passed through a grinder and there is very little vertical drop down into 

the conveyor water trough. This leads to much longer conveyor life and reliability. 

A typical SSC only requires 35-50 GPM continuous water input to maintain water level 

and temperature in the water trough. Often this water supply service is intermittent and 

assisted by cooling water from the associated mill rejects/pyrites system. An ASHCONTM 

Remote SSC, by contrast, needs to receive and handle all of the dilute water slurry in the 

existing pipeline system. This flow can be several thousand gallons per minute, GPM. 

But this flow is the same flow that has been addressed and handled by dewatering bins 

for many years. By placing the same amount, or more, of overflow weir length used by 

circular dewatering bins all along both sides of the ASHCONTM Remote SSC, the 

incoming water is easily drained off while the bottom ash continues up the conveyor 

incline. 

Figure 11: ASHCONTM RSSC Design Concept 
BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION OPTIONS AND ECONOMICS 12

When contemplating the removal of an ash pond serving several boilers, the cost of 

individual SSC's and boiler outages, including demolition of existing traditional equipment 

can be financially prohibitive especially for older Units. A single ASHCONTM Remote 

SSC merely has to be erected on open land and can serve many Units, usually receiving 

ash from one Unit at a time or as they are already grouped together in common pipelines. 

Figure 12: ASHCONTM Remote Submerged Scraper Conveyor Retrofit 
BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION OPTIONS AND ECONOMICS 13  DRYCONTM SYSTEM (retrofit): 

DRY vs. WET 

Traditionally bottom ash has been handled in a wet condition utilizing established 

technologies such as water impounded hoppers or submerged scraper conveyors. The 

use of water as opposed to air as a cooling agent incurs additional costs. Factors such as 

water treatment, corrosion damage, higher disposal costs and environmental problems as 

well as the higher cost of operation and maintenance must all be considered. Using a dry 

system means that no water is required in the process, therefore no water treatment is 

necessary. Reduced emissions and returning thermal energy to the boiler results in lower 

coal usage, which means fewer emissions to produce the same electric power. The table 

below shows the main factors which compare between the two methods of conveying: 

    

WET ASH HANDLING DRY ASH HANDLING 

 Cooling water requirements  No water requirement 

 Water treatment 

& environmental issues  No water treatment 

 Significant energy loss  Reduced thermal energy losses 

 Corrosion damage 

 Reduction of unburned carbon 

(LOI) and contribution to energy 

recovery 

 Steam is produced escaping into 

the boiler house area  Improvement in boiler efficiency 

 Higher disposal costs 

 Easier compliance with the 

environmental protection 

regulations 

 Maintenance intensive  Marketable ash quality  better 

ash sales 

 Significant energy consumption 
BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION OPTIONS AND ECONOMICS 14

The DRYCONTM system is installed below the boiler fully sealed to the combustion 

chamber. The negative pressure inside the boiler sucks air, in a controlled manner, 

(predominately at the top end of the DRYCONTM) into the bottom ash conveyor system. 

The air moves counter flow direction along the surface of the ash which rests on the 

conveyor pans. This activates a reburning process of the glowing ash, which reduces the 

unburned carbon level and frees up additional thermal 

energy. The air is heated up before it enters the 

combustion chamber and adds additional thermal energy 

to the steam generating process inside the boiler. 

Approximately 1% of the total combustion air is required 

for the dry cooling system and can be considered as a 

constant value in the boiler design. This ensures that the 

combustion process and the exhaust gas composition 

are not affected. 

THE ARRANGEMENT 

Underneath the combustion chamber a transition chute or hopper is installed and 

supported from the floor by means of a steel structure. The transition chute or hopper is 

lined with special refractory and insulation at the inside to withstand the radiation from the 

combustion chamber of the boiler. As a standard a heat resistant fabric or HT metal 

compensator (expansion joint) is installed between the boiler/hopper outlet and the 

DRYCONTM intake, to compensate the movement between cold and hot condition of the 

boiler. The compensator is fabricated from elastic metal, resistant to high temperatures. 

To avoid damage due to high temperatures by the radiant heat from the combustion 

chamber, a special protective skirt with lining is provided at the inner side of the 

compensator. The compensator will be delivered and mounted in one piece only, to 

assure tightness and the required flexibility. 

 

Figure 13: DRYCON Cooling Air Flow

Figure 14: DRYCON Installed 

Under the Boiler Discharge 
BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION OPTIONS AND ECONOMICS 15

KEY DESIGN FEATURES 

DRYCONTM utilizes many key features which contribute to the technology’s success in 

the market. The conveying design is similar to proven SSC systems, employing many of 

the SSC components: 

Chain And Sprocket Wheel – the sprockets are manufactured from wear resistant 

materials and have exchangeable pockets for easy replacement. 

Tension And Drive Stations –The tension roller is mounted with lubricated long life heavy 

duty roller bearings. Tension is applied via manually or automatically operated hydraulic 

cylinders. 

Supporting Idler – mounted on close centers and lubricated, manually or automatically, 

with hear resistant grease, the rollers can be replaced from the outside whilst the boiler is 

still on‐line. 

Fines Recirculation – the system is self cleaning with the integration of a fines 

re‐circulation plates. 

Impact Beams – impact beams have been designed into the conveyor casing to withstand 

any loads imposed from large slag falls ensuring that the drive elements are not damaged 

Jaw Crushers – large slag material can be broken down by jaw crushers in order to 

ensure they are an appropriate size to be cooled and conveyed. 

Safe Monitoring – should a blockage occur, the drive motor stops immediately then enters 

a removal procedure before giving an alarm to the control room. 

Figure 15: DRYCON Assembled for Factory Testing
BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION OPTIONS AND ECONOMICS 16  BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION TECHNOLOGY SELECTION 

To determine which of the Bottom Ash conversion technologies presented herein may be 

a consideration for your power plant, a detailed investigation of your facility will be 

necessary. The following summarizes the key impacts of the technologies. 

Figure 16: Bottom Ash Technologies Comparison 

 

BA CONVERSION SELECTION 

COMPARISON

CONVENTIONAL TANK 

FARM DEWATERING

REMOTE DEWATERING 

CONVEYOR SYSTEM - 

ASHCONTM

SUBMERGED 

SCRAPER CONVEYOR 

(SSC)

DRYCONTM SYSTEM

Physical Layout

No Major Change 

Required within the 

boiler house

No Major Change 

Required within the boiler 

house

Removal of existing BA 

Hopper and conveying 

system with retrofit 

under the boiler.

Removal of existing BA 

Hopper and conveying 

system with retrofit 

under the boiler.

PC Applicable for most units Applicable for most units Applicable for most units Applicable for most units

CYCLONE Applicable for most units Applicable for most units Not Applicable (generally 

due to space limitations)

Not Applicable (Boiler is 

Wet Bottom)

Surface Impoundment Elimination Yes Yes Yes Yes 

"Zero Discharge" (Water)

Closed Loop System - 

pH Conditioning 

required

Closed Loop System - pH 

Conditioning required

Closed Loop System - pH 

Conditioning and Heat 

Exchangers may be 

required

Not required - No water is 

used in the System

0&M Cost Impact

~25 to 30 % Increase 

with the addition of the 

Tank Farm Dewatering

~5 to 10 % Increase with 

the addition of the 

ASHCON

~30-35% Decrease with 

SSC

~40-50% Decrease with 

DRYCON

Energy Consumption

~80 to 90 % Increase 

with the addition of the 

Tank Farm Dewatering

~15 to 20 % Increase with 

the addition of the 

ASHCON

~45-55% Decrease with 

SSC

~60-70% Decrease with 

DRYCON

Boiler Efficiency No Change No Change No Change 0.02% TO 0.07% Boiler 

Efficiency Increase

Energy Efficiency Considerations:

Boiler design type

Site Specific Limitations:

Environmental Considerations:

Maintenance Budget Considerations:
BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION OPTIONS AND ECONOMICS 17  ECONOMIC COMPARISON: 

Following is an estimated financial comparison of the technologies over a ten year period 

of operation. A typical 500 MW Unit, with a current Surface Impoundment operation was 

considered for this analysis. 

Items included in this analysis are: 

 Ten Year Capital Cost Amortization (“Turnkey Project”) 

 Operation and Maintenance Costs 

 Electric Power Costs 

 Boiler Efficiency Improvement (Fuel Savings) 

Figure 17: Bottom Ash Technologies Economic Comparison 

TYPICAL 500 MW BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION COMPARISON

$0

$250,000

$500,000

$750,000

$1,000,000

$1,250,000

$1,500,000

$1,750,000

$2,000,000

$2,250,000

$2,500,000

$2,750,000

$3,000,000

$3,250,000

$3,500,000

$3,750,000

$4,000,000

$4,250,000

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

YEAR

ANNUAL EQUIVALENT COST INCLUDING 

TEN YEAR CAPITAL COST AMORTIZATION

CONVENTIONAL ASHCON SSC DRYCON 
BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION OPTIONS AND ECONOMICS 18

Clyde Bergemann Delta Ducon is a leading supplier of material handling systems and 

components, handling such products as ash, coal, sand, carbon, gypsum, limestone, 

lime, and other materials. 

Established in 1925, and currently located in the Philadelphia suburb of Malvern, PA, 

Clyde Bergemann Delta Ducon is a member of the Clyde Bergemann Power Group 

meeting the needs of a global client base, while continually expanding and refining its 

technological expertise. 

Especially notable is the company‘s long-standing environmental focus, which began well 

before the initiation of federal regulations in the 1970’s. Patented technology for material 

handling helps to maintain EPA requirements for emissions control and clearly sets Clyde 

Bergemann Delta Ducon apart in markets dealing with abrasive substances such as ash, 

limestone and coal. 

Clyde Bergemann Inc. is a member of Clyde Bergemann Power Group, the leader in 

supplying boiler cleaning and ash handling solutions worldwide. The Clyde Bergemann 

Power Group has factories and representative offices in sixteen countries supplying and 

supporting vital equipment and systems for improving boiler performance in various 

industries worldwide. 

 

Clyde Bergemann has become the world leader in on-line boiler cleaning equipment by 

integrating and enhancing boiler cleaning technologies from around the world. Our 

product lines combine the experience and knowledge developed over the last 100 years 

by various independent sootblower brands such as Clyde, Bergemann, Copes Vulcan 

and Forest. Each of these independent companies developed expertise in the very 

specialized field of on-line boiler cleaning. All this experience has been combined to form 

the Boiler Efficiency Division of the CBPG to provide boiler operators and manufacturers 

with optimum solutions for improving boiler efficiencies. 

 

Clyde Bergemann, Inc., the US operation of Clyde Bergemann, was established in 1988 

as Bergemann USA, Inc. by Bergemann GmbH, a subsidiary of Deutsche Babcock (later 

Babcock Power), both German based. Bergemann GmbH - a specialist in cleaning 

systems for boilers - had been in the boiler cleaning business for several decades. 

 

In 1996 Clyde Blowers PLC of Glasgow/Scotland, which was active in the same market 

segment, acquired the Bergemann Group and the company was renamed Clyde 

Bergemann, Inc. Clyde Blowers had been in the boiler cleaning business for many years. 

In the 1990s the product line was extended into the field of ash handling equipment. 

 

Since that time additional materials handling activities were incorporated. Thus, the Clyde 

Bergemann Power Group was formed with 16 subsidiaries worldwide and activities in the 

following market segments: 
BOTTOM ASH CONVERSION OPTIONS AND ECONOMICS 19  cleaning systems for heating and reaction surfaces 

 ash handling equipment and conveyor systems 

 exhaust gas and exhaust air cleaning systems 

 combustion air systems 

 complete after-sales service 

 optimization technology