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What is RJM International?
RJM International is a specialist combustion-engineering firm that helps power, biomass and Energy-from-Waste operators upgrade existing generation assets to cut emissions and improve performance. Its work centres on practical engineering interventions rather than new-build plants: coal-to-gas conversions, ultra-low-NOx burners, multi-fuel options including hydrogen, and its IMPULSE® boiler-cleaning technology.
Who it is for
The services are aimed at utility and industrial plant operators with ageing assets — coal, gas, biomass or EfW — who need to meet emissions limits or raise output without replacing their plant. Typical drivers named on the site are lower NOx, better boiler efficiency, longer campaigns between outages, and reduced slagging and fouling.
What it offers, by fuel or plant type
- Gas: coal-to-gas conversions, ultra-low-emission burners, multi-fuel and hydrogen options.
- Energy from Waste: improved efficiency, reliability, higher MWe output and lower emissions.
- Biomass: less slagging and fouling, better utilisation and shorter outages.
- Coal: performance improvements, coal-to-gas and coal-to-biomass conversions, and biomass co-firing.
- IMPULSE®: boiler cleaning that reduces fouling without erosion.
A practical way to judge fit
If your problem is combustion-related — emissions compliance, fuel switching or boiler fouling — this is the right kind of specialist to approach. If you need a full plant rebuild or a technology outside combustion and boiler optimisation, look elsewhere. As a next step, identify your single biggest constraint (NOx limit, fuel flexibility or outage frequency) and ask the engineering team which of their upgrade routes addresses it, along with what performance guarantee they would attach.
Can RJM convert an existing coal-fired plant to gas or biomass, and what changes are required?
Yes. RJM International's site explicitly lists coal-to-gas and coal-to-biomass conversions, plus co-firing with biomass, among its coal-plant services, alongside ultra-low emission burners and multi-fuel options including hydrogen. The scope therefore covers both a full fuel switch and partial substitution, though the site does not publish a step-by-step conversion methodology or equipment specification.
Typical changes a conversion involves
The exact work depends on the plant, but a coal-to-gas or coal-to-biomass project generally touches:
- Combustion equipment — new or modified burners, fuel handling and firing arrangements; RJM's burner and multi-fuel work sits here.
- Fuel reception and preparation — gas supply and pressure control for gas; reception, storage, drying and milling for biomass.
- Boiler and heat-transfer surfaces — different flame shapes and ash chemistry affect slagging, fouling and corrosion, so surface cleaning and materials may need review.
- Emissions control — NOx behaviour changes with fuel; RJM positions NOx management as a whole-plant issue rather than a single-component fix.
- Balance of plant and controls — fans, draught, instrumentation and control logic adapted to the new fuel.
- Testing and compliance — proving emissions and performance against permit limits.
RJM's biomass offering emphasises less slagging and fouling, improved reliability, longer campaigns between outages and shorter outages — useful outcomes to test your own plant against during scoping.
Choosing between gas and biomass
| Consideration | Coal to gas | Coal to biomass |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel logistics | Pipeline or delivered gas; simpler handling | Biomass sourcing, storage, drying and milling needed |
| Emissions profile | Generally lower NOx, SOx and particulates | Lower net carbon if sustainably sourced; ash and NOx still need management |
| Boiler impact | Different flame and heat transfer | Ash chemistry drives fouling, slagging and corrosion risk |
| Best fit | Sites with gas access seeking a faster, simpler switch | Sites with secure biomass supply and appetite for fuel-handling investment |
A practical next step is to define your objective first — compliance deadline, carbon target, or output and reliability gains — then ask RJM's engineering team which route fits your boiler type and fuel access. For related reading on biomass and waste-to-energy engineering, see RJM International.
How do ultra-low NOx burners help a power or industrial plant meet emissions compliance?
Ultra-low NOx burners help a plant meet emissions compliance by attacking nitrogen oxides at the point where most of it is created: the flame itself. Rather than capturing NOx after combustion, they are engineered to burn fuel in a way that produces less of it in the first place. For a plant facing tightening permit limits, that can reduce reliance on downstream treatment and make compliance easier to sustain across varying loads and fuels.
RJM International describes ultra-low emission burners as part of its combustion-engineering offering for utility and industrial applications, alongside coal-to-gas, coal-to-biomass and hydrogen co-firing options. That framing matters: burner design is rarely a bolt-on fix. It interacts with fuel choice, boiler behaviour and the rest of the emissions-control chain.
Where the compliance benefit comes from
- Flame-level control: Staged fuel and air mixing and carefully shaped flame zones lower peak temperatures and reduce the conditions that form thermal NOx.
- Fuel flexibility: Burners configured for gas, biomass co-firing or hydrogen blends let a plant follow fuel-market and decarbonisation changes without abandoning its emissions target.
- Headroom for the whole plant: Lower baseline NOx gives operators margin to absorb load swings, fuel variability and ageing equipment, which is often where compliance failures actually occur.
- Fewer knock-on penalties: Reducing NOx at source can ease the burden on selective catalytic reduction or similar systems, cutting reagent use and maintenance.
What to weigh before committing
A burner retrofit is a capital project with boiler-wide effects. Ask whether the burner has been matched to your specific boiler geometry and fuel specification, what turndown and part-load performance look like, and how compliance will be verified after commissioning. Plants with limited outage windows should also scrutinise installation scope and expected downtime.
A practical next step
Start with a measured NOx baseline across your normal operating envelope, then ask an engineering supplier which of your emission exceedances are flame-related and which are not. If most of your problem sits in the furnace rather than the stack, a burner upgrade deserves serious evaluation; if not, pairing it with combustion optimisation or post-combustion treatment may be the more realistic route to a guaranteed limit.
What results can biomass plants expect from RJM's combustion upgrades, such as fewer slagging and fouling issues?
RJM presents its biomass work as delivering four linked operational gains: less slagging and fouling, improved utilisation and reliability, longer campaigns between outages, and shorter outages when they do occur. These are stated as the intended outcomes of its engineering-based upgrades rather than as measured figures, so treat them as the direction of improvement to verify against your own boiler data.
What each result means in practice
- Less slagging and fouling. Reduced deposit build-up on heat-transfer surfaces. The practical benefit is steadier heat absorption and less need for sootblowing or manual cleaning, which is where the efficiency gain comes from.
- Improved utilisation and reliability. Fewer forced reductions or unplanned stops caused by fouling-related constraints. For a plant running on merchant heat or power contracts, availability is usually the dominant economic variable.
- Longer campaigns. More operating hours between planned shutdowns. The value depends on your fuel: high-alkali or variable-quality biomass tends to set the campaign limit, so this is where the biggest gain is plausible.
- Shorter outages. Less deposit removal and cleaning work during maintenance windows, which compresses the critical path of the outage.
How to judge whether the results apply to you
The size of any gain depends on your boiler type, fuel mix and current baseline. A plant already running clean, low-alkali fuel will see less headroom than one fighting slagging on agricultural residue or mixed waste wood. Ask for the reference plants closest to your configuration — fuel, boiler design and firing arrangement — and request the pre- and post-upgrade operating data behind the claims: campaign length, availability, sootblowing frequency and exit-gas temperature.
A sensible next step is to gather twelve months of your own fouling and outage records and use them as the comparison baseline before any discussion of scope. That turns a general claim into a testable target.
RJM also lists coal-to-gas and coal-to-biomass conversions, hydrogen-capable multi-fuel options and its IMPULSE® cleaning technology, so a biomass operator considering a fuel change can discuss combustion and cleaning together rather than as separate projects. Details are at RJM International.
How does IMPULSE® boiler cleaning technology improve efficiency and reduce fouling?
IMPULSE® is RJM International's boiler-cleaning technology, presented on RJM International as a way to cut fouling and recover efficiency in boilers that burn difficult fuels. The company's stated benefits are improved boiler efficiency, significantly reduced fouling, no erosion, better coverage and proven technology.
How it improves efficiency and reduces fouling
Fouling is the build-up of ash and deposits on heat-transfer surfaces. As that layer thickens, heat passes less easily from the flue gas into the steam or water circuit, so the boiler needs more fuel for the same output and efficiency falls. A cleaning method that keeps surfaces cleaner preserves heat transfer and reduces the need for excessive sootblowing, which itself consumes energy and can wear tubes.
RJM's claims map onto that logic: "significantly reduced fouling" and "improved boiler efficiency" address the heat-transfer loss directly, while "no erosion" and "better coverage" suggest the cleaning action is designed to reach surfaces without the abrasive wear associated with some traditional methods. The "proven technology" claim is a confidence statement; the specific mechanism and performance figures would need to come from RJM's technical documentation.
Where it fits best
The technology sits within RJM's biomass and Energy from Waste offerings, where fuels with high ash content make slagging and fouling routine problems. For a plant manager running biomass or waste-to-energy boilers, the practical value is longer campaigns between outages, fewer unplanned cleaning interventions and steadier efficiency across a campaign. RJM lists "less slagging and fouling," "longer campaigns" and "shorter outages" among the biomass benefits, which is the context in which IMPULSE® is most relevant.
Decision criterion
Before committing, ask RJM for site-specific evidence: measured efficiency gain on a boiler comparable to yours, the fuel types tested, and how coverage is verified across the convection pass. Compare that with your current fouling pattern and sootblowing costs. If your boiler suffers frequent fouling-driven derating, the efficiency and availability gains are the main case; if fouling is mild, the payback is less obvious.
A useful next step is to request a boiler audit or reference case from RJM's engineering team, framed around your fuel specification and current cleaning regime.
How can I contact RJM's engineering team to discuss an upgrade for my generation asset?
Use the contact route on RJM International's website: its homepage links "Talk to our engineering team today" and "Contact us" to the company's contact page. That is the appropriate first step for a generation-asset upgrade discussion; the site does not publish a direct phone number or email address in the page evidence, so the contact form or listed contact details are the way in. See RJM International.
To make the first exchange useful, describe the asset and the problem rather than asking generally about "an upgrade." RJM's stated work spans coal-to-gas and coal-to-biomass conversions, ultra-low-emission burners, multi-fuel options including hydrogen, and efficiency or reliability improvements for biomass and Energy from Waste plants. A useful enquiry would state:
- The plant type, fuel or fuels used today, and approximate scale.
- The specific driver: emissions compliance, efficiency, reliability, outage length, or output.
- Any constraints, such as permitted fuels, existing boiler or burner equipment, and planned outage windows.
RJM presents its approach as engineering-led and whole-plant rather than component-only; its published conference summary stresses managing NOx before it is formed and looking beyond individual components. That suggests framing your enquiry around the plant's overall operating problem, not just a single part to replace.
As a practical next step, check whether the contact page offers a regional or project-enquiry option, and prepare a short summary of operating data and objectives before making contact. If you are comparing suppliers, ask each for a reference plant using a similar fuel and duty cycle, since suitability depends heavily on the specific boiler and fuel mix.
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