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Note K - Business Segment and Geographic Disclosures
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
Segment Reporting Disclosure [Text Block]
Note K:      Business Segment and Geographic Disclosures

Fuel Tech segregates its financial results into two reportable segments representing two broad technology segments as follows:

 
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The Air Pollution Control technology segment includes technologies to reduce NOx emissions in flue gas from boilers, incinerators, furnaces and other stationary combustion sources.   These include Low and Ultra Low NOx Burners (LNB and ULNB), Over-Fire Air (OFA) systems, NOxOUT® and HERT Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction (SNCR) systems, and Advanced Selective Catalytic Reduction (ASCR) systems.  The ASCR system includes ULNB, OFA, and SNCR components, along with a downsized SCR catalyst, Ammonia Injection Grid (AIG), and Graduated Straightening Grid (GSG) systems to provide high NOx reductions at significantly lower capital and operating costs than conventional SCR systems.  The NOxOUT-CASCADE® and NOxOUT-SCR® processes are basic types of ASCR systems, using just SNCR and SCR catalyst components.  ULTRA™ technology creates ammonia at a plant site using safe urea for use with any SCR application.  Flue Gas Conditioning systems are chemical injection systems offered in markets outside the U.S. and Canada to enhance electrostatic precipitator and fabric filter performance in controlling particulate emissions.

 
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The FUEL CHEM® technology segment, which uses chemical processes in combination with advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Chemical Kinetics Modeling (CKM) boiler modeling, for the control of slagging, fouling, corrosion, opacity and other sulfur trioxide-related issues in furnaces and boilers through the addition of chemicals into the furnace using TIFI® Targeted In-Furnace Injection™ technology.

The “Other” classification includes those profit and loss items not allocated by Fuel Tech to each reportable segment.  Further, there are no intersegment sales that require elimination.

Fuel Tech evaluates performance and allocates resources based on reviewing gross margin by reportable segment.  The accounting policies of the reportable segments are the same as those described in the summary of significant accounting policies (Note 1 in our annual report on Form 10-K).  Fuel Tech does not review assets by reportable segment, but rather, in aggregate for Fuel Tech as a whole.

Information about reporting segment net sales and gross margin are provided below:

Three months ended
September 30, 2011
 
Air Pollution
Control Segment
   
FUEL CHEM
Segment
   
Other
   
Total
 
Revenues from external customers
  $ 12,223     $ 11,800     $ -     $ 24,023  
Cost of sales
    7,539       5,511       -       13,050  
Gross margin
    4,684       6,289       -       10,973  
Selling, general and administrative
    -       -       7,701       7,701  
Research and development
    -       -       358       358  
Operating income (loss)
  $ 4,684     $ 6,289     $ (8,059 )   $ 2,914  

                         
Three months ended
September 30, 2010
 
Air Pollution
Control Segment
   
FUEL CHEM
Segment
   
Other
   
Total
 
Revenues from external customers
  $ 10,252     $ 10,027     $ -     $ 20,279  
Cost of sales
    6,735       4,761       -       11,496  
Gross margin
    3,517       5,266       -       8,783  
Selling, general and administrative
    -       -       7,808       7,808  
(Gain) from revaluation of contingent
     performance obligation
    -       -       (768 )     (768 )
Research and development
    -       -       264       264  
Operating income (loss)
  $ 3,517     $ 5,266     $ (7,304 )   $ 1,479  

                         
Nine months ended
September 30, 2011
 
Air Pollution
Control Segment
   
FUEL CHEM
Segment
   
Other
   
Total
 
Revenues from external customers
  $ 32,959     $ 32,707       -     $ 65,666  
Cost of sales
    18,338       16,731       -       35,069  
Gross margin
    14,621       15,976       -       30,597  
Selling, general and administrative
    -       -       23,618       23,618  
(Gain) from revaluation of contingent
     performance obligation
    -       -       (758 )     (758 )
Research and development
    -       -       1,075       1,075  
Operating income (loss)
  $ 14,621     $ 15,976     $ (23,935 )   $ 6,662  

Nine months ended
September 30, 2010
 
Air Pollution
Control Segment
   
FUEL CHEM
Segment
   
Other
   
Total
 
    Revenues from external customers
  $ 27,757     $ 29,041     $ -     $ 56,798  
    Cost of sales
    18,039       14,024       -       32,063  
    Gross margin
    9,718       15,017       -       24,735  
    Selling, general and administrative
    -       -       23,306       23,306  
    (Gain) from revaluation of contingent
         performance obligation
    -       -       (768 )     (768 )
    Research and development
    -       -       575       575  
    Operating income (loss)
  $ 9,718     $ 15,017     $ (23,113 )   $ 1,622  

Information concerning Fuel Tech’s operations by geographic area is provided below.  Revenues are attributed to countries based on the location of the customer.  Assets are those directly associated with operations of the geographic area.

   
Three months ended September 30,
   
Nine months ended September 30,
 
   
2011
   
2010
   
2011
   
2010
 
Revenues:
                       
United States
  $ 19,121     $ 17,015     $ 54,268     $ 46,517  
Foreign
    4,902       3,264       11,398       10,281  
    $ 24,023     $ 20,279     $ 65,666     $ 56,798  
                                 
   
September 30,
2011
   
December 31,
2010
                 
Assets:
                               
United States
  $ 95,460     $ 92,485                  
Foreign
    11,670       10,718                  
    $ 107,130     $ 103,203