Bioenergy equipment

Grate-fired biomass with WtE and BECCS

• The 240 kWth moving grate fired WtE boiler is capable of burning a range of virgin biomass and waste fuels
• To combine the combustion of biomass and waste derived fuels with carbon capture research, the flue gas train is fully integrated with the on-site Amine solvent-based capture plant and can provide flue glasses produced by a wide range of fuels.
• Fuel capabilities include:
  – Virgin biomass fuels, including woodchip and pellets
  – Recycled untreated wood products (e.g. shipping pallets, cable reels)
  – Biomass waste from agriculture or forestry
  – Vegetable waste from the food processing industry
• The combustion chamber was built according to a direct pass principle for drying, gasification and combustion of the fuel, and the subsequent removal of ash from the combustion chamber
• The boiler was specifically designed for research purposes and is fitted with a wide range of ports at key locations of interest within the combustion chamber and flue gas passage to allow the detailed characterisation of these zones.

• Example experimental capabilities include the following analytical probes:
  – Flame imaging camera probe
  – Suction pyrometer
  – Gas sampling probes
  – Ellipsoidal radiometer
  – Particle collection probe
  – Deposition probes
  – Corrosion probes to fit metal coupons made from materials used for the manufacturing of specialised boiler tubes
• Gas analysis can be carried out using:
  – a stack gas analyser system (O2, CO2, CO, NOx, THC)
  – a Gasmet FTIR
  – an ETG syngas analyser (H2, CO2, CO, O2, NOx, CmHn)
  – a Spectro Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) analyser for online simultaneous multi metal emissions detection (e.g. K, Na, Hg, Cr, Cd, Pb, V, Zn, etc)
• High combustion temperatures, as well as a long residence time of the combustion gases, guarantee a clean burning process. Furthermore, particulate removal is achieved in two distinct steps using a multi cyclone followed by an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) to adhere to the strict emissions limits of the Medium Combustion Plant Directive (MCPD)

Organic Rankine Cycle

• The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is a thermodynamic power cycle which uses an organic fluid to convert heat into electricity
• Similar to the commonly-used steam Rankine cycle, the working fluid in the ORC is heated to produce high pressure gas, which is discharged through a turbine expander in order to produce mechanical work and generate electricity
• A range of working fluids can be tested on site. The current working fluid we’ve chosen is well suited for low-temperature waste heat recovery using water even as low as 70°C to generate electrical output
• Our ORC uses heat from the 240kW WtE boiler and is able to produce 10 kW net electrical output. It is a mobile and plug and play system, with the ability to utilise a range of heat sources.

• ORC applications can include:
  – Waste heat on exhaust stacks, including from industrial processes
  – Internal combustion engine exhaust or jacket cooling water
  – Renewable sources such as solar collectors or geothermal
  – Additional heat recovery is possible by connecting the cold loop of the ORC to low temperature heating or drying systems
• The chosen organic fluid also has a favourable environmental performance, being non-toxic, non-flammable and having a very low GHG potential