Combined Heat and Power Generation (CHP)

Details

Category: Energy

CHP systems are used in situations where both electricity and thermal energy are required, either for heating or cooling.

Biogas can be collected from an anaerobic digester, or a gasifier, both in combination, or other source of biogas such as a landfill site, cleaned/scrubbed to an acceptable level, heated, and then fed directly into the CHP” generator. The gas drives a turbine. The turbine and the electric generator comprise a single train turbo generator. In the turbo generator, heat energy is converted into electric energy. The electric energy is sent through a system of transformers and to the distribution grid to end-consumers.

After delivering its energy to the turbine blades, the exit exhaust can be used for other heating purposes. This thermal energy can be captured through heat exchangers, prior to the exhaust gasses cooling. By capturing unused low temperature heat energy rejected from the production process, fuel energy is used more efficiently. Combining heat and power production reduces the net fuel demands for energy generation by supplying otherwise unused heat to residential, commercial and industrial consumers who have thermal needs. These systems are either gas-driven or steam-driven.

The main technologies used in today’s CHP systems are:

•Gas Engines: converted automotive engines using natural gas as fuel, driving a generator and recovering heat from the engine exhaust and cooling jacket

•Gas Turbines: derived from aerospace engines, these produce exhaust gas at high temperatures, which is ideal for generating steam or use in a drying process

•Steam Turbines: this technology is the mainstay of CHP capacity and is based on the designs found in coal fired power stations

•Combined Cycle Gas Turbines: this combines a Gas Turbine feeding a Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) which in turn drives a Steam Turbine

•Absorption Chilling: this technology uses heat (as hot water or steam) to produce chilled water or chilled glycol. In combination with one of the other CHP technologies, this can be used to provide power, heat and chilling

The most common fuel for the CHP systems is natural gas, but the range of fuels used by these technologies also includes:

•landfill and sewage gas

•Fuel and Gas Oils

•coal, lignite and coke

•biomass and biogas

•solid waste such as refuse or tires

•waste gases such as refinery off gas

•waste process heat

Our primary use of CHP applications will be to convert biogas produced from biomass and syngas.

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