The power of biomass
April 2016
Electrical Power & Protection
Energas Technologies now offers Turboden biofuel ORC generator solutions for waste heat recovery and power generation from biomass products. Turboden’s biofuel generator products are based on the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), a thermodynamic technology for the generation of combined electric power and heat from various renewable sources. The Rankine Cycle converts thermal energy into mechanical energy and finally into electric energy through an electric generator. Cogeneration plants using Turboden ORC can efficiently produce heat and electrical power from biomass with a power generation capacity ranging between 200 kW and 15 MW, with the split system making for optimum electrical power production.
There are many advantages of ORC in biomass applications. Energas Technologies product engineer, Laetitia Botha, explains that in comparison to competing technologies, the primary benefits of ORC technology for biofuel generation include high cycle efficiency, especially if used in cogeneration plants; very high turbine efficiency of up to 90%; and low mechanical stress of the turbine due to low peripheral speed. “Fewer revolutions per minute of the turbine allow a direct drive of the electric generator without having to use reduction gear. Furthermore, the turbine blades are not at risk of eroding because there is no moisture in the vapour nozzles, and the machine has a very long operational life due to the working fluid characteristics that, unlike steam, are non-eroding and non-corroding for valve seat tubing and turbine blades,” she adds. She continues that ORC technology also has the benefit of simple start-stop procedures, quiet operation, minimal maintenance, good partial load performance and no water treatment requirement.
Sectors that can benefit directly from biofuel generation are local utilities feeding district heating, large sawmills, pallet manufacturing companies, panel manufacturers, greenhouses and the wine industry. “Energas Technologies is dedicated to finding innovative and reliable energy solutions with which industry can operate optimally. In support of the energy requirements of an overburdened electricity grid and the many sectors in South Africa that depend on it, the extensive range of biofuel generator solutions from Turboden represents the potential for notable advancement in the local clean energy market,” concludes Botha.
For more information contact Laetitia Botha, Energas Technologies, +27 (0) 11 397 6809, [email protected], www.energas.co.za
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