Description of the Plant

Ideal Levels of Efficiency

CHOREN has developed and built a Carbo-V standard unit with a thermal output of 30 MW to generate electricity and heat from biomass on an industrial scale. The net electrical output amounts to approximately 10 MW with electrical efficiency of up to 35% related to the feed material’s energy content.

About 80 % of this electrical output is generated using gas engines; the remaining 20% is generated by a steam turbine.

The low-temperature heat recuperated from cooling the gas engine, can also be extracted for use in a (long-distance) heating network.

Approx. 7.2 t/h of biomass are needed for production facilities of this kind, assuming an average water content in the biomass of 15% (+/- 5%). If the unit operates at maximum power for 7,500 hours, the required biomass input would total 54,000 t/a.

The combustible gas generated in the Carbo-V gasifier is converted into electric power at a gas engine power station with several standard combined heat and power modules. It is possible to achieve electrical of efficiency of up to 40% in terms of the combustible gas’ energy content by using gas engines specially designed to handle low-calorie combustible gas.

Catalysts are used to ensure that the waste gas from the engines fulfils current emissions limits – even those for carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides.

The waste heat, from cooling the raw gas in the combustion chamber and the engine gas, is fed into a water-steam cycle and is extracted for commercial uses (process steam/hot water) or is converted into electricity using a steam turbine. One part of the process heat is used to pre-heat the gasification air to approx. 500 °C and dry the biomass.