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Content archived on 2022-12-27

COMBINED HEAT AND POWER PLANT USING THERMAL OIL AS A HEAT VECTOR

Objective

To reduce the production cost at IIG's plant, by generating the site's electrical load with 3x1,050 KW, 2-stroke gas engines, using local, natural gas.
Annual energy saving is estimated at 2,502 TOE, and payback at 9.6 years.
Detailed design completed - no significant change in concept or system description.
Civil works commenced on 16/03/87 and the power station building was completed on 31/07/87 with no major problems.
All other plant and equipment is under construction for delivery mainly during October and November 1987. This does not include the plant items in the niro supply which were installed in the FMC spray dryer during july 1987.
Some design areas called for particular attention;
- To try to ensure compatability with existing IIG & FMC operating and control philosophy.
- To achieve noise level requirements imposed by local authority planning.
- To develop control systems for semi-unmanned operation.
- To implement protection systems for the thermal fluid which will be operating at close to its upper thermal limit (over 300 DEG.C.).
Negotiations with the electricity supply board regarding the terms and conditions of a parallel supply contract have prompted the supply board to adjust theirtariffs effectively reducing IIG'S electricity bill by 21.3%|
The IIG. 70T/d. air separation plant produces liquid oxygen, liquid nitrogen and liquid argon. However, the increasingly high cost of electricity (which accounts for 60 per cent of total plant costs) has made it difficult for IIG to compete against alternative processes and on-site gaseous nitrogen production.
The project involves the cogeneration of power and heat by means of 3x1,050 KW, 2-stroke, gas engine generators, producing heat from exhaust gases in a thermal fluid form, and heat from the engine cooling system in the form of hot water, using indigenous natural gas as the fuel input. As IIG will have little use for this heat, it will be sold to a neighbouring company (FMC Ireland Ltd). The income from the sale will be discounted to FMC, thus reducing their energy costs and providing IIG with an income stream, which is essential to the viability of the project.
The thermal fluid will be used to heat the air (270 deg.C) to a spray drier; the hot water will be used to pre-heatthe air to the spray drier and the factory hot water system.
The system will take-in natural 5 Bar gas, which will not require compression, to feed 3 gas engine/generators. These will collectively produce 3,150 KW of electricity at 10.6 KV voltage and operate in parallel with the Electricity Supply Board. After a net loss to station auxiliaries, net output will be 3,053 KW.
Plant efficiency is 61 per cent, based on the gross calorific value of the fuel. The recovered thermal heat is in a liquid heat form as high temperature thermal fluid (2,436 KW) and medium temperature hot water (275 KW). The thermal fluid is totally fed to the FMC drier. However, only a proportion of the hot water is used, due to lack of load in the FMC site.
The energy saving arises mainly from the higher efficiency of the contractor's CHP plant in comparison with the generating and transmission efficiency of the electricity supply board. The total cost of the project amounts to IRL 1,987,000.

Call for proposal

Data not available

Coordinator

IRISH INDUSTRIAL GASES LTD
EU contribution
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Address
P.O. BOX 201 BLUEBELL
2 Dublin
Ireland

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Total cost
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