Cogeneration, Trigeneration, Polygeneration
Cogeneration modules, also known as CHP (i.e. “Combined Heat and Power”) systems, can be used to generate electricity and heat simultaneously. As the propelling force, our cogeneration systems use internal combustion engines, four-stroke spark-ignition gas engines of similar structure as automotive petrol engines. In the engine, the energy contained in the gas during the process of combustion is transformed into mechanical energy, which is received in the form of electricity at the terminals of the generator mounted on the engine, and thermal energy, which - in turn - is received in the form of hot water through the heat exchanger system. This structure allows for achieving the system efficiency of close to 90%. Given the limited resources of raw materials for energy production and their rising prices, efficient use of fuels is one of the most important directions of development of the modern power industry. Hence, all cogeneration solutions meet with great interest as a favourable alternative to the separate (traditional) methods of power and heat production, where the sum of energy losses connected with the capacity of manufacturing equipment and utility transmission reaches up to 50%.
In order to meet the needs of our Clients, we have developed our own solutions allowing not only to produce combined power and heat, but also to cool. Such a system is called Trigeneration. By expanding the system with an additional element enabling the production of the fourth utility, i.e. compressed steam, we have created Polygeneration.
Responding to the needs of the market, we keep broadening our offer regarding the capacity of cogeneration equipment. The smallest available device has power output of dozens of kilowatts (kW), while the largest one has the capacity of over 4 megawatts (MW) in one device. Of course any number of devices can be combined to multiply their power. In order to obtain detailed data on the technical parameters of our equipment, please contact our sales department.
Fuel
We have had a several years’ experience in the use of such a specific medium in energy production as biogas. We offer a range of equipment based on biogas energy technology – from the analysers and blowers to sulphur-recovery plants, torches, dryers, and biogas tanks. Installations designed by us are durable and safe. We realize comprehensive tasks related to the use of biogas in energy production for sewage-treatment plants, biogas plants, and landfills. Our holistic approach enhances the security of investment significantly, which has already been appreciated by many Clients.
To industrial plants, hospitals, sports and recreation centres, we offer electricity and heat production based on natural gas. The high quality of this fuel allows us to achieve the highest efficiency when transforming chemical energy into electricity. The clean blue fuel is widely praised as an alternative to other fossil fuels.
We have had an extensive experience in the application of dual-fuel CHP systems, i.e. using two types of fuels for a single cogeneration module. The most commonly used solution is the alternating operation, i.e. running on the biogas or natural gas. There is also the possibility of mixing gases and burning a mixture of biogas with natural gas in the unit.
Some Clients have access to a combustible gas, which is different in its chemical composition from natural gas or biogas, for example coke-oven gas, refinery gas, or synthesis gas. In such cases, we recommend that you contact our engineers, who – having taken into consideration the composition of the gas – shall evaluate the possibility of using it in our cogeneration modules.
Performance and availability
When designing a layout with the use of cogeneration for our Clients, we lay special emphasis on the economical use of fuel. That is why our offer includes cogeneration equipment with very high degree of energetic efficiency. This parameter has a direct impact on performance.
Another very important feature is the availability of cogeneration equipment, understood as the number of working hours per year. It depends on the number of obligatory inspections, the time of their execution, and – above all – the stability of the system operation. It is crucial here to use cogeneration equipment that has been approved.
Complete solutions
A complete cogeneration system, which is typically delivered by us, consists not only of the cogeneration module, placed in a container or a sound absorbing housing, but it is additionally equipped with a variety of devices and installations needed for its proper and safe operation. The most important elements include:
- the emergency cooling system with a fan cooler – whose task is to remove the emergency heat from the cooling unit;
- the air and fuel mixture cooling system – whose task is to receive and remove the heat as a result of the air-gas mixture compression;
- the reception of process heat of the unit – a system of heat exchangers with the necessary piping, fittings, circulating pumps and automatic control system, whose task is to receive the thermal energy from the cooling system of the unit (lubricating oil, cooling mixture, the engine block) and combustion gases, and to transfer it to the heating water system;
- the ventilation of the unit - whose task is to provide the required amount of air (an air fan, a temperature sensor, air silencers) for combustion and to receive the heat emitted by the unit through radiation
- a discharge stack for combustion gases along with a silencer;
- gas supply line – the security system and gas/biogas pressure regulator (a safety valve, a solenoid valve set with pressure pick-ups, zero pressure regulator);
- the active gas detection system
- the oil system – a system providing the adequate supply of oil to the unit (an oil pump, oil pump control) along with a fresh oil tank;
- a parameter control cubicle of the unit’s engine;
- a control and synchronization cubicle for network cooperation, generator operation, and auxiliary drives;
- an energy cubicle with a generator switch.
Control and visualization
Our cogeneration and polygeneration systems are equipped with the latest solutions in the fields of control, communication and visualization of technological processes. After having consulted the system parameters with the Client, our team mechanics select the optimal technological solution regarding communication, the kind and quantity of the drivers, connections, and signals. As a result, a personalized for your location system is created for controlling the operation of the given cogeneration module, for its accompanying equipment, and often also for the selected technological components belonging to the Client (thermal nodes, valves, boilers, etc.), with which the unit supplied by us must cooperate. A clear and easy-to-use visualization in the SCADA system simplifies the handling of the entire technological line.