ECN technology in ultra-modern French power station
The new “green” electricity generating station in Moissanes, near Limoges in France was recently commissioned successfully. And the OLGA technology developed by ECN that is incorporated in the biomass gasifying plant is already proving its worth. This unique technology brings power stations that can run entirely on biomass many steps closer.
Researchers from the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) have succeeded in finding a solution for the tar problems in gasifying biomass. Together with the Dahlman engineering firm in Maasluis, an oil-based gas scrubbing plant has been developed: the OLGA oil gas scrubber. This industrial scale installation has been incorporated in the DEMO power station in Moissanes, near Limoges in Central France. The operation and realisation of the project are in the hands of the French company Eneria – a subsidiary of the Monnoyeur Group – and its partner SOREA. Its construction has been made possible by a subsidy from the French government for constructing six 50MWth power stations to gasify wine residue and waste wood.
Diagram of OLGA operations.
Biomass is one of the most important sources of sustainable energy. Sustainable product gas created by gasifying biomass at low temperatures (700° to 1000° Celsius), produces a high yield and is very suitable for producing electricity and “green” natural gas. However, the presence of tars in the product gas is the biggest obstacle to commercial application. Tar can foul and damage the plant, reducing its reliability and requiring a lot of extra maintenance. It can also contaminate the scrubbing water.
With the OLGA technology developed by ECN, the tar is removed so effectively that the gas can be cooled to well below the dew point without condensation of tar components. This result puts many possible applications for gas produced by gasified biomass within reach. “The OLGA is very robust”, says Sander van Paasen, ECN project leader. “At the moment, the power station is processing clean waste wood from a neighbouring sawmill but it can also process impregnated and painted waste wood. The plant will shortly be endurance tested in France with the gasifier fed with residue from the wine industry.”
The 4MWth unit, which is now in use, makes it possible to modify the gasifying process; the choice of hardware enables a stable process to be achieved and to verify the performance of different types of biomass. For example, the research will also focus on solving critical points in up-scaling. The first results from this project are fantastic. In the first two weeks, the OLGA installation has run for fifty hours without any problems. The product gas from the plant was suitable for immediate use in the gas engine that was on stand-by. Its start up was celebrated with great enthusiasm by the French employees.
Information:
You can find more information about the power station and its OLGA installation at http://www.ecn.nl/en/bkm/products-services/experimental-facilities/olga/.
Contact:
Sander van Paasen
ECN Biomass, Coal & Environmental Research
Tel. +31 (0)224 - 56 48 79
vanpaasen@remove-this-part-ecn.nl
