Biomass gasification solutions
The outstanding Harboøre gasifier: Over 100,000 hours commercial operation
More than 8,000 hours' annual operation since 1996
Since 1996 the Harboøre plant gasifier has been operated for more than 8,000 hours a year. The engines have operated for a total of more than 16,000 hours. During 2004 the plant and especially the water cleaning system will be further optimised, and a commercial structure is in the process of being created around the technology. The technology has also been licensed to the Japanese company JFE, which anticipates contracting a plant similar to the Harboøre plant in Japan early in 2005.
The Harboøre gasifier - from test to commercial implementation
After several hundred hours of successful operation at our experimental gasifier at Kyndby, Denmark, the 3.5 MW updraft woodchip gasifier built for the municipality of Harboøre (Jutland, Denmark), was commissioned in December 1993.
The gasifier, which supplies district heating, uses a gas-fired boiler. The Harboøre gasifier plant is supported by the Danish Energy Authority.
We have gained substantial unique experience from the various challenges posed by the plant. A three-year optimisation process was implemented, and from winter 1996 to 1997 the gasification process itself was considered commercial.
A development process for gas cleaning was carried out parallel to this because the high tar content in an updraft gasifier was not acceptable in gas engines. It became obvious that reduction of the tar content in gas from an updraft gasifier was not a simple matter. Various ways of eliminating the tar were investigated.
Gas cleaning
By March 2000, cleaning had reached a level which allowed us to install two 648 kWe gas engines from the Austrian engine manufacturer Jenbacher. The engines were put into operation and they have functioned remarkably smoothly since then. Early in 2001 the capacity of one engine was further increased to 768 kWe through increased turbocharger pressure.
In the summer of 2002 our R & D Centre succeeded in developing a reliable waste water cleaning system, and a full-scale system, about 1200 kg/h of waste water, was put into operation. By the end of 2003 the overall concept for biomass gasification CHP (Combined Heat and Power) was considered commercial.
Further details of the gas cleaning development
Contact us for more information about gasification
If you wish to know more about our gasification solutions, please contact Thomas Hopp
