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Bio-energy solutions
Speaker abstracts and biographies
Chair: Colin Stucley, Director, Enecon Pty Ltd
Colin Stucley holds degrees in chemical and biochemical engineering from Melbourne University and has 30 years of professional experience across the energy, agribusiness and chemicals sectors.
Colin is a director of Enecon Pty Ltd, an Australian engineering company that specialises in bioenergy studies and projects. Over the past twelve years Enecon has worked with a wide variety of bioenergy technologies, including combustion, gasification, fermentation, pelletising and carbonising. Enecon assists its clients from concept development through to commissioning, and has won multiple awards for its bioenergy work.
Colin is also a director of Renewable Oil Corporation Pty Ltd, an Australian company seeking to commercialise Canadian fast pyrolysis technology that produces liquid transport fuels from wood. He is a member of the Management Committee for Bioenergy Australia. He is also a member of the Rural Industries R&D Corporation’s Bioenergy & Bioproducts Advisory Committee.
Bio-energy solutions
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Fiona Waterhouse, Chief Executive Officer, Spectrum Renewable Energy (Australasia) Pty Ltd
Fiona is a Cleantech market specialist focused on assisting entrepreneurs to commercialise and implement clean technologies, products and services. After seed funding an Australian packaged biogas plant innovation in 2009 Fiona was appointed CEO of Spectrum Renewable Energy (Australasia) Pty Ltd the business established to commercialise the BioBowser® which converts small organic waste streams into energy, recycled water and nutrient.
Fiona’s early work in the Cleantech space was shaped as a consultant production engineer helping mining and manufacturing companies identify and implement productivity improvements. Fiona is on the Board of EcoFund, an initiative of the Queensland Government to channel investment into protecting our natural assets and expanding protected areas in Queensland. She was a Director in the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency between 2000 and 2003 and continues to provide advice to various government agencies on sustainable industry development.
Fiona was recently appointed an Industry Fellow within the Australian Centre for Sustainable Business and Development at the University of Southern Queensland, her academic background spans business, manufacturing, environmental and public sector management.
Biomass Heat and Power - Simple Steps for Successful Technology Selection
This presentation will provide an overview of the state-of-play with the key commercial bio-energy technologies, the major bio-energy feedstocks in use around the world, key fuel-related risk factors, and tips on how to ensure the correct match is achieved between technology, feedstock and output requirements. A number of bio-energy project case studies will be included, highlighting key issues.
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Dr John Sanderson, B.E. (Chem), PhD, Earth Systems, Melbourne, Australia
Dr John Sanderson is a Senior Environmental Engineer with Melbourne-based consulting engineering company Earth Systems. He is also Director of Gasification Australia, which manufactures small wood-to-electricity power generators.
John has been involved in the renewable energy sector since 2005, and is an active proponent of bio-energy technologies, as well as an accomplished greenhouse and energy auditor. Recent work includes a feasibility study (and ongoing input) into a proposed biomass cogeneration plant for Ararat Rural City, technical scoping work for the proposed mPower renewable power plant at Marysville, technical and economic analysis of a transportable biochar production plant for the North East Catchment Management Authority, assisting Wonthaggi Wind Farm with reporting requirements under National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) Act, and providing carbon mass balance calculations for a proposed carbon-capture algal biodiesel process .
John has conducted numerous site energy audits (to AS3598) and greenhouse gas audits (to ISO 14064-1) to assist various organisations in reducing emissions and site energy use and has been involved in the technical development of several carbon emission reduction projects in developing countries under the Kyoto Clean Development Mechanism administered by the UNFCCC.
Raising efficiency by implementing biomass IGCC plants
What needs to be done to make biomass plants more attractive? Increasing efficiency and reducing CapEx.
Several years ago ERK started to use biomass gasifiers coupled to a steam boiler to raise efficiencies and reducing CapEx. This approach worked well but it “only” raised the efficiency of a 5MWe biomass plant from 24% to 27%. The next step needs to be using the producer gas, cleaning it and burning it in a gas engine, biomass IGCC. We built two 576kWe units in Europe and plan to up-scale them to 5MWe (see pictures next page). This plant will have a net efficiency of 35%.
To reduce the technological risk ERK is planning to build two 2.5MWe lines right next to each other. There is no need to up-scale the gasifiers as we already have significantly larger units in operation (largest gasifiers 70MWth). 2.5MWe or even 5MWe gas engines are available from different suppliers as well. The crucial part in this exercise is up-scale the gas cleaning equipment. A factor 5 up-scale is significant and that’s why we will involve our licensees as some of them have large-scale coal IGCC experience. Together with our small-scale gas cleaning experience we are sure to have the know-how necessary to master this hurdle.
A 5MWe biomass IGCC wouldn’t actually use the engines exhaust to raise steam to power a turbine. The investment in HRSG, turbine etc wouldn’t justify a couple of extra kWe. The engines exhaust will be used to dry the fuel (if necessary) and raise steam for the gasifiers. This means that the investment in such a plant will be lower than a comparable water-steam- cycle plant as there is no requirement for a boiler, steam turbine, condenser etc. In comparison gasifier + gas cleaning will be less costly than a boiler island and two gas engines significantly cheaper than one steam turbine + condenser.
Summarizing it is to say that the 35% efficiency 5MWe biomass IGCC would be a significant step forward as next to reduced CapEx it also reduces the fuel consumption and hence fuel transport costs. Larger biomass IGCC plants, e.g. 20MWe, would use the gas engine’s/ turbine’s exhaust for power generation and could realise max 50% efficiency.
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Juergen Peterseim, Australian Representative, ERK Eckrohrkessel GmbH, Germany
Juergen Peterseim is ERK’s Australian Representative and based in Sydney, Australia. There he is responsible for the local licensee support as well as the development of new boiler/heater applications.
After finishing studying industrial engineering in 2003 Juergen started working for La Mont-Kessel GmbH (an Eckrohrkessel licensee). He was involved in energy from biomass and waste as well as cogeneration projects. Since 2007 he has been working for Eckrohrkessel in Australia. Particular interests are new cogeneration applications, alternative fuel/multi-fuel systems and solar thermal energy.
Rhys Tucker, Principal Process Engineer, Uhde Shedden Australia
Rhys Tucker is a Principal Process Engineer at Uhde Shedden, specialising in Energy, Gasification and CCS Technologies. Rhys has over 12 years of experience in consulting firms and has worked in a wide variety of industries. He has gained international experience in Germany through assignment with Uhde GmbH, in the gasification and gas technologies division and in South Africa working in Sasol CTL facilities.
