Distributed Generation and

Engines/Turbines for
Combustion of Biogas

Photo David Thimsen, Project Manager

EPRI Distributed Energy Resources Program
GCEP Energy Workshop
April 27, 2004
 For the next 20 minutes:

• Let’s make sure we’re talking the same language

• Biogas – from the dark side of the carbon cycle
• Flares, engines, turbines, fuel cells
• Why bother?

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 Engineers eschew obfuscation!

•Distributed Power
•Renewable Power
•Green Power

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 Distributed Power, Distributed Generation,
Distributed Electrical Resources
Electric Power Sources:
• Connected to utility wires operating at distribution voltages
(generally less than 15 kV)
or
• Connected (at transmission voltages) to utility wires in load
pockets to relieve transmission system congestion.
or
• Operating disconnected from an available electric utility
system.

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 Can you give me some examples?

In the electrical marketplace now: Coming soon?

• Natural gas–fueled combustion • Grid-connected residential
turbine in combined heat and CHP
power (CHP) service • Flow batteries for day-night
• Diesel generator used to shave electricity storage
peaks or power loads off-line • Home Depot going off-grid
during peak periods.
• Combustion turbine to relieve
transmission constraints into a
load pocket.
• WWTP sludge digester gas-
fueled engine
• Batteries/flywheels/SMES for line
voltage regulation

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 The grand scheme of things

Central Plant Step-Up

Transformer
Span of Distributed Generation

Distribution Receiving Distribution

Substation Gas Station Substation
Turbine Recip
Engine
Micro- Distribution
turbine Substation

Commercial
Recip Fuel
Photo Engine cell
voltaics

Batteries
Flywheel
Fuel Cells Commercial
Residential Gas Turbine

Industrial

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 These generally don’t count!

Transmission level connections

• Multi-megawatt wind farms
• Pulp and paper mill steam topping cycle
• Compressed air or pumped hydro storage
• Landfill gas-fueled generators (?)
Operating outside the electrical marketplace
• Remote diesel generator at a gravel quarry
• Standby generators used during grid outages only

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 Renewable Power

Electrical power generated as a result of recent (5 years?) solar activity

• Photovoltaics
• Wind-hydro-tidal-wave turbines
• Biomass-fueled engines-turbines-fuel cells
– Wood waste
– Grasses/crop residues
– MSW (?)
– Biogas
– Grains/oilseeds
What about?
• Geothermal
• Waste heat streams
• Oil/Gas production flares

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 Green Power

Doesn’t pollute! Good for the environment!

Can you be more specific?
• Photovoltaics, but don’t shade things that need sunlight.
• Wind, unless I don’t like to look at it or it’s noisy or it kills
birds or bats.
• Hydro, but no reservoirs.
• Geothermal, probably
• Biomass-fueled engines and turbines? Sure, why not?
• RDF/MSW-fueled power plants? You’ve got to be kidding!
• Fuel cells? Hydrogen? Definitely! No questions asked!
• Nuclear? Don’t get me started!
• Clean Coal? An oxy-moron

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 Biology in action!

Aerobic:
• [CHONS] + O2 => CO2, H2O, N2, SO2

Anaerobic (the dark side):

• [CHONS] => CO2, CH4, NH3, H2S + [cats and dogs]

Picky anaerobic also:

• [CHONS] => ethanol + [other cats and dogs]

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 Exploiting the Dark Side

Why? Reduce the biological activity of organic wastes via

anaerobic digestion:
• Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) sludge
• Animal manure from a Confined Animal Feeding Operation
(CAFO)
• High-strength industrial streams
Whether you want it or not:
• Sealed landfills
Some jargon:
• Psychrophilic: < 85F low-rate, large volume
• Mesophilic ~ 95F moderate rate, moderate volume
• Thermophilic ~135F higher rate, lower volume

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 Raw gas coming from the Dark Side

Typical Values Municipal Industrial Animal Manure Landfill Gas

(May be exceeded at specific sites WWTP Sludge Waste Digestion
treating unique wastes.) Digestion Digestion
Methane – CH4 50-70% 60-80% 50-70% 45-60%
Carbon Dioxide – CO2 30-45% 20-40% 30-50% 35-40%

Water Vapor – H2O 1-4% 1-4% 1-4% 1-2%

(Saturated at digester temperature)
Hydrogen Sulfide – H2S 150-3,000 Up to 30,000 Up to 5,000 10-1,000
and Total Reduced Sulfur – TRS ppmv ppmv ppmv ppmv

Siloxanes – HCSi ~10 ppmv negligible negligible ~10 ppmv

Hydrocarbons - HC negligible negligible negligible <2500 ppmv
Halogenated Hydrocarbons - HCX <100 ppmv

Nitrogen – N2 <5% negligible <5% <10%

Oxygen – O2 < 1% < 1% < 3%

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 Bad Actors in Raw Biogas

• Hydrogen sulfide, organic sulfur (all sources)

– Emitted as SO2 after combustion
– Iron weight loss corrosion in liquid water
– Leaks can be toxic
– Poisons fuel cell catalysts
– Poisons SCR, COx, and 3-way exhaust catalysts
• Condensed water vapor (all sources)
– Weight loss corrosion when combined with H2S
– Instrument fouling
– Compressor/fan impact/erosion damage
• Siloxanes (WWTP sludge, landfill gas)
– Burns to solid silica – imagine close-tolerance machines and small flow passages
• Halogenated hydrocarbons (landfill gas)
– Poisons fuel cell catalysts
– Depletes Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell electrolyte
– Weight loss corrosion in carbon steel, stress crack corrosion in SS (liquid water)
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 Biogas is a byproduct of digestion!

• Vent – generally a no-no!

– H2S can be lethal in small concentrations.
– Landfill gas has VOCs and refrigerants.
– CH4 is a more potent greenhouse gas than CO2.
• Incinerate locally in a heating appliance or flare (if no local
heat loads)
– H2S => SO2
– CH4, VOC => CO2
– Refrigerants => HX
– Flares are not 100%!
• Upgrade to commercial natural gas (need nearby markets)
• Incinerate in an engine or turbine or fuel cell for power

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 Power Generation Technologies Employed

•Spark Ignition Internal Combustion Engines

• Combustion Turbines/MicroTurbines
• Fuel Cells
• Stirling Engines

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 Spark Ignition Internal Combustion Engines

Fuel Specs:
• H2S < 1000 ppmv
• HCX < 0.15 ppmv
• Siloxanes < 0.03 ppmv (?)
• Dew point 20F less than gas
temperature
Typical Uncontrolled Emissions:
• NOx 1.8 lb/MWh
• CO 7.8 lb/MWh
• SO2 depends on fuel S
Typical Yields:
• Electrical 95 kWh/MMBtu
• Thermal 125 kWh/MMBtu

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 Combustion Turbines

Fuel Specs:
• H2S ? ppmv
• HCX ? ppmv
• Siloxanes < 0.03 ppmv (?)
• Dew point 20F less than gas
temperature
Typical Uncontrolled Emissions:
• NOx 1.3 lb/MWh
• CO 4.6 lb/MWh
• SO2 depends on fuel S
Typical Yields:
• Electrical 69 kWh/MMBtu
• Thermal 151 kWh/MMBtu

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 MicroTurbines

Fuel Specs:
• H2S 70,000 ppmv (?)
• HCX ? ppmv
• Siloxanes < 0.03 ppmv (?)
• Dew point 20F less than gas
temperature
Typical Uncontrolled Emissions:
• NOx < 0.4 lb/MWh
• CO < 0.3 lb/MWh
• SO2 depends on fuel S
Typical Yields:
• Electrical 82 kWh/MMBtu
• Thermal 138 kWh/MMBtu

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 Fuel Cells

Fuel Specs:
• H2S < 0.10 ppmv
• HCX < 0.10 ppmv
• Siloxanes < 0.03 ppmv (?)
• Dew point 20F less than gas
temperature
Typical Uncontrolled Emissions:
• NOx < 0.07 lb/MWh
• CO < 0.10 lb/MWh
• SO2 negligible
Typical Yields:
• Electrical 132 kWh/MMBtu
• Thermal 88 kWh/MMBtu

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 Stirling Engines

Fuel Specs:
• H2S high
• HCX ?
• Siloxanes ?
• Dew point 20F less than gas
temperature
Typical Uncontrolled Emissions:
• NOx < 0.5 lb/MWh (?)
• CO < 6.0 lb/MWh (?)
• SO2 depends on fuel S
Typical Yields:
• Electrical 88 kWh/MMBtu
• Thermal 132 kWh/MMBtu

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 Why bother?

Value Propositions:
• Raw gas is free. Usually. 1. Use the raw gas for a local
• Electricity isn’t free. Ever. heating load (to displace
commercial fuels)
• Natural gas, propane and fuel
2. Upgrade to commercial
oil aren’t free. Ever.
natural gas.
• Flares are embarrassing! 3. Cogenerate power and heat
4. Generate power

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 Putting it all together – the requirements

Capital Operating
• Gas Processing • Operating Labor
– Drying
• Scheduled Maintenance
– Compressor/blower?
– Gas storage? • Gas Processing consumables?
– Sulfur removal? • Gas Processing wastes?
– Siloxane removal?
• Compressor Power?
– HCX removal?
– Polishing for fuel cells?
• Power Generation • Fuel?
– Prime mover/fuel cell
– Generator/inverter
– Switchgear/interconnection • Power Purchase agreement?
– HRHX? • Standby Power reserve?
• Electrical/Mechanical/Controls • Space Lease?
• Project Management/Permitting • Insurance?

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 Business Arrangements

• Parties:
– Gas producer/site owner
– Electric Utility
– Third party to own and/or operate
• Relatively Easy: Gas producer owns/operates the equipment, uses
all power on the customer side of the electric meter, uses heat in
local process.
• Complications:
– Who provides power during maintenance outages and at what cost?
– If generation exceeds the local electrical load, power must be exported and a
power purchase agreement must be made.
– If the electrical utility or a third party generates the power and connects on the
utility side of the local electrical meter: How is gas valued? How is thermal
output valued? Is rent paid for real estate? Insurance/Liability?
– Who gets “green tags” or renewable credits or incentives?

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 The next to the last slide.

EPA resources for biogas production technologies:

• Animal Manure: AgStar (www.epa.gov/agstar)
• Landfill Methane Outreach Program: (www.epa.gov/lmop)

Stay Tuned:
• More animal manure digesters are on the way. (3,000 cows or 5,000 hogs
can make themselves noticed for miles.)
• Industrial waste digesters are becoming more common. At present they
largely flare but 3rd party projects are being developed.
• Renewable Portfolio standards will encourage utility interest in biogas-to-
electricity projects.
• Look for flares! That’s the best indicator of opportunity.
• How can we make these generators dispatchable?
• How can gas processing requirements be minimized?
• Are there liquid streams currently being dried that could more profitably be
digested?

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 Are there questions?

Lights Please.
David Thimsen
[email protected]
www.epri.com
(651) 766-8826

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