POWER
Another signifi cant technological development is the availability of small scale Organic Rankine Cycle (“ORC”) units which provide the capability to generate power from the heat produced by a boiler. Using a fl uid vector with a high gas pressure curve such as toluene, these units can operate at an electrical effi ciency of up to 20% which can make a reasonable contribution to site energy demands, particularly at transfer stations or sorting facilities that contain a large amount of electrically driven equipment. Here the commercial benefi ts extend to the reduction of power drawn from the grid, as well as disposal and incentive payments, with some units ejecting suffi cient levels of heat to maintain drying operations.
Whether a site opts for a heat or power led project, the benefi ts of developing small scale treatment capacity for low grade wood are clear. As a specialist consultancy advising on technology and project development, WRM is seeing an increasing amount of feasibility and technical review activity across the market, particularly amongst small to medium sized operators whose arisings oſt en align with the
throughput of the emerging technologies. Getting the right technological and commercial approach established is however key to a successful project. Factors such as identifying a technology with a suitable feed tolerance, RHI eligibility (and the context of the ongoing RHI consultation), and integration into existing site operations, are all issues that need to be explored and understood.
T ere are now a dozen or so exemplar projects across the UK that have successfully demonstrated how these considerations can be balanced to deliver projects with commercial benefi ts to waste processing operations. It will be interesting to see how the wider industry reacts to the inevitable competitive advantage off ered by the technology, and whether other operators will look to roll out the technology whilst the market opportunity remains.
By Mark Richmond, Technical Director, WRM Ltd.
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