COMBINED HEAT & POWER


HOW BIOGAS BOILERS ARE SLASHIN


The containerised solution delivered by Shaw Renewables comprises two 1.5MW Viessmann dual fuel (biogas and LNG) boilers


By replacing its legacy diesel boilers with carbon-friendly biogas alternatives, AD operator BioteCH4 has saved £150,000 per year and is now generating 3,000 MW/h of heat from


renewable sources. The project, carried out by Shaw Renewables, was completed in just ten weeks C


ommissioned in 2020, BioteCH4’s R100 Energy plant in Goole, Yorkshire, generates 11MWth of


renewable biogas each year from 90,000 tonnes of organic waste from supermarkets, local authorities and manufacturing facilities.This comprises a mix of liquids, solids, wastewater, oils and fats. In order to pasteurise this Category 3 food waste and heat the digesters to the required temperature


for the anaerobic digestion process, BioteCH4 has a need for heat on-site. Initially, the team employed diesel boilers as an interim measure while they waited for the installation of their combined heat and power engines (CHPs). But a need for cheaper, more reliable and more environmentally friendly CHP back-ups soon transpired, and the company contacted Shaw Renewables for support. “We had worked with Shaw Renewables before at


some of our other sites and were impressed with their knowledge of biogas boilers and their level of service,” commented Adam Carter, group project


lead for BioteCH4. “So when we began looking for an alternative on-site heat solution for our R100 Energy plant, they were the obvious choice.”


THE SOLUTION Although BioteCH4’s heat requirement was for 3MW, the team at Shaw Renewables


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recommended a solution which incorporated two separate 1.5MW boilers. “While we could have met the customer’s request with a single boiler, the use of two brings a number of additional benefits,” explained Andrew Shaw, managing director. “The first is modulation. Our fully modulating burners provide excellent turndown ratio, between 5-10 step depending on the fuel quality. But there’s a limit to how low you can go – with a 3MW boiler the maximum turndown would only be around 1.2MW, meaning that at off peak or low demand times in the plant’s cycle we are generating more than is required, which will lead to short cycling of the boilers. This is obviously less efficient than with two 1.5MW boilers, when one could be left idle and the other used at just 800kW, for example. “The second benefit of using a two-boiler


configuration is back-up. If one boiler goes down or needs servicing, a spare is then available to keep the heat generating as required. And finally, there’s the benefit of duty sharing. Alternating between two boilers means they share the wear and tear associated with operation, prolonging the lifespan of not just the boilers but also the pumps and associated equipment.”


ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS - Summer 2025


CONTAINERISED SOLUTION Shaw Renewables created a two-boiler cascade solution for the R100 site, incorporating a modulating gas booster to deliver the required pressure. In just 10 weeks, Shaw and his team of engineers built a 40ft-long plant room fully fitted with lighting, combustion air ventilation, small power for service equipment, and a gas safety system with gas interlock. The plant room houses two 1.5MW Viessmann


low-temperature hot water boilers with a steel shell, with fully modulating dual fuel (biogas and LNG) Riello gas burners. It also includes a variable speed Utile gas booster with pressure transducers to provide fully modulating gas pressure, as well as Grundfos TPE pumps. Gas safety has been addressed with a multi-sensor alarm which monitors lower explosive limits, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulphide, smoke and fire. The team hired a crane to position the plant room in place, then oversaw fabrication, installation and insulation of the heating pipework, biogas pipework and gas booster pipework. Testing and commissioning checks followed, before the containerised biogas


boiler solution was handed over to BioteCH4’s in-house engineers and operators.


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