Integrating bio-fuel with usual fuel in power generation
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
S. A. Mansoor
The scarcity of geological fuel is a reality in Bangladesh. Coal until now has remained unexplored; and depletion of natural gas resources sums up our rather inadequate geological fuel potential. We must follow the recently adopted US trend about marrying bio-fuels to conventional fuel for thermo-electric power plants. Beginning at modest levels, this should be our logical way ahead to meet the growing demand for power, and minimise environment pollution in the bargain. Based on the published US reports and records available, this exercise -- introduction of bio-fuels along with conventional fuel for power generation -- should be the trend-setter in Bangladesh. This should be our guideline to help decrease our need for conventional fuel as well as to reduce environment pollution.
This article presents the US scenario, as of end-2009. These developments are the result of US Federal and State Governments who have encouraged it by offering attractive financial incentives to put up the needed plants and modifications -- for dual fuel firing to conventional steam-electric power plants to enable bio-fuels to be introduced, along with coal or gas, the usual fuel for power generation in the USA.
In the USA, the major source of biomass comes from "wood and derived fuel" group.
The other source of important biomass are agricultural crop wastes, sludge from waste-water treatment, and other organic solids, liquid and gases. The prospect of growing dedicated biomass crop is an existing research and development (R&D) subject. It presents a future source of biomass fuel, supplementing fossil fuel for power generation. Current biomass application technologies in the USA are for conventional steam-electric power plant co-generation systems, directly burning biomass fuel or co-firing along with usual fossil fuel. The largest retrofit coal-fired power plant in the USA, converted to 100 per cent biomass fuel, was taken in hand in April, 2009. Presently co-firing is being practised in many US coal-fired power plants, where over 5.0 per cent of the heat is derived from various biomass sources.
Meanwhile, technologies for solid biomass gasification and firing it in conventional steam-electric power plants, though new, is commercially available. The first biomass gasification of a traditional coal-fired steam-electric power plant started in September 2008. Further commercial applications are in hand or under development. Such plants are similar to any conventional geological fuel-based power plant. It too needs fuel, cooling water and creates air pollution, while producing significant amounts of solid ash! Biomass fuel sources have cost advantages, in terms of quality, quantity, transport and handling. These are significant cost elements of conventional fuel. The State-level policies in the USA in support of biomass fuel usage, also help to reduce overall fuel cost.
According to the analysis by EPRI's (Electrical Power Research Institute, USA), bio-mass co-firing is among the least expensive and lowest risk option available for generating electric power from renewable sources. This helps to reduce carbon dioxide(CO2) emission, compared to the case with the present coal-fired power plants.
Retrofitting and converting old and ageing coal-fired power plants present a potentially cost-effective option for meeting the US regulatory atmospheric emission requirements as well as providing grid reliability. Given the rising demand for electric power in the USA and the environment pollution restrictions, this option of biomass addition to conventional power plants will grow substantially over the next few decades.
Federal and State policies in the USA are also a driving force behind the rapid expansion of biomass fueled power generation. Meanwhile, for the same reason, the transport sector too is now keen to use the environment friendly bio-fuels, and demand there for ethanol and bio-diesel on a national basis is rapidly expanding. Such policies, coupled with financial incentive for capital to set up plants for producing such eco-friendly fuels is boosting this industrial sector. The US bio-power capacity is projected to reach over 250 million MWH, representing the fastest growing power source.
This scribe believes that we should ask for the US help in this matter, and explore the possibility of mixing methane, generated from human refuse (night-soil), along with natural gas in one power plant. The results and experience from this effort would be a logical step forward for using bio fuel for power generation.
The writer is a retired engineer, having experience of working in a power plant
The scarcity of geological fuel is a reality in Bangladesh. Coal until now has remained unexplored; and depletion of natural gas resources sums up our rather inadequate geological fuel potential. We must follow the recently adopted US trend about marrying bio-fuels to conventional fuel for thermo-electric power plants. Beginning at modest levels, this should be our logical way ahead to meet the growing demand for power, and minimise environment pollution in the bargain. Based on the published US reports and records available, this exercise -- introduction of bio-fuels along with conventional fuel for power generation -- should be the trend-setter in Bangladesh. This should be our guideline to help decrease our need for conventional fuel as well as to reduce environment pollution.
This article presents the US scenario, as of end-2009. These developments are the result of US Federal and State Governments who have encouraged it by offering attractive financial incentives to put up the needed plants and modifications -- for dual fuel firing to conventional steam-electric power plants to enable bio-fuels to be introduced, along with coal or gas, the usual fuel for power generation in the USA.
In the USA, the major source of biomass comes from "wood and derived fuel" group.
The other source of important biomass are agricultural crop wastes, sludge from waste-water treatment, and other organic solids, liquid and gases. The prospect of growing dedicated biomass crop is an existing research and development (R&D) subject. It presents a future source of biomass fuel, supplementing fossil fuel for power generation. Current biomass application technologies in the USA are for conventional steam-electric power plant co-generation systems, directly burning biomass fuel or co-firing along with usual fossil fuel. The largest retrofit coal-fired power plant in the USA, converted to 100 per cent biomass fuel, was taken in hand in April, 2009. Presently co-firing is being practised in many US coal-fired power plants, where over 5.0 per cent of the heat is derived from various biomass sources.
Meanwhile, technologies for solid biomass gasification and firing it in conventional steam-electric power plants, though new, is commercially available. The first biomass gasification of a traditional coal-fired steam-electric power plant started in September 2008. Further commercial applications are in hand or under development. Such plants are similar to any conventional geological fuel-based power plant. It too needs fuel, cooling water and creates air pollution, while producing significant amounts of solid ash! Biomass fuel sources have cost advantages, in terms of quality, quantity, transport and handling. These are significant cost elements of conventional fuel. The State-level policies in the USA in support of biomass fuel usage, also help to reduce overall fuel cost.
According to the analysis by EPRI's (Electrical Power Research Institute, USA), bio-mass co-firing is among the least expensive and lowest risk option available for generating electric power from renewable sources. This helps to reduce carbon dioxide(CO2) emission, compared to the case with the present coal-fired power plants.
Retrofitting and converting old and ageing coal-fired power plants present a potentially cost-effective option for meeting the US regulatory atmospheric emission requirements as well as providing grid reliability. Given the rising demand for electric power in the USA and the environment pollution restrictions, this option of biomass addition to conventional power plants will grow substantially over the next few decades.
Federal and State policies in the USA are also a driving force behind the rapid expansion of biomass fueled power generation. Meanwhile, for the same reason, the transport sector too is now keen to use the environment friendly bio-fuels, and demand there for ethanol and bio-diesel on a national basis is rapidly expanding. Such policies, coupled with financial incentive for capital to set up plants for producing such eco-friendly fuels is boosting this industrial sector. The US bio-power capacity is projected to reach over 250 million MWH, representing the fastest growing power source.
This scribe believes that we should ask for the US help in this matter, and explore the possibility of mixing methane, generated from human refuse (night-soil), along with natural gas in one power plant. The results and experience from this effort would be a logical step forward for using bio fuel for power generation.
The writer is a retired engineer, having experience of working in a power plant