Advanced Biomass Gasification for Heat and Power Demonstration Project
Project Lead: John Gorjup, OERD, NRCan – Ottawa
Lead Proponent: University of British Columbia
Initial CEF Contribution: $ 8 M
Add-on Project: $ 2 M
Project Total:$ 28 M
Strategic Area: Bioenergy
Location: UBC Point Grey Campus, Vancouver, British Columbia
Background:
University of British Columbia (UBC) is committed to leadership in sustainability, which was well demonstrated by meeting its Kyoto targets for GHG reduction five years early. In order to continue leadership in this area, UBC is committed to take advantage of its unique capacity for research and problem solving to embrace and deploy leading-edge clean energy technologies and concepts.
UBC is working on this project with Nexterra and GE Energy, along with GE subsidiary Jenbacher Ltd., one of the world’s leading manufacturers of gas-fueled reciprocating engines, packaged generator sets and cogeneration units for power generation.
Add-on Project: To add Engine Heat Recovery (EHR), Electro Chemical Energy Storage (ECES) and Supervisory Management and Control to the CHP system to validate a CHP system in combination with Energy storage to improve system efficiency, reduce implementation costs and provide knowledge on systems of this type.
Aerial View of UBC Campus
Nexterra and its partners have been working since 2007 to develop a new generation of biomass-fuelled combined heat and power systems in the 2 to 10 megawatt electrical (MWe) size range. This project will showcase biomass gasification integrated with an internal combustion engine gen-set in a novel, small-scale combined heat and power demonstration suited for on-site applications at public institutions, industrial facilities, and northern and remote Canadian communities.
The project has the potential to overcome the syngas condition clean-up hurdle and opens up the possibility of significant replication in Canada and overseas. By providing ‘clean’ energy, the facility will set new global standards for performance and emissions, while lowering the GHG emissions and fossil fuel consumption of the campus.
Objectives:
The objectives of this Project are:
- Construct and commission a 2MWe biomass CHP system at UBC’s Point Grey campus
- Demonstrate a highly replicable application that will potentially increase the value of Canadian biomass
- Demonstrate Canadian leadership in clean energy technology innovation and commercialization
- Contribute to the UBC strategy of a “living laboratory” that will enable UBC faculty members and students and partner institution researches to conduct research on renewable energy (gasification) applications from a technological, societal and economic view point (three pillars of UBC’s sustainability mission)
UBCProject BuildingDesign
Benefits to Canada:
The Project will showcase, for the first time, an integration of two innovative Canadian technologies on bioenergy and building structure that represent significant opportunities for BC’s clean technology, clean energy and forest products sectors. Once demonstrated this CHP System shows tremendous potential for replication and application globally. In Canada, this CHP technology has the potential to offset approximately 435 kilo tonnes, (CO2 equivalent) of GHG emissions annually. The total value to Canada by 2020, of replication, is estimated to be approximately $670 million.
Project Status:
The Nexterra combined heat and power (CHP) system achieved its commissioning milestones for individual subsystems by the end of 2012. Commissioning included some engine operation but also significant numbers of non-engine related testing and compliance trials. The scheduled November shutdown and inspection identified a failed soot blower assembly on the CHP gas cleaning subsystem, which will be analysed and reengineered in January. The CHP system is scheduled to restart in early to mid-March. In the meantime the facility will continue to operate in thermal mode providing heat to the university’s district energy system.
For the period since metering initiating till year end (2012), the BRDF produced 205 MWh of electricity and 22,149,136 lbs. (gross) and 20,157,205 lbs. (net) of steam.
Due to the limited operation in CHP mode no heat has been recovered from the engine. All subsystems are in place, however, to “harvest” this heat once CHP operation commences. Construction is underway to prepare for installation of the three energy storage “nodes” on campus. Delivery and commissioning of the ECES systems will occur, on schedule, in Q4, 2013. Together the Partners, Alpha Technologies and Corvus Energy will provide approximately $2m of “in kind” support towards the cost of the demonstration.
GE-Jenbacher engine and generator unit fueled by bio-mass derived syn gas.
The use of wood, glass and metal allows the Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Facility to blend into the sites natural surroundings
The Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Project is a unique demonstration of Nexterra’s gasification and syn-gas conditioning technologies
On September 13th over 125 guests joined UBC in officially opening the Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Facility
The Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Facility is currently operating in Thermal mode and being tested and commissioned in Combined Heat and Power mode
Additional Links:
News Release: Governments of Canada and B.C. Invest in Renewable Energy Project