[Gasification] The ultimate micro sized gasifier power plant

[Monte Carlo]

Peter,

I toured this plant in 2006:

http://www.aps.com/images/PDF/renewable/SP017SaguaroSolarTrough.pdf

They are using an Ormat unit to convert solar into electrical power. The troughs heat oil, which warms pentane. The pentane is used to drive the turbine. A pretty neat system that works out to about $2 a watt installed, at least in this size.

Ted.


----- Original Message ----
From: Peter Singfield <snkm at btl.net>
To: gasification at listserv.repp.org
Sent: Saturday, April 21, 2007 4:43:04 PM
Subject: Re: [Gasification] The ultimate micro sized gasifier power plant


Hi Tom;

OK -- will snap a picture of the device in question -- as it sits on my
bench now -- sending that to you directly off list.

The "flame-side" heat exhanger is a boiler -- usually heating a thermal oil
which is pumped to the ORC hot side exchanger -- which is usually of shell
tube design.

ORMAT has a neat animated schematic of this system at:

http://www.ormat.com/our-businesses/recovered-energy/our-technologies/the-oe
c/recovered-energy-generation-(reg)-using-oec.html

The village power units are basically a gasifier mated to one of their
small "remote power generation units" -- and they have been "proven"
relibable -- maintenance free!

"Over 30 years of highest reliability remote power generation in Russia,
along the Gazprom gas pipelines, powering the safety system which protect
environment"

Tom -- think of your house refrigeration unit in terms of reliability ---
they are bacially the same.

>but that the attempts to use hot gas a source have been
>frustrated by the large volumes of gas and the difficulty of getting heat
>exchangers to last in the high temperature environment. 

Hard to believe that -- being as the actually operation temperatures are
far lower than any steam boiler works at. And even lower than hot product
gas from a gasifier.

300 C and lower --- often less than 200 C

You might be confused with super heaters in 5000 psi and plus pressures of
major coal fired power plants??

Where tube temps run 1400 F -- 

Yet -- 45% of all the electric power now used in the US is very reliably
produced using that system.

Tom -- in these Gasifier to ORC systems -- there is no need to clean out
the tars -- etc -- from the product gas -- or cool the product gas --

Your talking about the job Gasifieres do best -- thermal heating -- period.

The ORC unit is hermetically sealed -- and lasts like a good quality house
fridge does -- 30 plus years -- maintenance free.

I simply theorize that if the Gasifier community had adopted this route to
pursue the gasifier to electrical power supply -- 

Anyway -- here is an off list clip of this same discussion with another
person:

*****************starts******************

I just got in some interesting high pressure piston pumps from China that I
do believe I can easily modify into a small -- 2 to 4 HP ORC prime mover --
or even into a steam engine.

(This is the smallest model -- they have units twice and more this capacity)

But my resources are limited -- and spare time to play -- even more so.

I probably will post pictures of these new units -- eventually -- for all
to comment on -- to the gas list.

>Thank you for trying to expand our consciousness,
>

Solar cell costs have went through the ceiling -- so Solar Orcs are now
viable challengers -- but if global economy melts down -- the price of
solar cells should go way down as well.

The great costs of the solar orcs is the condensers -- the boilers -- the
piping and especially -- the prime movers.

Refrigeration devices are already on the shelf at economic pricing for
condensers -- boilers and piping -- the prime mover is still the major
problem.

Even if one can find a small economic turbo extractor -- generating power
at 30 to 60 thousand RPM is still a major hurdle.

These piston pumps are rated at 800 RPM -- 500 psi pressure -- and 3 to 5
HP input.

And my cost is $64.50 per unit -- minimum order of but ten.

These days it is not about what can be done -- but what will get done.

Eventually -- maybe -- I will do it --

One man operations are severely limited in scope.

These are really great base units for vapor cycle engines though!!

And will be very easy to modify -- just bolt on the upper cylinder set of
choice.

They are of sliding rail design -- which isolates thermally piston/cylinder
from base -- and allows no side forces on piston -- as indeed - -all
original steam engines were so designed.

It even supplies two live ends to the crank -- so will be vary easy to
adapt valve linkages -- and/or feed pump driving.

I would use coconut oil as thermal transfer fluid in one of those solar
tube arrays -- circulating that hot oil through a shell tube heat exchanger
-- to boil the butane.

As they claim for those:

"The highest temperature of 300oC can be reached without water"

(ergo -- I doubt plastic be in that design!!)

And heat the panel by numerous sun tracking mirror devices (this
manufacturer probably can supply those as well??)

I probably would use another of these same pumps as feed pump -- why not --
they are perfectly adapted for that job -- 450 PSI --

But would require only one of the three pistons to operate!!

$64.50 -- what the heck -- eh??

And you could hook up your gasifier at night to heat the coconut oil -- or
even simpler -- just use a standard small combustion boiler -- 

Apin Boilers in Peru makes great ones -- and economic.

http://www.apin.com.pe/



Peter/Belize


****************************************

At 01:21 PM 4/21/2007 -0700, you wrote:
>Peter,
>
>Sure. Send along the photos. We have these listed under "Heat and Power" on
>the gasification website:
>http://gasifiers.bioenergylists.org/?q=smallchp
>
>You should add Turboden and UTC Power to your list. Turboden from Italy has
>systems operating successfully in Europe. UT Power's ORC unit recently
>installed at Chena Hot Springs, Alaska, using a geothermal source has been
>quite successful.
>
>I understand that the liquid ORC systems like geothermal have been pretty
>successful but that the attempts to use hot gas a source have been
>frustrated by the large volumes of gas and the difficulty of getting heat
>exchangers to last in the high temperature environment. 
>
>Tom
>  
>

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