[Gasification] Question: Connecting a gasifier to a microCHPunit

[Phil Marsh]

Tom & List:

I just finished meeting with Lars Jagd, CEO of Stirling Danmark. They are
considering moving into the Canadian and US markets but the decision is not
yet final as the incentive to operate (green electricity price) in Europe is
much greater. The current price for their stirling engine works out to about
$3900 CDN per KW but they hope to cut that price in half over the next two
years. That may be ambitious or maybe not. Their current machine is in the
35Kw range. With combined units they are not planning to go above 150Kw in
the near future. They need a gas temperature in the 1200 to 1300C range,
this can give them efficiencies in the 25% range but the heat exchange
materials are very expensive, thus the high cost. 

If you can afford the investment, or can't afford not to, these units might
be better suited to topping on an IC engine generator where in theory the
fuel (exhaust gases) are free. If your electricity price is good and the
equipment reliable and maintenance free I think an economic case could be
made.



Phil Marsh
Marsh Bros.
(250) 569-2795
-----Original Message-----
From: gasification-bounces at listserv.repp.org
[mailto:gasification-bounces at listserv.repp.org] On Behalf Of Tom Miles
Sent: September 1, 2007 9:41 AM
To: 'Discussion of biomass pyrolysis and gasification'
Subject: Re: [Gasification] Question: Connecting a gasifier to a
microCHPunit

If you search the gasification website for stirling you get:
http://gasifiers.bioenergylists.org/search/node/stirling

Also select the small/microCHP tab:
http://gasifiers.bioenergylists.org/smallchp

The only work I know of using producer gas and stirling engines was by
Henrik Carlsen at Danish Technological University which led to the formation
of Stirling Danmark
http://www.stirling.dk/

They developed a special heat exchanger for producer gas. They claim that
using wet wood in an updraft gasifier: "Typically, a plant with a 200 kW
wood chips consumption will generate around 35 kWe power and 145 kW heat.
The capacity of the updraft gasifier can easily be increased where several
Stirling engines can be fuelled. Plant sizes with electrical outputs of 300
kW or more is thus possible." That's 17.5% based on lower heating value
which would be comparable to a spark ignition engine. This was based on
testing at Harbore in Denmark. They also have 45 kWe and 85 kWe engines that
have been used on wood for a few years.  
http://www.stirling.dk/default.asp?ID=142

A few years ago the target price for a gasifier=stirling system was about
3000 EUR/kW or about USD $4000/kW

I don't know the current activities of the company.

Tom Miles



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