[Gasification] Which of the gasifiers Tom listed are meeting Knoef's commercial criteria

Wed Jun 27 18:37:56 CDT 2012

Hi Tom,

Picking up from Thomas Koch's comments below, do you have any insight 
into perhaps the 4 or 5 gasifier vendors with systems being used for 
electricity generation that are doing the best job of meeting Knoef's 
criteria for successful commercial gasifiers?

Thanks

David

Knoef et al (2007, p5) proposed the following criteria for determining 
whether or not a gasification technology is commercial:
1. Continuous integrated plant operation under commercial conditions for 
a minimum of 2,000 hours
2. Plant availability of 80% or higher
3. Profitable plant operation without government support; an example is 
the sustainable financial support from CHP operations with feed-in rate 
for electricity and heat
4. Plant operation without major modifications during the first year of 
commissioning
5. Process owners willing to specify investment and operational costs 
and offer or arrange performance, service, and maintenance guarantees
6. Process owners ready to offer ‘turn-key’ plants

Knoef et al also emphasise “that the development, optimization, and 
commercialization of first-of-a-kind BMG process are challenging and 
require substantial financial resources” (2007, p4) and that sale of “5 
or more gasification systems of the same gasification island 
configuration” is a commercial criterion (2007, p1).

Knoef HAM, Buhler R, and Babu S 2007. Workshop No. 1 (2007-09): 
Situation Analysis and Success and Visions for Biomass Gasification IEA. 
Retrieved October 1, 2009 from 
http://media.godashboard.com//gti/IEA_BRU_11-07.pdf

> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 7
> Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2012 07:31:12 -0700
> From: "Tom Miles"<tmiles at trmiles.com>
> To: "'Discussion of biomass pyrolysis and gasification'"
> 	<gasification at lists.bioenergylists.org>
> Subject: Re: [Gasification] 2 MWe Gasifier at University of British
> 	Columbia,	Vancouver, Canada
> Message-ID:<00d301cd5471$811be8e0$8353baa0$@trmiles.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> I should add PRM Energy and ENERIA to the list.
>
> PRM Energy has supplied many gasifier for industrial uses. At least two have
> been used for power generation, one in Italy and one in France. The system
> in Limoges, France, is owned and operated by ENERIA, the Caterpillar dealer
> for France, Poland, Romania, Algeria and Belgium.  ENERIA has been the
> Caterpillar dealer for France since 1929.
>
> The plant was built in 2006 as a 1.0MWe  test/demo unit for testing of
> various fuels that can be gasified in the PRME gasifier and produce a
> suitable syngas for IC Engines. ENERIA installed three (3) different types
> of gas cleaning technology to determine which was best for the IC Engine
> application.   The plant is fully equipped with gas conditioning, gas
> cooling. emissions monitoring etc.
>
> Contacts:
>
> PRM Energy
> http://www.prmenergy.com/
> Ron Bailey Sr. rbaileys at prmenergy.com
>
> Eneria
> http://www.eneria.fr/english/renewable-energy/biomass-plants.html
>
> Eneria will also test the Xylowatt gasifier from Belgium:
> http://www.xylowatt.com/en/Dernieres-Actualites/eneria-et-xylowatt-concluent
> -un-partenariat-pour-developper-la-cogeneration-biomasse.html
>
>
> Tom
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: gasification-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org
> [mailto:gasification-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Tom
> Miles
> Sent: Monday, June 25, 2012 4:11 PM
> To: 'Discussion of biomass pyrolysis and gasification'; mark at ludlow.com
> Subject: Re: [Gasification] 2 MWe Gasifier at University of British
> Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
>
> Thomas
>
> Who are the likely small scale gasifier suppliers that will conquer these
> challenges?
>
> A
> Ankur Scientific, India http://www.ankurscientific.com/
> 	
> B.
> Babcock Volund, Denmark http://www.volund.dk/
> 	3 gasifiers up to 2 MWe
>
> Biogen, Dominican Republic http://www.biogendr.com/app/en/frontpage.aspx
> 	300-500 kWe modules, Italy
> C
> CarboConsult, South Africa http://www.carboconsult.com/
> 	250 kWe, Melanie, Gauteng, South Africa
>
> Carbona/Andritz, Finland
> http://www.andritz.com/pp-gasification-andritz-carbona
> 	3 MWe plant in Skive, Denmark
>
> CleanStGas, Austria http://www.cleanstgas.com/
> 	125-250 kWe/235-480 kWth
>
> Community Power Corporation www.gocpc.com
> 	50-75 kWe modules.
>
> E
> EKZ, Switzerland www.ekz.ch
> 	Turnkey wood gasifier installations
>
> G
> Gasek, Finland www.gasek.fi
> 	50 kWe/100 kWth
>
> I
> IISc, India  and Licensees
> http://cgpl.iisc.ernet.in/site/Technologies/BiomassGasification/tabid/68/Def
> ault.aspx
> 	
>
> M
>
> MEVA Innovation AB, Sweden (fine wood fuels) http://www.mevainnovation.se/
> 	1-10 MWe; 1.2 MWe in construction Horlax, Pitea
>
> Mothermik, Germany http://www.mothermik.com/engl/prod-1holzver-e.html
> 	10 plants.250 kWe
>
> N
> Nexterra Ltd., Vancouver, Canada http://www.nexterra.ca/
> 	2 MWe in construction. University of British Columbia
>
> R
> Repotec, Austria http://www.repotec.at/index.php/homepage.html
> 	Dual fluidized bed for CHP
>
> S
> Satake, Japan (IISc, India technology)
> http://www.satake-group.com/news/2008/080214.html
> 	Up to 900 kWe modules
> 	
> Stirling DK, Denmark http://www.stirling.dk/
> 	15-140 kWe, Updraft gasifier with stirling engine.
>
> T
> TK Eenergi, Denmark http://www.tke.dk
> 	3 stage gasifier
> U
> Urbas Energietechnik, Austria http://www.rsbiomass.com/urbas_gas.html
> 	150 kWe/310 kWth fixed bed downdraft
>
> W
> Weiss, Denmark, two stage gasification www.weiss-as.dk
> 	1-2 MWe
>
> X
> Xylowatt, Belgium http://www.xylowatt.com/
> 	350 kWe modules
>
> XyloPower AG, Switzerland www.xylopower.com
>
>
> Which companies have 3 operating, commercial, gasifiers?
>
> Who else?
>
> Tom Miles
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: gasification-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org
> [mailto:gasification-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Thomas
> Koch
> Sent: Monday, June 25, 2012 2:15 PM
> To: Discussion of biomass pyrolysis and gasification; mark at ludlow.com
> Subject: Re: [Gasification] 2 MWe Gasifier at University of British
> Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
>
> Tom
>
> I am sure this price level is achieveable - BUT BUT BUT - there is a major
> challege that must be overcommed.
>
> You need some where you can have 5-10 similar gasifiers operating for 10 of
> thousans of hours each with in reachable distance from their "parent (s)"
> and this alone needs 50 - 100 mio $ on top of the market price for the
> electricity - and it is possible to maintain a stable and bright and not
> religious brain capacity for a decade or two.
>
> On top of that you need to start with a good idea and that is where most
> principles fail.
> And what does that mean?
> Not too complex - with a potential to handle the challenges that will come
> in an ECONOMICALLY COMPETITIVE way!!!
>
> Examples - V?lund - Nexterra - CFBs-Repotec and this type of gasifiers will
> alvays have the challenge og tar/perticle gas handling issues - personally I
> believe it is too complex to handle in a competitive way.
> FCC - may be large scale - but catalyst and gasifier is a challenge
> 2-3 stage - Viking - double feuer - TKE - and the likes have high
> temperature challenges and reduction challenges and bed stability issues -
> variation in gaspermeability etc Stirling show a large drop in efficiency if
> upscaled above 50-75 kW thus the biomass handling systems becomes very small
> and sensitive.
> Entrained flow are very big and needs extensive pretreatment of the fuel.
>
> Many things will work for some time if nursed properly by the enthusiastic
> developers.
>
> Thomas
>    