Simons Green Energy conducted a feasibility study to assess the suitability of HW Greenham & Sons installing a mixed-fuel cogeneration system at their meat processing site in Tongala, Victoria. The system needed to offer significant environmental benefits and make sound financial sense.
Subsequently awarded the project, Simons provided the client with an end-to-end solution from initial design to project completion.
Simons partnered with Siemens to provide the two cogeneration units that are installed on site, operating 24 hours a day, five days a week. The cogeneration and biogas system is fully automated with remote monitoring by a custom-designed PLC and SCADA control system, which monitors site conditions including both cogeneration units, pumps, pressures and temperatures of all relevant systems, including biogas CAL pressures and flare.
Two SGE-42HM 1000 kW Siemens cogeneration units deliver power and heat to the abattoir, with a combined maximum electrical output of 2000 kW and 1900 kW of heat. SGE covered three of the existing anaerobic lagoons to capture the methane that was naturally being generated in the ponds. The treated biogas and natural gas power the engines, creating electricity and heat.
The two electrically led generators service the base electrical load for the site, varying their output in order to match the grid requirements of the facility. The waste heat produced by the engine is used to heat water from 85 to 95°C, which is then used to preheat washdown and process water via a series of plate heat exchangers. This preheated water reduces the thermal load on the hot water heaters.
Blending fuels ensures the generation of power and heat supply and allows the facility to operate at a higher output than on biogas alone, with a lower cost per watt than a straight biogas system. Diluting the biogas with natural gas effectively reduces the sulfur level of the operation.
The system is predicted to reduce emissions, electricity and heat generation, and waste management by approximately 14,000 tonnes per year of CO2e, with the system set to pay itself back in approximately 3.5 years.
