I have studied that many Government funded, Biomass Gasification based electricity generation systems (using modified IC engines) have been installed since the previous two decades. Out of them presently, only few are actually operational. What happened to the other ones? Why did the majority of them last only for less than 4 years? Were there any social issues?
I am looking for such case studies which address properly the above questions and some other questions similar to them.
If any one has answers to my questions, I'll be highly thankful in advance.
Regards
Harmanpreet Singh
Thapar University, India
My observations are that there is usually insufficient training given to owners and operators to deal with faults. Often the operators do not "own" the project and it is easy for them to walk away when thing go wrong, particularly if the feel they may be blamed for the breakdown. Once a fault occurs that owner / operators are unable to repair, the equipment is sometimes abandoned. It is most important that those who will operate the plant are well educated in all aspects of its operation maintenance and repair.
Consider also ensuring there is sufficient funding to purchase parts for repairs when required. If a part for repair is a significant portion of the initial capital cost, how will it be paid for? There is often no grant money for maintenance or repairs. Is there money coming back into the project from the sale of energy to cover maintenance and repairs as well as wages? If not, then how will repairs be paid for? If repairs cant be paid for, then that is the end of the project.
Hope that helps the thinking.
Thank you Mr. Brewster, for this expert reason. I am sure that the above stated reasons are responsible for the deaths of many installed projects. Your views will certainly help in my study.
The success of such projects depends, among other factors, on careful planning of their sustainability, that is, on considering and ensuring the long-term viability of such projects.
Many times the funding was obtained only for the purchase of such systems, and there is no money available for repairs, sometimes not even for maintenance. Many times the business model is set to generate enough revenue to cover ordinary maintenance, but not for unscheduled repairs. Often the technology is not yet mature, and the durability of the equipment is shorter than envisioned. Often the manufacturer goes out of business and replacement parts are no longer available.
Was the installation sustainable in the terms that it generated enough revenue to sustain its continued operation, including periodic maintenance, and ideally, also unscheduled repairs?
Were there funds reserved or set aside for periodic maintenance, for continuing operator training, for unscheduled repairs and overhaul?
Was there continuing support from the manufacturers of such equipment, or were parts and service no longer available?
When such projects were planned, what was the envisioned durability of the equipment?
Were there provisions for replacing the equipment with new one at the end of its useful life?
Thank you Mr. Michal, for you views. Keeping in mind the above questions, I'll again perform the survey regarding this issue.
Some issues such as, unawareness of technology among the people, environmental pollution and unavailability of market for commercialization may be considered as the major social issues related to the biomass gasification.
Thank you Mr. Sunil for your answer. I also came across the above-mentioned issues during the survey.
The synthetic gas quality and quantity and the cost associated with obtaining that gas are prohibiting factors for the gasification/gas engine (GGE) technology.
Few facilities have been able to successfully produced a "good" synthetic gas (MSW as a primary feedstock). Most, if not all, of them are based in Japan. One could argue that they are still operating because of necessity instead of mastery. Three facilities, all in Japan, are currently operating a synthetic gas gas engine. All three facilities use the same gasification technology, which had a high CAPEX (greater than two hundred thousand dollars per tpd) and has high OPEX (about thirty five thousand dollars per tpd). These facilities are loosing money, but, thanks to Japan high tipping fees and dyer need for waste reduction, they are still in operation. Those facilities have decided to not use that technology in future projects due to its high cost. In summary, it very costly to produce a good synthetic gas for use in gas engines.
A factor that is not often spoken of is the maintenance cost for gas engines. Four hundred thousand dollars per year is an approximated maintenance cost for a 12MW capacity facility. With a "good" synthetic gas, meaning low H2O, HCL, virtually no tar, and a low S count, a gas engine may derate by only 1.5% of its standard efficiency and average at 35% percent efficiency, for a 12MW capacity facility. A "good" synthetic gas may mean less breakdowns more up-times more revenue, less maintenance cost. A typical gas engine maintenance cost is between 20 to 40 Euro per operating hours.
GGE is a great idea for waste reduction only if the technology can provide a good and clean synthetic gas at a reasonable cost.
key word:
good: Low moisture content, low to no impurity content, steady stream and BTU content.
Thank you, Mr. Maiga for your answer. I highly appreciate your views.
The "social issues" regarding electricity provision with the gasification/IC engines technology in rural areas have rarely been a reason for not accepting the technology. Au contraire, rural areas are more likely to embrace the idea, if and only if it does not cost them much, if not anything. I hope that you can see in my earlier comment that the technology hasn't yet been done economically. Large urban areas demand long tender processes, whereas rural areas are more lenient on tender processes. On the political aspect, it is simpler in the rural areas. Environmental regulations are the trickiest to navigate in both rural and urban areas.
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