TY - BOOK
T1 - Electricity production by advanced biomass power systems
AU - Solantausta, Yrjö
AU - Bridgwater, Tony
AU - Beckman, David
PY - 1996
Y1 - 1996
N2 - This report gives the results of the Pyrolysis
Collaborative Project organized by the International
Energy Agency (IEA) under Biomass Agreement. The
participating countries or organizations were Canada,
European Community (EC), Finland, United States of
America, and the United Kingdom. The overall objective of
the project was to establish baseline assessments for the
performance and economics of power production from
biomass.
Information concerning the performance of biomass-fuelled
power plants based on gasification is rather limited, and
even less data is available of on pyrolysis based power
applications. In order to gain further insight into the
potential for these technologies, this study undertook
the following tasks: 1. Prepare process models to
evaluate the cost and performance of new advanced biomass
power production concepts. 2. Assess the technical and
economic uncertainties of different biomass power
concepts. 3. Compare the concepts in small scale and in
medium scale production (5 - 50 MWe) to conventional
alternatives. Processes considered for this assessment
were biomass power production technologies based on
gasification and pyrolysis. Direct combustion
technologies were employed as a reference for comparison
to the processes assessed in this study. Wood was used as
feedstock, since the most data was available for wood
conversion.
Based on the results of this study the following
conclusions were made:
New advanced power production systems based on
pressurized gasification and gas turbine
cycles may be economically feasible only in a relatively
large size class (over 30 - 40 Mwe).
The investment costs in smaller size classes are too high
compared with those of conventional
fluidized-bed boilers.
Atmospheric and pressurized gasification IGCC concepts
showed similar economic results.
However, the technical uncertainties related to the
pressurized system are considered larger
than with ambient pressure system.
The STIG concept does not appear to be competitive. The
principal reason for this is that the
amount of steam that may be injected into the existing
gas turbines is quite limited when LHV
gas is used as fuel.
The gasification-diesel concept has in small size classes
(5 - 10 MWe) the potential to reach
higher power production efficiencies than those reached
in conventional fluidized-bed boilers.
Power production concepts based on pyrolysis generally
yield lower overall efficiencies than
those based on gasification. However, the possibility of
disconnecting pyrolysis oil production
from the power plant may in some cases be a major
advantage. For example, economies of
scale may be utilized in a large oil production, while
small heat loads may be served with
automated power plants using the liquid fuel.
Pyrolysis oil combined-cycles appear interesting in large
scale, whereas diesels are more
interesting in smaller production capacities. In peak
load electricity production, 5 - 25 MW,
pyrolysis diesel power plant concept appears especially
interesting.
In medium and base load, greater than 30 - 40 MW, IGCC
has potential of becoming a
relatively low-cost alternative.
AB - This report gives the results of the Pyrolysis
Collaborative Project organized by the International
Energy Agency (IEA) under Biomass Agreement. The
participating countries or organizations were Canada,
European Community (EC), Finland, United States of
America, and the United Kingdom. The overall objective of
the project was to establish baseline assessments for the
performance and economics of power production from
biomass.
Information concerning the performance of biomass-fuelled
power plants based on gasification is rather limited, and
even less data is available of on pyrolysis based power
applications. In order to gain further insight into the
potential for these technologies, this study undertook
the following tasks: 1. Prepare process models to
evaluate the cost and performance of new advanced biomass
power production concepts. 2. Assess the technical and
economic uncertainties of different biomass power
concepts. 3. Compare the concepts in small scale and in
medium scale production (5 - 50 MWe) to conventional
alternatives. Processes considered for this assessment
were biomass power production technologies based on
gasification and pyrolysis. Direct combustion
technologies were employed as a reference for comparison
to the processes assessed in this study. Wood was used as
feedstock, since the most data was available for wood
conversion.
Based on the results of this study the following
conclusions were made:
New advanced power production systems based on
pressurized gasification and gas turbine
cycles may be economically feasible only in a relatively
large size class (over 30 - 40 Mwe).
The investment costs in smaller size classes are too high
compared with those of conventional
fluidized-bed boilers.
Atmospheric and pressurized gasification IGCC concepts
showed similar economic results.
However, the technical uncertainties related to the
pressurized system are considered larger
than with ambient pressure system.
The STIG concept does not appear to be competitive. The
principal reason for this is that the
amount of steam that may be injected into the existing
gas turbines is quite limited when LHV
gas is used as fuel.
The gasification-diesel concept has in small size classes
(5 - 10 MWe) the potential to reach
higher power production efficiencies than those reached
in conventional fluidized-bed boilers.
Power production concepts based on pyrolysis generally
yield lower overall efficiencies than
those based on gasification. However, the possibility of
disconnecting pyrolysis oil production
from the power plant may in some cases be a major
advantage. For example, economies of
scale may be utilized in a large oil production, while
small heat loads may be served with
automated power plants using the liquid fuel.
Pyrolysis oil combined-cycles appear interesting in large
scale, whereas diesels are more
interesting in smaller production capacities. In peak
load electricity production, 5 - 25 MW,
pyrolysis diesel power plant concept appears especially
interesting.
In medium and base load, greater than 30 - 40 MW, IGCC
has potential of becoming a
relatively low-cost alternative.
KW - electricity
KW - electric power generation
KW - electric power
KW - production
KW - biomass
KW - energy production
KW - electric power plants
KW - gasification
KW - pyrolysis
M3 - Report
SN - 951-38-4884-1
T3 - VTT Tiedotteita - Meddelanden - Research Notes
BT - Electricity production by advanced biomass power systems
PB - VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
CY - Espoo
ER -