Micro gas turbine protected by continuous biogas analysis in South Korea

A biogas micro gas turbine electrical power generation plant at Gong Ju, Korea now generates 60kW from waste water. Biogas rich in methane (CH4) comes from anaerobic digestion of 100 tons of waste water produced every day from raising livestock. The biogas fuels the micro turbine which drives the generator. While the plant was being fine-tuned, before starting full-scale operation, a Geotech AEMS biogas analyser verified biogas quality and composition (CH4, CO2 and O2) as well as CO and H2S levels.

This continuous biogas analysis fulfilled the requirement of Capstone, the micro turbine manufacturer, for fuel condition to protect the micro turbine gas engine from damage, unscheduled downtime and lost revenue. Capstone required 99.9% of the hydrogen sulphide (H2S) to be removed of the biogas pre-treatment system.

The KEPKO Research Institute used the Geotech AEMS analyser at the early stages of the £1m project to investigate wastewater treatment processes in depth to find potential improvements in performance as part of a biogas research project. KEPKO carried out changes in internal recirculation ratio and pre-treatment levels to optimise plant operation and biogas production.

As the micro-turbine generates electricity, heat from the heat exchanger warms the anaerobic digester. Annual energy savings have been estimated at 115,871kWh of electricity and 579GJ of heat.

More: www.geotechuk.com