Natural gas generator CHP

Have a customer who already runs a 1MW biomass boiler that heats broiler houses.

Considering a 200kw Gas generator to provide a lower cost electricity supply to the farm in peak times, current electricity costs are at least £70/day.
It would tie in with the biomass buffer tank to provide extra heat, and possibly allow the boiler to be shut down in hot weather when there is less demand from the chickens.


Does this sound a reasonable plan?


Does anyone have experience of such a setup and can recommend one?

Knowing what we do now we'd get more advice before diving into the biomass job...
 

Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
It is still possible that your customer should consider solar panels.
Broiler housesrequire most power for ventilation and this is needed most when the sun shines.
Solar of course matches this, also having a second skin over the top of the roof gives shading to the house as well. It is a good match and I think would still pay even with todays poor FIT rates
 

renewablejohn

Member
Location
lancs
I'm told gas engines need their heads off on a regular basis for servicing but they are designed to be lifted, gas engines are also more expensive to buy and less plentiful compared to diesel.

I would agree for wood gas engines as getting the tar out of woodgas is very difficult. You dont have this problem with natural gas.
 

DC21

Member
It comes down to running hours, gas spark engines (circa 1MWe) do need the cylinder head off every so many thousand running hours. If you are just running a few hours each day it will not be as frequent.
 

200tdi

New Member
Been running and maintaining gas engines for over twenty years
Component selection is important
Valve seat regression common problem
low rpm helps prolong life
 

Fowler VF

Member
Location
Herefordshire
Need to work out how you are going to operate, off line or synchronised to grid. Synched, which is probably what you need, will need some good control gear through a G59. 200kw electric is going to supply quite a lot of heat, de[ending on level of heat recovery its will be at least 400kw. Maybe consider a bank of smaller cheaper engines, easier to match up electric and heat load to demand? Gas burns hotter, all the comments about valves etc apply, but a purpose built engine to run on gas will run long hours with minimal attention. We run small, cheap 8 litre V8s on dirty wood gas and can get over 20,000 hours run time, clean gas should be even better.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 80 42.3%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 66 34.9%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 15.9%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,292
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top