Germany’s first straw-fired CHP plant prepares to go online
22 Apr 2013
The biomass plant has received a number of pump and valve improvements ahead of operation in May
Germany’s first straw-fired combined heat and power plant, located in Emlichheim, has been designed to supply a nearby company with process heat.
The plant is scheduled to go online in May 2013 and has received a number of equipment upgrades from KSB ahead of operations.
Alongside numerous high-pressure and low-pressure valves for use at various locations in the steam circuit, KSB has supplied two boiler feed pumps.
The two units are 16-stage high-pressure pumps with a flow rate of around 80 cubic metres per hour and a head of 1,706 metres. Each has a drive rating of 630 kW.
The high-pressure valves include live steam gate valves with a diameter of 200 mm and are designed for an operating pressure of 250 bar. Their housings are made of heat-resistant steel and some are equipped with electric actuators.
With a thermal input of 49.8 megawatts and a gross power output of 13 megawatts, this is the first time that straw has been used on a large scale to provide electricity and heat.
The annual straw requirement is approximately 75,000 tonnes. Straw is considered a CO2-neutral fuel, as the crops absorb the same quantity of CO2 from the atmosphere during growth as is released during combustion. Due to a unique heat utilisation concept, the power plant is able to achieve an energy utilisation rate of up to 90%.
While the electricity provided is fed into the public supply network, the heat which is created in the form of high-quality process steam is used to supply the energy-intensive production processes of the nearby starch factory.
The plan is to connect public facilities and private households to the heating network via an approximately eight kilometre long pipe.
