GAS ENGINES

GAS ENGINE SUPPLIES HIGH-YIELD GREENHOUSE FACILITIES WITH ENERGY AND FERTILIZER

The Belgian tomato producer Krikato is using a new, powerful MWM gas engine to operate its expanded greenhouse facilities. The MWM TCG 3020 V20 gas engine was installed by MWM Benelux B.V. and went live in June 2020. For Krikato, this was its second MWM gas engine used for the production of power, heat, and carbon for use as plant fertilizer. In 2019, the Belgian vegetable producers delivered a total of 889,845 t to the market. At 270,135 t, tomatoes are among the top performers among the vegetables grown in Belgium (as of 2019). Thanks to the producers’ focus on innovation and efficiency, Belgian tomato production is very successful. To boost the tomato production, Krikato expanded its greenhouse facilities from 1.2 ha to 1.7 ha. To ensure optimum operation of the greenhouse, the producer decided to deploy a second MWM gas engine in addition to the MWM TCG 2020 V12 gas engine already producing power and heat for the Krikato greenhouse since the establishment and go-live of the facilities back in 2012. Since June 2020, the two MWM gas engines have been generating a total of 3.5 MW of electrical energy and 4.2 MW of thermal energy for the power and heat supply of the greenhouse. The SCR catalysts of the two natural gas-fired MWM gas engine enable the recycling of the carbon-dioxide released with the engine exhaust gas. After the exhaust gas has been duly treated, the carbon-dioxide is used for the organic carbon fertilization of the tomato plants in order to stimulate plant growth. The heating of the greenhouses is the main cost driver, as it consumes most of the energy. Through the implementation of a combined heat and power (CHP) plant which runs on clean pipeline natural gas, the operating costs can be reduced significantly. All natural gas-fired MWM gas engines can be customised for applications with heat recovery. The gas engine drives a generator for the generation of electrical energy. At the same time, the jacket water and/or exhaust gas cooling cycles can be routed through heat exchangers in order to transfer the engine’s exhaust heat from the engine to a hot water storage tank. The hot water is stored and used for heating the greenhouses. Additionally, the carbon-monoxide can be removed with the help of oxidation catalysts, and NOx emissions can be brought down to just a few ppm (parts per million) with the help of a urea-based SCR system. Thereafter, the exhaust gas is so clean that it can be used as fertilizer to stimulate plant growth, thereby contributing to the operator’s profitability. The MWM TCG 3020 V20 achieves an output of 2,300 kWel and can be used flexibly in different variants for applications with natural gas, biogas, landfill gas and propane gas. With up to 45 percent for natural gas and 43.6 percent for biogas applications, the new MWM genset offers the best electrical efficiency. The advantages of the genset are the reduced installation and operating costs as well as the safe and intelligent plant control, which contribute to improved efficiency of the gas engine. In combination with its high efficiency, reliability and performance, it makes it an all-rounder.

Maximum availability and useability thanks to digital plant control TPEM

The digital control system TPEM (Total Plant & Energy Management) consolidates all genset and plant control data in a single system. TPEM facilitates the control and monitoring, not only of the power genset, but also of the entire distributed energy generation plant. In most application scenarios, this eliminates the need for additional control systems. Thanks to the digitized power plant control, the TCG 3020 V20 yields high performance, maximum capacity, and optimum plant availability.

Improved economic efficiency, higher output, secure control

Besides the reduced installation and operating costs as well as the secure, smart plant control, the TCG 3020 V20 features improved costefficiency. Provided high-quality gas is used, maintenance intervals of up to 80,000 operating hours are possible until the next general overhaul. Additionally, the TCG 3020 V20 excels with a total efficiency of more than 87 percent (for natural gas). Compared to its predecessor, the TCG 3020 V20 excels in almost the same dimensions with higher performance, which, combined with its matchless efficiency, reliability and performance, makes it an all-round talent among gas engines.

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