Supplier news

Dresser-Rand demonstrates new waste heat recovery system

Houston-based Dresser-Rand, a supplier of technology platforms in distributed power generation for the oil and gas, industrial, institutional and commercial industries, recently welcomed more than 50 clients, industry experts and other guests to Olean, New York, for its “Echogen Technology Day.” The event was designed to introduce the company’s new Multi-MW EPS100 waste heat recovery unit.

Held Sept. 10-11, 2014, the event included tours of Dresser-Rand’s Olean manufacturing and testing facility and demonstrations of its new Multi-MW EPS100 waste heat recovery unit.

Echogen Power Systems, based in Akron, Ohio, is a waste heat-to-energy solution provider that uses a supercritical carbon dioxide (CO₂) working fluid to convert waste heat into power more efficiently than existing organic rankine cycle (ORC) technologies, without using additional fuel or creating new emissions, the company says. The system represents what the company says is the first commercial introduction of a CO₂-based, industrial-scale waste heat-to-power system.

Since the technology recaptures heat that was previously released into the atmosphere, the cost per unit of electricity decreases. Dresser-Rand says the compact, packaged power system, with up to 50 megawatt (MW) capabilities, reduces the overall cost of ownership with lower transportation and installation costs. According to Dresser-Rand, the cycle also can operate water-free — a key advantage in many parts of the world.

Dresser-Rand says the Echogen waste heat recovery system can drive value for a client through the combination of such benefits as a lower cost per unit of electricity produced, a compact footprint, higher energy recovery from the waste heat stream and the ability to generate power from a range of heat sources.

During the event, Dresser-Rand and Echogen representatives demonstrated a factory testing milestone of the highest net power produced by any supercritical CO₂ power cycle system globally. Other highlights of the two-day event included presentations on the technical aspects of the Multi-MW EPS100 waste recovery system and several market applications.

“With the Echogen technology now ready for full market release, we are accelerating discussions with potential clients for deployment of the solution in the field,” says Pierre Dumas, vice president, strategic business development and commercialization for Dresser-Rand. “We can provide full turnkey installation and commissioning services as well as routine operations, monitoring and maintenance contracts to ensure ongoing reliable and available operations.”

Dresser-Rand solutions include combined heat and power systems, biogas-fueled gen-sets, hybrid systems (solar photovoltaic and engine-based gen-sets), biomass and waste-to-energy steam turbine generators and compressed air energy storage.

Dresser-Rand also develops new technologies designed to use fossil fuels and renewable energy resources more efficiently, such as its wave energy-based HydroAir turbine.

 

eFactor3 offers Westeria sifters

Available from eFactor3 LLC, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is windsifting technology for the waste to energy (WTE) and recycling industries manufactured by Westeria Føerdertechnik GmbH of Germany.

According to eFactor3, Westeria’s patented technology offers a powerful process for the separation of the heavy fraction (contaminates) from the light fraction [high British-thermal-unit (Btu) material] in one easy step. EFactor3 reports that these machines are typically installed in WTE applications after a preshredding, screening and ferrous metal removal step to separate the high-Btu-value material from contaminates such as rock, gravel and metals.

Westeria windsifting equipment is found in more than 500 installations worldwide, the company says, and offers a compact machine design for low energy consumption.

Westeria’s technology comprises a conveyor belt, nozzle and rotation drum. Input material is preferably spread in a single layer across the width of the conveyor belt. The material is transported up to the discharge edge, where an adjustable nozzle produces an upward stream of air that separates materials.

The windsifters are designed to allow easy adaption to any material stream, Westeria says.

 

HZI acquires AD technology

Switzerland-based Hitachi Zosen Inova AG (HZI) signed an agreement with Axpo Kompogas Engineering AG on Oct. 24, 2014, to acquire the business under an asset deal. HZI, an energy-from-waste (EfW) technology company, has more than 80 years of experience and more than 400 reference projects. Since its establishment in Switzerland in 1991, Axpo Kompogas Engineering AG has constructed more than 70 biogas plants in the anaerobic digestion (AD) segment.

“The two technologies complement each other ideally, generating energy from municipal residual and green waste respectively,” explains Franz-Josef Mengede, CEO of HZI.

HZI says the company is responding to the increased popularity of separate collection and recovery of biogenic waste by integrating AD into its own organization, and as such will be able to offer customers both thermal and biological solutions for sustainable waste-to-energy (WTE) conversion.

“Thanks to our global market presence and expertise in plant construction, we will be able to offer Kompogas plants worldwide in the future,” says Mengede.

The adoption of AD technology makes HZI one of the first companies in the world to offer both technologies as in-house solutions. “We are proud that in the future we will be able to offer our customers the best of both thermal and biological energy-from-waste technologies,” Mengede adds.

Service and maintenance for existing Kompogas plants will be continued under HZI. The acquisition will enable HZI to address the specific market requirements emerging from the separate collection of biogenic waste. Axpo’s biogas generation business will concentrate on operating its 15 existing plants in Switzerland.

“We’re delighted to have found a new owner for our Axpo Kompogas Engineering AG plant construction unit in the shape of HZI,” explains Bettina Charrière, who heads Axpo’s new energies division. “Under HZI, Kompogas Engineering AG’s technological expertise in the construction of biogas plants will be able to continue developing and evolving while Axpo focuses on its core competence as leading executor of biomass plants.”

HZI, part of the Hitachi Zosen Corp., is an engineering, procurement and construction contractor delivering turnkey EfW plants.

 

Vecoplan opens technology center in Germany

The equipment company Vecoplan AG has opened a technology and development center at its headquarters in Bad Marienberg, Germany. The company says it constructed Vecoplan AG Technologiezentrum as a central location where customers can see the full complement of Vecoplan equipment. Vecoplan says the center covers the company’s entire value chain of processes in-house, which accelerates development time and allows for efficient testing.

The company says it took more than eight months to rebuild and expand its existing technical center to create what is described as the largest and most advanced development center in the field of environmental technology.

“Vecoplan has made significant progress in terms of process engineering. Material classification, additional sorting methods and new washing technology raises the bar in the market,” says Werner Berens, CEO of Vecoplan AG.

As part of the grand opening, the company highlighted its Vecoplan HydroDyn washing method for the processing of heavily soiled plastics, such as hard plastics, film with labels, agricultural film and stretch film.

Eveline Lemke, Germany’s Minister of Economic Affairs for the State of Rhineland-Palatinate, remarked, “With its new Technologiezentrum, the company proves that it is one of the most innovative companies in this industry. Based on the tests in the Technologiezentrum Vecoplan develops individual machinery for their clients. Consequently, every company receives a customized plant in accordance with its requirements.”

 

AECOM Technology wins biogas contract

AECOM Technology Corp., Los Angeles, has been awarded a contract to provide engineering, procurement and construction services for the Newtown Creek Renewable Natural Gas Project, located in New York City. The contract has been awarded by National Grid, in collaboration with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

Under the contract, AECOM will design and construct a purification system for converting biogas, a byproduct obtained from the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, to renewable natural gas that can be used for residential and commercial purposes. After purification, the company will be instilling the generated pipeline-quality gas into National Grid’s existing gas network.

AECOM expects to complete the project by 2016. The company says the project marks the first of its kind wherein renewable gas generated from waste materials will be directly inserted into the existing regional distribution system.

 

Athens Services opens mixed-waste MRF in Southern California

City of Industry, California-based Athens Services has announced the opening of a new 80,000-square-foot material recovery facility (MRF) in Sun Valley that is designed to process more than 330,000 tons of mixed waste per year.

Construction of the facility began in October 2013, and the facility began accepting materials in mid-October 2014.

The Sun Valley MRF represents a $50 million investment by Athens and features optical sorting and diversion technologies designed to allow the company to divert as much material as possible from area landfills. The facility, which will accept 1,500 tons of material per day, was designed to meet Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) specifications (awaiting certification). The fully enclosed building will be powered with 200 kilowatts (KW) of rooftop solar power. LEED features include lighting and cooling efficiency measures, bicycle racks and lockers, electric vehicle charging stations and low-volatile-organic-compound (low-VOC) building materials.

The 70-ton-per-hour (tph) mixed-waste MRF was designed, engineered, manufactured and installed by Eugene, Oregon-based Bulk Handling Systems (BHS). Among the equipment used to separate commodities from the waste stream is a BHS disc-screen, Nihot air separation equipment and NRT optical sorting technology.

“Athens Services believes strongly in investing in the latest technologies to improve our processes and ensure the diversion of as much waste as possible from area landfills,” says Greg Loughnane, president, Athens Services.

“This facility is an example of a forward-thinking company deploying advanced technology to extract maximum value from the waste stream,” says BHS CEO Steve Miller. “Athens Services should be commended on opening what is one of the most advanced materials recovery facilities in the world.”

With the addition of this new facility, Athens will have a recycling processing capacity of 2 million tons per year of municipal solid waste (MSW), continuing its commitment, it says, to build the largest MSW management infrastructure in the greater Los Angeles area.

“Athens’ growth in the region is testament to the city’s commitment to achieve Zero Waste,” Loughnane says.

 

CP Global names new CEO

San Diego-based CP Global, the umbrella brand and parent company for CP Group (CP Manufacturing, Krause Manufacturing, MSS and Advanced MRF), IMS Electronics, IMS Recycling and Handy Metal Mart, has named Terry Schneider president and CEO. His predecessor, the owner of CP Global, Bob Davis, has been named chairman of the board of directors.

Bringing 25 years of experience and expertise to his new role, Schneider has an extensive background in the solid waste and recycling industry, according to CP Global. For the last two years he has worked as the CP Group’s president and COO. Before joining CP Group, Schneider worked for Republic Services, leading the Phoenix-based waste management company’s corporate recycling operations group. Schneider also worked in market development for the company, where he led the rail operations group.

Schneider says, “I am very excited to transition into my new role and work with all of the CP Global companies. This is a pivotal time for us as we continue to grow and make positive changes.”

 

Yuengling installs cogen system at its brewery

Pottsville, Pennsylvania-based brewing company, Yuengling, has installed a 400-kilowatt-per-hour combined heat and power (CHP) cogeneration power plant from 2G Cenergy, St. Augustine, Florida. According to 2G Cenergy, the plant provides about 20 percent of Yuengling’s electricity needs at the brewery.

2G Cenergy says Yuengling’s CHP “plug and play” unit was ready after a quick installation process.

The brewery will use the heat generated by the plant to heat its pasteurization process, which will allow Yuengling to save on energy costs.

The methane gas is generated at the brewery’s wastewater treatment plant and by an anaerobic digester designed by Environmental Management Group International Inc., Media, Pennsylvania.

The CHP system can be operated on low-British thermal unit (Btu) biogas or on pipeline-quality natural gas.

“This is an exciting investment for Yuengling, not only because of the many savings and advantages that the facility will create for the brewery’s economy, but also because this is a significant milestone in our growing presence in the American brewery market segment,” says Ulrich Nielen, sales director at 2G Cenergy.