Currently, the wastewater treatment plant is flaring off all biogas generated from its digester. There was an attempt to reuse the biogas in the digester boilers, but the lack of biogas cleaning equipment caused corrosion and contamination in the boilers’ heat exchangers. With proper design and implementation of biogas cleaning equipment, the treatment plant has an opportunity to utilize their biogas in generating electricity. A combined heat and power (CHP) system utilizes a reciprocating engine to generate electricity from methane extracted from the biogas as a fuel source. In addition to electricity generation, the CHP will also generate waste heat from electric generation. This waste heat will be recovered with a circulating water loop and integrated into the existing heating water system that provides heating to the digester. The combined heat and power converted from biogas energy is over 80% efficiency: greater than the overall efficiency from the boiler alone.

Scope ID – CHP Installation

• Design and install CHP system with a generation capacity of 100 kW.
• Design and instal biogas treatment system with dehumidification and activated carbon filtration.
• Design and install fuel blending system with capability to combine treated biogas with pipeline natural gas.

1 – Economic impact figures based on third party studies by California State University and Cleveland State University