This project is aimed at implementing the energy use of agrarian biomass in Kivsharivka town (Kupiansk city), Kharkiv region, in order to produce electricity from biomass, with simultaneous production of heat for district heating consumers in Kivsharivka during the heating period.
The additional positive factors of this project are:
- reduction of fossil fuel consumption;
- transition to renewable energy sources;
- the demonstration effect of using efficient technology of combined heat and power generation from biomass;
- demonstration of the use of significant amounts of straw as fuel for CHP;
- creation of new workplaces at all stages of operation of the CHP or boiler house;
- support of local budgets at the expense of taxes;
- reducing the negative impact on the environment due to greenhouse gas emission reduction.
The important conditions for the possibility of such implementation are:
- a free land plot of sufficient space for the placement of both main buildings and fuel depots;
- current district heating system of the settlement, whose thermal load in the winter can ensure the use of cogeneration;
- electric substation for connection to electric networks;
- access roads for the continuous supply of fuel;
- significant potential sources of fuel biomass of agricultural origin, both in the Kupiansk district and in the Kharkiv and adjacent regions as a whole;
- availability of labor resources for the operation of planned CHP or biomass boiler house.
In the framework of this feasibility study, the possibility of installing CHP plants of various installed electric capacity (6 or 10 MW) was considered as well as, alternatively, biomass-based boiler houses with installed heat capacity of 5 or 10 MW.
The analysis of fuel biomass resources in the region has shown that baled straw or sunflower husk pellets can be considered as fuel. The necessity of the own harvesting and supply system of baled straw was identified as an integral part of the project, for implementation of both CHP or boiler house. The option of sunflower husk pellets as fuel was considered only for the boiler-house.
Based on the preliminary technical and economic analysis of several variants of CHP and biomass boiler houses, three main options were selected:
- Option 1. CHP for straw + infrastructure for its harvesting, installed electric capacity 10 MW;
- Option Boiler house on straw + infrastructure for its harvesting, installed heat capacity 10 MW;
- Option 3. Boiler house on sunflower husk pellets – installed heat capacity 10 MW.
For the implementation of straw fuelled CHP, an appropriate Ekol boiler equipment is offered. The condensing steam turbine is assumed for implementation of the CHP project, of installed electric capacity around 10 MW, with adjustable steam selection, with pressure of 1.5-3 bar. Turbine inlet / outlet steam pressure is 40/0.05 bar, 400/45 °C. The turbines of such manufacturers as Siemens, MAN, PBS, or others with the necessary characteristics can be used.
The concept of TTS company (Slovakia), based on two boilers of 5 MW each, was adopted for the boiler house, fuelled by straw bales.
Kivsharivka-1 boiler house: general view, equipment, condition of thermal networks
The boiler-house on sunflower husk pellets can also be completed with TTS boilers or boilers of appropriate capacity of other producers (for instance, Retra, Thermostahl Bioplex, Granpal).