Wastewater Treatment Plants

How it works?

The gas produced in anaerobic digesters from municipal WWTPs generally contains 55 to 65% methane and typically has a low heating value of 500 to 600 BTU/SCF.

Impressive Potential and Results

On average, about 1 MW of electricity can be generated from biosolids for every 25-30 MGD of treated wastewater. Several active installations fueled by sewage gas show the generation potential of the Jenbacher solution.

1. Two J316 engines provide 1.7 MW of renewable energy for a facility in Portland, Oregon. The electrical output meets about 40% of the plant’s electricity demand.
2. In Tirol, Austria, two Jenbacher gas engines, a J208 and a J312, power and heat a facility that provides 120% of its energy demand and sends the excess power to the local grid.
3. A cogeneration plant in Spain uses three Jenbacher J620 gas engines to produce 8 MW of power – more than four times the norm for a standard biogas plant.
4. Three more J620 units enable a plant in Santiago Basin, Chile, to produce up to 60% of its power with renewable electricity.

Features & Benefits

• LEANOX controls with turbo charger bypass help ensure the correct air-to-gas ratio to lessen exhaust gas emissions while maintaining stable engine operation.
• Electrical efficiency of up to 43% reduces the need to purchase energy from the public grid.
• A fully developed monitoring function, including remote monitoring, creates high levels of reliability.
• Maintenance intervals – 60,000 operating hours for major overhauls and 30,000 for cylinder heads – cut maintenance costs.
• Seamless dual fuel mixing evens out gas production fluctuations by supplementing natural gas as needed.
• High power engine density reduces space requirements and installation costs.
• The low-vibration engine has negligible impact on buildings.