Sept. 3,
2010, Grand Forks, ND – The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC)
at the University of North Dakota, in partnership with Cummins Power Generation
Inc., has begun a project to demonstrate the production of heat and power from
high-moisture biomass. Cummins Power Generation, which designs and manufactures
power generation equipment, has provided the electrical generator for the
project, a key component in producing 35–40 kW/day of power, enough for one
home.
“The
Cummins generator, which normally runs on natural gas, has been modified to run
on synthetic natural gas (syngas) produced by an EERC-developed advanced
gasification unit,” says Nikhil Patel, EERC research scientist and project
manager.
The
EERC’s gasification unit can convert a range of fuels into clean syngas,
including: forestry, agricultural, and industrial biomass waste; animal waste;
waste plastics; and railroad ties and utility poles. Together, the Cummins and
EERC technologies will work as a gasification-based combined heat and power
technology, with a variety of applications.
The
outcome of the project will lead to the development and demonstration of engine
performance on syngas, producing data for environmental permitting and
providing strategies for achieving emission levels that meet current and future
environmental regulations, which are critical for successful commercialization
of combined heat and power technologies.
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