Client: Dalhousie University
Year: 2018
Project Highlights
- International District Energy Association- Innovation Award Winner in 2020
- $1.5M in NEW Annual Revenue from Electricity Export Contract
- 20% Reduction in Plant Heating Demand and 25% Reduction in Energy
North America’s First District Energy Scale Biomass Powered ORC System.
Winner of the International District Energy Associations (IDEAs) coveted Innovation Award in 2020, this project was an overwhelming success for Dalhousie University (DAL), FVB and all other project stakeholders. FVB was retained by DAL to advise on the most economical and sustainable option for executing on their community feed in tariff (COMFIT) contract while simultaneously designing the renewal of their existing biomass steam Energy Centre which had reached end of life. The FVB/DAL team looked at all possible options utilizing our three-pronged approach and ultimately recommended a novel concept to Biomass based CHP which included the implementation of an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) turbine. This included converting one of the existing oil-fired steam boilers to hot water, retrofitting campus building mechanical and controls systems and replacing the distribution piping system to utilize hot water.
To power this system, FVB designed a new 5.4 MWt Biomass combustion boiler and fuel storage/handling system, which heats and circulates hot thermal oil to the ORC, producing 1.0 MWe of electricity and 4.4 MWt of hot water. The 1.0 MWe of power is exported to the local electrical grid year-round while the excess heat is used to provide their campus with medium temperature hot water for space heating and domestic hot water. Biomass for the system is sourced from local biomass suppliers who comply with the provincial guidelines for sustainable harvesting and transport.
FVB Energy was the prime consultant for the entirety of this project completing, amongst other things, the screening study, financial and energy modeling, detailed design, procurement assistance, and was the principal site field inspector and Engineer of Record for this award-winning project.
More Information
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Keywords
Steam-to-hot water conversion, Biomass, CHP, ORC, Plant Renewal