Efficiency gains with chp for chemical manufacturer

A leading European contract manufacturer of high-quality fine chemicals, required a replacement gas generator after its previous model broke down.

The company was previously using a 20-year-old combined heat and power (CHP) system consisting of a major heat recovery boiler and four 1MW reciprocating gas generators. After one generator failed, the company decided it was not cost-effective to rebuild the ageing existing unit and instead opted for a new generator.

Aggreko was therefore asked to find a rapid solution to ensure the company’s pharmaceutical production processes would not be disrupted.

Aggreko provided a 1.1MW generator to supplement the plant’s power demands. Because the new model was slightly smaller than the company's existing generators, installation was quick and simple, requiring only minor pipework amendments and adapting the unit’s exhaust into the plant’s boiler heat exchange system.

Aggreko’s generator offered a higher output with a smaller footprint than the older models, resulting in comparatively higher efficiency levels. This level of performance was instrumental to the customer opting to replace the remaining units with a further three Aggreko 1.1MW generators.

Aggreko was able to implement all three generators quickly and easily into the site’s CHP system via a simple one-in one-out installation.

Each Aggreko generator has a recoverable heat output of approximately 600kW per 1.1MW engine, resulting in a total of 24,000kW recovered in heat across the site. This resulted in reduced energy bills and improved site efficiency, as otherwise wasted heat could be used to power site processes instead.