Intergen and Temix Oleo:
Quadrigeneration by Green Chemistry
The Calderara di Reno plant (Bologna) uses the simultaneous production of gas, hot water, cold water and electricity based on an MWM 1560 kWe endothermic engine to guarantee maximum efficiency and flexibiilty along with environmental sustainability.
Lomagna (Lecco), October 2015 – For Italian companies, energy costs are one of the main obstacles to growth. Research shows that for an average-sized company operating in Italy, energy bills come to at least 30% more than those of its EU competitors. Cogeneration and distributed trigeneration – that is the integrated production of electrical and thermal energy on the site of its consumption – are surely the most effective solutions for reducing production costs and increasing competitive edge.
The key to success is in creating plants that are perfectly integrated in the production process of the company, a need felt particularly strongly by companies in the industrial chemistry sector.
Cogeneration, or better, quadrigeneration, is the simultaneous production of electrical energy, hot water, cold water and gas. An important example of this is the recently finished Temix Oleo plant at Calderara di Reno (Bologna) by Intergen. Intergen, part of the IML Group, specialises in the design and building of energy generation systems and is the Italian leader in the sector.
Born of the fusion of two leaders in “green chemistry”, Oleochimica Italia and Temix International, Temix Oleo produces high quality chemical intermediates from renewable sources (various types of vegetable oil) for sectors such as lubrication, textile and leather industries, production of resins, adhesives and abrasives, cleaning products, personal care and cosmetics.
The Intergen Solution
Temix Oleo decided to install a cogeneration system to enable them to meet their energy needs. The Temix Oleo plant requires large quantities of electricity, and the production and storage of primary materials and intermediate compounds entail chemical and physical processes that require heating and cooling. Given the wide range of energy vectors that need to be fuelled and the need to integrate the new system into the consolidated structure of the site, choosing the type of cogeneration plant was not easy.
After an accurate combined analysis of the profiles of both heat and electrical energy consumption, Intergen has provided Temix Oleo with a tailor-made solution, based on a cogeneration unit equipped with a TCG 2020V16 MWM endothermic engine powered by natural gas, which produces 1,560 kWe of electric power.
This solution takes advantage of one particular characteristic of the German made MWM engines, of which Intergen has been the exclusive dealer in Italy since 1987. That characteristic is the guarantee of very high temperatures of the exhaust fumes that come from the MWM engines, which allows for maximum production of gas. The exhaust fumes come out at a temperature of 432°C, around 50°C more than competing engines, allowing 806 kWt of recuperated heat energy to be transformed into 1,225 kg/hour of steam at a pressure of 3 bar. This is immense in the distribution network of the plant.
Furthermore, 837 kWt can be obtained from the cooling circuit of the cylinder jackets and the oil for the production of hot water that will, in turn, be used for the following:
1) 420 kWt to power one lithium bromide absorption refrigeration system, which produces cold water at 7° C for a total of almost 300 kWf.
2) 417 kWt to power various process exchanges with hot water systems with a jump in temperature of 79-94.5° C.
Lastly, to take advantage of all the thermal energy recuperated from cooling the engine, Intergen’s plant will use the 134 kWt that comes from the intercooler system to preheat the daily replenishment of water that powers the steam cycle, bringing it from 15° C to 41° C.
The production of 1,560 kWh of electrical energy as well as this thermal energy means that the Temix plant can provide a large part of its energy requirements for itself, reducing the consumption of natural gas to a minimum. With 43.1% electrical efficiency, it’s one of the best in the market.
Adding the 44% overall thermal efficiency (smoke, cooling system, cylinder jackets) to this figure, Temix sees a total efficiency of 87.1% with this quadrigeneration set-up, which translates into an annual saving of 30% on energy supply costs.
The Value of Environmental Sustainability
Environmental sustainability is another competitive advantage offered by Intergen’s industrial cogeneration solutions. With more than twenty-five years of MWM engine dealership, Intergen can guarantee its clients the best experience and expertise in performance optimisation and the management of special maintenance services.
The Temix Oleo plant respects environmental guidelines and regulations, especially those regarding atmospheric emissions: an SCR has been installed that reduces nitrogen oxide (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) in the fumes to 100 mg/Nm3.
In terms of noise emissions, the entire system generates 65 dB(A) at 10 metres, meaning the plant respects current noise regulations.
The engine is located in a covered outdoor container in a special technical area of the plant, together with all its auxiliaries (radiators, silencer, SCR, etc.). This layout gives the company maximum use of indoor space and optimises connections with energy supply distribution circuits.
“Production in the industrial chemistry sector lends itself nicely to the use of cogeneration in cases where both electricity and thermal energy are used.” – says Nicolò Cariboni, managing director of Intergen. “When the production process is in continuous cycle, it is very important to be able to count on a reliable system. Intergen’s solution for Temix Oleo guarantees the perfect partnership of high quality components like the MWM engine and our expertise in designing and producing industrial plants”.
The new plant at Temix Oleo’s Calderara di Reno site reaffirms Intergen as the Italian leader in high-productivity industrial cogeneration with the use of MWM engines. Intergen is at the top of the sector in terms of electrical and thermal efficiency.
