Monitoring biogas for renewable power generation

Producing over 40MW of valuable renewable energy from 20 sites, Summerleaze Re-Generation leads the way in capturing power from UK landfills, with the help of gas monitoring systems from Gas Data

Producing over 40MW of valuable renewable energy from 20 sites, Summerleaze RE-Generation leads the way in capturing power from UK landfills.

Far from 'just' complying with legislation, high-technology minded Summerleaze Re-Generation has embraced the most advanced environmental gas monitoring available to significantly enhance the efficiency of its impressive 24/7 nationwide operation.

"We have invested in this instrumentation to give us the most complete picture of what the landfill gas is doing", says Mike Williams, Projects Manager for Summerleaze Re-Generation, "Plus, we have the advantage of being able to look at data on screen - whether we are on site, at the office, or anywhere in the world".

Continuous monitoring of parameters such as methane, oxygen and carbon dioxide ensures that Summerleaze Re-Generation complies with the IPPC (the EU Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control) regulations.

Monitoring the all-important flow of gas also allows Summerleaze Re-Generation to demonstrate to the Environment Agency that crucially, it is removing just the right amount of gas from the landfill.

Helping Summerleaze Re-Generation achieve exemplary monitoring standards has been Coventry-based Gas Data.

"By working with a company that truly understands landfill gas", adds Williams, "we not only get the peace of mind of compliance, but we have optimum planning and control; the Gas Data monitoring system is a very good tool for diagnosing problems in the gas field".

At the Summerleaze Re-Generation renewable energy operation at the Poplars landfill in Cannock, Staffordshire, the Gas Data analysers automatically take readings every 15 minutes, with on-site engineers able to see gas performance at a glance from either a panel on the actual engines, or from a pc screen via a rigorously updated website.

Such is the confidence that Summerleaze RE-Generation has in its methods and the Gas Data system that the landfill gas data is also available on-line to the Environment Agency, who can tap in whenever they want to view the status of the gas extraction.

"We will always need manual checks," continued Williams, "but compared to what usually amounts to a whole day on site gathering readings, we get very accurate automatic results at the click of a mouse".

Portable GFM analysers made by Gas Data are utilised by Summerleaze Re-Generation to meet compliance and to regularly check each individual gas well and collection system, with instruments tailored to meet specific needs such as carbon monoxide monitoring.

By working closely together, Gas Data have also been able to replace orifice plates used for flow meter readings with much easier to use dedicated flowmeters.

Gas Data Managing Director Chris Dakin takes up the story: "We soon saw that instant access to high level technical information would help Summerleaze Re-Generation boost the efficiency of their operations.

Readings taken from frequent measurements at consistent times, which can then be viewed on the web, answer questions and allow trends of gas content to be plotted".

A total of 7MWe, 24 hours per day is produced by Summerleaze Re-Generation at the Poplars site; its second largest UK operation.

Assisted by the Gas Data monitoring equipment, an increase of just 1%-2% in gas production can represent a considerable addition to revenue.

No strangers to the landfill business or to renewable energy development, Gas Data brought considerable experience to bear from its highly successful project at the Severn Trent Water Wastewater Treatment Plant in Minworth, near Birmingham.

Here it created a reliable on-line system for determining gas production of 8MW from no fewer than 16 sludge digesters.

Dakin added: "Information for Summerleaze Re-Generation can be gathered on demand to suit their needs; when they want it, and presented how they want it.

Mike (Williams) is right of course that manual monitoring will always be necessary for certain tasks, but overall, the slog of gathering and inputting has been removed".

Mike Williams from Summerleaze Re-Generation continued: "We have set our own tolerance levels on the gas fields, so if they start to wander, we are alerted long before our generators can be adversely affected.

Gas Data assist us remotely via the Internet and also send us emails, but we are also going one stage further by taking up their offer of receiving text messages".

Protection of engines is also a key factor for Summerleaze Re-Generation.

Readings provided by the Gas Data system help keep a close eye on harmful hydrogen sulphide, which can cause severe damage.

The equipment is designed with expansion in mind, offering more measuring parameters than other analysers and a larger number of monitoring channels so that a second instrument won't be required.

Most recently, Summerleaze Re-Generation and Gas Data have worked together on adhering to the new ATEX directives, which were implemented in the UK by means of the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR).

Well ahead of the July 1st 2006 deadline, Gas Data has upgraded equipment to meet the safety requirements for equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres.

The benefit of remote monitoring can be seen in the increasing number of UK companies that are becoming involved in landfills overseas; Gas Data are already monitoring sites in Europe, North America and South America, where arguably there is a greater emphasis on efficiency.

Regardless of time zones, landfill gases are being monitored, controlled and used to generate electricity - by operators hundreds and thousands of miles away.

Here in the UK as sites in the future eventually become exhausted, long-term liabilities will concentrate the mind like never before, particularly as the IPPC (the EU Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control) regulations won't really listen to different parties blaming one and other if the land isn't considered safe for future use.

However, with the correct instrumentation at its disposal, forward-thinking companies such as Summerleaze Re-Generation will be able to prove quite conclusively just how well it managed its sites.

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