Copenhagen’s state of the art plant sets new standards for environmental performance, energy production and waste treatment. Innovative technology and architecture integrate to form a future in which waste-to-energy plants are welcomed in any backyard.
In year 2017, Copenhageners and visitors will witness a waste-to-energy plant that is not only one of the best performing European plants in terms of energy efficiency, waste treatment capacity, and environmental consideration, but also in terms of visual rendition and local acceptance.
The plant, Amager Bakke, is being constructed by Amager Ressourcecenter, owned by five Danish municipalities. Amager Bakke will be equipped with two furnace lines and a joint turbine- and generator system. The plant replaces a 45-year-old plant with four furnace lines. By 2017 Amager Ressourcecenter will run a plant that burns 2 x 35 tonnes of waste per hour.
PLANT FACT SHEET
Altogether the plant will:
In addition to the technological merits, the plants architecture includes a roof-wide artificial ski slope open to the public.
We have been contracted to supply the entire combustion system from crane through feeding, DynaGrate® and boiler, to ash handling, as well as a particle and NOx-reduction system.
Taking technology further
”It is a multi-purpose plant that is already catching the eyes of the world because of its local appeal. The plant provides energy and waste treatment, and will be an architectural landmark and a leisure facility. The novelty of the project is the combination of ingenious technology and innovative architecture in a project dedicated local community,” says Ole Hedegaard Madsen, Director of Technology and Marketing at Babcock & Wilcox Vølund.
Project Manager, Lars Juel Rasmussen, at Amager Ressource center also sees the future plant as a showcase for Danish innovative technology. ”The plant stands out in terms of environmental considerations, energy production, and its working environment. It is also located near the airport and just five kilometers from Copenhagen’s Town Hall Square, so we’re not just talking about an industrial installation, but a landmark of the Danish capital, as well,” the Project Manager comments.
Lars Juel Rasmussen is proud to build a plant that utilises more than 100% of the fuel’s energy content, has a 28% electrical efficiency rate, reduces sulphur emissions by 99.5%, and minimizes NOx emissions to a tenth, compared to the former plant. The NOx-reduction is enabled due to a flue gas cleaning technology, Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), which we will install in cooperation with the catalyst manufacturer Haldor Topsøe. This is the first installation of SCR in a Danish waste-to-energy plant. Hence, ski enthusiasts need not to worry about the air quality at the slope on the operating plant.
“State of the art technology at Amager Bakke has an incredibly high environmental performance. Not least because the plant makes full and efficient use of the energy contained in the waste. It is possible to process all types of waste as fuel and still obtain a high level of energy recovery. For instance, we are able to use the organic fraction contained in the waste very efficiently,” says Ole Hedegaard Madsen.
Water-cooled dynamics make the difference
The ever innovative technology of the DynaGrate® is unique in its fuel flexibility, optimized combustion and minimal maintenance cost. All due to the mechanical design and optimised the water-cooling system.
Fuel flexibility
The mechanical design of the DynaGrate® is developed in response to the general waste-to-energy plant vulnerability to e.g. metal contents in waste. Today, plant operation is not interrupted by melting metals. Further, the mechanical break-up of the waste layer on the grate results in thorough agitation and superior combustion conditions. The water-cooling system allows high heating values that are vital to fuel flexibility. Together, the water-cooling and mechanics result in high plant efficiency and excellent burnout of the waste, evident for example from very low TOC values (around 0.2%) in bottom ash.
Optimized combustion
Since the water-cooled optimised DynaGrate® is not dependent on air cooling, full control of the primary combustion air is reached. This means that the combustion process can be optimised in order to e.g. reduce the NOx formation at the source. B&W Vølund tests operating at oxygen levels around 4.5 – 5% show NO levels in the range of 200–250 mg/Nm3 . This is before the flue gas reaches the SCR filter. Moreover, low excess air result in less flue gases thereby reducing the stack loss and power consumption for the fans.
Besides low raw NOx emission, our CFD designed overfire system VoluMixTM reduces CO and TOC to a minimum. Volumix™ injects secondary air into the combustion zone – with a complete burnout in the gas phase.
Minimised maintenance cost
The DynaGrate® reduces maintenance cost because the entire cooling system is well integrated and protected in the steel shaft. There are no sensitive hose connections inside the furnace. Damages due to grate siftings, melting tin, aluminium, and the like are efficiently prevented. The driving mechanism is situated outside the furnace which means that the mechanism is not exposed to an aggressive environment and offers easy access for maintenance. Finally, the mechanical set-up secures that movable grate parts are not in contact, thereby reducing wear and tear of the grate.
The Babcock & Wilcox Vølund contribution to Amager Bakke:
* All values refer to 11% O2 dry gas
** 24-hour average
*** Half-hour average
