Capstone Turbine releases ultra low emission CR200 kW certified to ARB requirements for landfill gas applications
05 November 2010
Capstone Turbine Corporation released the CR200 Low Btu microturbine product; landfill gas applications are a key market for the Capstone CR200 200 kW. Producing energy using gas from these applications which is otherwise flared avoids the need to use non-renewable resources such as coal, oil, or natural gas to produce an equivalent amount of energy.
Certification to the waste fuel emissions standard by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) makes approved technologies such as the CR200 much easier to site in California; often avoiding any local air permitting at all, according to the company.
Capstone microturbines are capable of burning waste gases with methane contents as low as 30%, which can be challenging for competing combustion technologies. Capstone’s low premix combustion technology used to achieve the ARB emissions standard requires no exhaust after treatment, which avoids additional capital equipment costs and reduces ongoing maintenance costs.
Capstone earlier this year acquired the TA100 microturbine product line from Calnetix Power Solutions, Inc. (CPS) and entered into a Manufacturing Sub-contract agreement and an Original Equipment Manufacturer agreement with selected exclusive rights to package a combined microturbine and Waste Heat Recovery Generator (WHG) product.
It also entered into a three-year OEM agreement under which CPS will supply its new 125kW waste heat recovery generator system. In exchange for certain minimum purchase requirements, Capstone has exclusive rights to sell the zero emission waste heat generator for all microturbine applications and for applications below 500kW where the source of heat is the exhaust of a reciprocating engine used in a landfill application.
The ability to harness 125kW of additional exhaust driven electricity will add more than 7% to the total system efficiency and make Capstone even more competitive in landfill applications, Jim Crouse, Capstone’s Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, said.
The available microturbines and other combined heat and power units are right now the fastest cheapest way to reduce energy consumption. Any money spent on solar power by California or any other State where a lot of natural gas already is being used for generating power in central powerplants, is a waste until all new buildings have combined heating cooling and electricity and many older buildings are retrofitted.
I congratulate Capstone and its investors for providing alternatives for many buildings which are almost always profitable for building operators. There may be a very few people stiil alive who worked with very bulky steam equipment to heat, light and cool buildings. With natural gas service to almost all buildings in many parts of the US, there my be no real need for an electric grid as well. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 06 November 2010 at 12:20 AM
Henry you are absolutely right on several points. But a word of warning, keep your teleporter on standby... Your last sentence:
With natural gas service to almost all buildings in many parts of the US, there my be no real need for an electric grid as well. ..HG"
will cause great angst and gnashing of teeth by the big utility industry. Electric utilities are presently gearing up for expected windfall profits arriving on the heels of electrification of transport. The suggestion that business and residences could easily and efficiently generate their own energy via CHP microturbines and FCs - is their greatest FEAR!
Most engineers here at GCC will berate you for suggesting there is no need for a grid - much less a "smart grid." But you are correct. There is no need for a massive grid or a "smart grid," if Residential Power Units (aka CHP) are manufactured and installed in about a third of U.S. residences.
The resulting strengthening of energy security, JOBS, decreased demand for coal-fired power, removal of inefficient, unsightly grid wiring and lower maintenance costs are just the surface of benefits.
We too congratulate Capstone for pursuing this logical path of energy generation and wish them continued success in business.
Posted by: Reel$$ | 06 November 2010 at 10:29 AM
From the previous article:
"The 125kW waste heat recovery generator can be directly fired by the exhaust of six Capstone C65's or two Capstone C200's to provide over 500kW of clean and efficient green power when an end use customer has no other economic use for the thermal energy"
They could use the final waste heat to ferment and distill ethanol, but probably won't. There are not a lot of landfills located next to cane fields.
Posted by: SJC | 06 November 2010 at 12:22 PM
The turbines could do that anyway; many distilleries are gas-fired.
The Capstone company catalog lists the C200's efficiency as 33%. This is respectable. Turning 800 kW of waste heat into a mere 125 kW of electricity (15.6%) isn't quite so impressive, but maybe Carrier can school them with a heavy-vapor turbine.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 06 November 2010 at 07:40 PM
You could use the natural gas for the turbines and the waste heat for distillation and fermentation, but it is not landfill gas, that was the point.
Posted by: SJC | 07 November 2010 at 12:56 PM