This news is classified in: Traditional Energy Oil and Gas
Jan 23, 2017
Ener-Core, Inc., a developer and licensor of innovative gas conversion technologies for global commercial and industrial facilities, and the Dresser-Rand business, part of Siemens Power and Gas Division, have achieved mechanical completion and initial start-up of the innovative 2 megawatt (MW) PowerStation resulting from the integration of the Dresser-Rand KG2 gas turbine and Ener-Core's 2 MW Power Oxidizer at the Stockton Biorefinery site owned by Pacific Ethanol.
The integrated solution, including the Power Oxidizer and other individual components, operated successfully and demonstrated the ability to produce both power and steam according to specifications. The joint engineering teams from the companies are working to complete the commissioning process anticipated in the first quarter of 2017.
The Power Oxidizers with the Dresser-Rand KG2 turbine are rated to provide a combination of up to 3.5 MW of electricity and over 26,000 pounds of steam/hr from the two PowerStation units. The PowerStations will provide Pacific Ethanol with a first-of-its-kind solution that will reduce air pollution by converting by-product low-quality waste gases generated by the Stockton plant's ethanol production into useful electricity and steam. The PowerStations are expected to reduce the quantity of energy currently purchased by Pacific Ethanol's Stockton plant, saving an estimated $3 million to $4 million per year, representing a significant reduction in operating expenses for the plant.
The Ener-Core Power Oxidizer is designed to provide an alternative to a traditional combustion heat source normally used with traditional gas turbine power generation. The Power Oxidizer, when replacing the traditional combustion chamber of an integrated gas turbine, allows a wide range of industries to utilize and eliminate previously unusable and pollutive low-quality gases and certain volatile organic compounds as a low-cost fuel source to generate heat, power and steam for their on-site operations with significantly lower pollution profiles.
"This 'Power Up' represents the first time any technology company has achieved the 2 MW power barrier in a combined heat and power industrial plant utilizing Power Oxidation technology," said Alain Castro, CEO of Ener-Core. "The late December initial start-up was a resounding success and clearly validates our technology in a major industrial application. We look forward to the on-going commissioning efforts and to celebrating our first commercial deployment with Dresser-Rand in the next few months during the Pacific Ethanol Stockton Biorefinery Ribbon-Cutting ceremony."
