Gasification

Nearly twenty years ago, KIV commenced R&D into gasification and oxidation, starting with several pilot test plants. The first five years of pure R&D into gasification led to successful commercial bespoke EfW plants being designed and built for clients with specific fuel/waste requests. These early EfW plants used separated two stage process chambers as discrete components.

In this evolved design of gasification, the first stage is where ‘syn’ gases are created. The energy left in these gases (methane, hydrogen and carbon monoxide) then becomes the fuel to achieve the high temperatures in the secondary chamber (oxidation), by careful controlled addition of tertiary air, completing the process often called ‘close coupled’ gasification.

It simply and cleverly satisfy’s the first requirement of the stringent EU law to hold the gaseous products of thermal treatment above 8500C for 2 seconds, without the need for supplementary use of expensive fossil fuels, sometimes called thermal treatment. The other two requirements, flue gas cleaning and Continuous Emission Monitoring (CEM), complete the legislation. KIV ensure their plants are designed with the highest efficiency, so that based on the EU Waste Framework Directive (WFD), the plants can be deemed to be ‘Recovery’ plants.

R&D and Engineering Resource

KIV’s long biomass experience coupled with the incorporation of the latest developments in computer control (SCADA), transducers and variable speed drives has enabled KIV to take the bold step of integrating ‘close coupled gasification’ into a single module process design, encompassing the primary and secondary chambers, thus saving space and reducing costs whilst making for a more elegant solution. KIV never rest on their laurels, and further R&D into EfW is envisaged into the foreseeable future, to ensure the plants achieve continuous improvement with much better standards than the current and future legislation is expected to require. This will help to ‘future proof’ KIV WID Compliant plant. KIV recruits well qualified and talented young staff to work besides and learn from the existing experienced team of Engineers and Project Managers, similar to apprenticeships. KIV therefore has set up strong foundations upon which to encourage future developments and continuous improvement.

Bankable Technology

From all the foregoing, KIV have the track record going back over thirty years of steady growth and continuous product development. Returning customers realise the robustness, reliability and efficiency of KIV plants. In the present financial climate, KIV are able to provide that ‘bankability’ which is paramount to reduce risk for investors.

References

Many of the biomass plants KIV have provided in Europe, have been for District Heating schemes, where robustness, reliability and efficiency are paramount. Below is a more relevant selection of larger KIV Biomass and Gasifier (EfW) plant from the main list of over 330 (available upon request), showing the unrivalled provenance for their proven technology in Biomass and Energy from Waste projects, this provides the confidence and comfort in KIV’s ability to design, install and commission large EfW schemes using more than one line.