Nexterra Successfully Tests Syngas Conditioning Technology
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Nexterra Systems Corp. announced last week that it has completed the performance testing of its new proprietary syngas conditioning technology, and that the testing was successful. The technology is a key component of Nexterra’s patented combined heat and power system (CHP System) to produce a synthetic fuel called syngas. The CHP System technology is being developed at the company’s product development centre in Kamloops.
The new conditioning technology can be used to clean and refine syngas that is derived from biomass, allowing it to be fired directly into an internal combustion engine to generate electricity, replacing natural gas. It will be packaged with the company’s biomass gasification systems and internal combustion engines for modular combined heat and power plants. The new system will achieve efficiencies of up to 65 per cent in cogeneration and more than 30 per cent in combined cycle. The company sees conditioned syngas as having future applications in biomethane production as well as other types of synthetics fuels.
Nexterra’s vice-president and chief engineer emphasized the importance of this innovation in a statement and was optimistic for the synthetic gas’s future. “Trials conducted in the fourth quarter of 2009 verify that our combined gasification and conditioning technologies produce a clean, stable and consistent grade of syngas with more than 99% removal of tars and inorganics. The resulting syngas meets and exceeds the fuel specification for internal combustion engines. We will continue optimization and refinement of the process in 2010.”
The conditioning technology is based on a process that uses thermal cracking and heat recovery in a closed loop. It is designed to be a cleaner and more reliable system than similar gas-cleaning systems, as well as lower-cost. Nexterra will continue testing the technology throughout 2010 to ensure its optimization.
The group has received funding for their conditioning technology from several sources, including Sustainable Development Technology Canada, the BC Bioenergy Network, and the National Research Council of Canada. The funding will support the development, testing and commercialization of both the conditioning technology and the CHP System. Nexterra is one of the leading suppliers of biomass gasification systems for heat and power generation in industrial capacities.
