Energy for production processes

As well as leading the way in the biomass energy sector, Termoindustriale can also lay claim to long-standing experience in cogeneration and trigeneration.
Over the years, a host of different applications have been realized in the industrial, agricultural, commercial and civil sectors.
The company is therefore able to deliver state-of-the-art cogeneration systems based on the use of various types of fuel:

• vegetable oils and biomass (eco.ti ® power plants);
• natural gas and biogas (GAS.ti power plants).

GAS.ti

GAS.ti power plants are the result of decades of Research and Development by Termoindustriale. They represent a reliable, guaranteed solution which is capable of meeting the cogeneration needs of every kind of user (from just a few hundred KW, up to more than 10 MW of electrical output).
GAS.ti power plants are also an extremely flexible solution, being available as they are in three versions:

• in sound-proofed containers for anyone who has problems of space or mobility;
• in power stations (which can be already existing or made-to-measure);
• in prefabricated monobloc units, to combine the solidity of reinforced concrete with the advantage of transportability.

Cogeneration

Cogeneration - also known as CHP (Combined Heat and Power) - is the process by which two forms of energy (electrical and thermal) are produced simultaneously by means of a single, integrated system (a cogenerator).
Cogeneration makes it possible to optimize the exploitation of the fuel used, improving efficiency and saving energy.

Cogenerators are classified on the basis of the type of primary engines and fuel used:

Steam turbines

which produce electricity by utilizing the potential energy of the high pressure steam generated by another device (generally a boiler);

Reciprocating internal combustion engines

which are endothermic engines (with an Otto or Diesel cycle) used to produce electricity by means of an alternator. These systems allow for the cogeneration of thermal energy, recovering heat from both the engine cooling circuit and the high temperature exhaust gases. Depending on the type of use and the technical and construction specifications, either light, High Speed engines or heavy Medium/Low Speed engines can be used.
Light, High Speed engines (1500/3000 r.p.m.) derived from the automotive industry are suitable for using gaseous fuels (natural gas, L.P.G., biogas) with the Otto cycle, or light fuel oils (diesel, biodiesel) with the Diesel cycle. They are not suitable for use with vegetable oils.
Heavy, Medium e Low Speed engines (less than 1000 r.p.m.) derived from the shipping industry, are suitable for both the above fuels and crude vegetable and/or animal oils of every kind, as well as heavy fuel oils.

Gas turbines

also called combustion turbines; these are rotary engines that convert the potential energy contained in the flow of combustion gas into mechanical energy. The high pressure flow generated by the combustion produces the mechanical energy, which is transformed into electricity using an alternator.

Trigeneration

Trigeneration takes cogeneration one step further.
As the name implies, it refers to the production of three energies: the electricity and heat produced by cogeneration, plus chilled water produced from the waste heat to be used for air conditioning or in production processes.
The conversion of thermal energy into cooling energy takes place by means of an absorption chiller, which transforms the refrigerant (water) using an absorbent (lithium bromide). Overall efficiency increases enormously in trigeneration systems, guaranteeing energy savings of as much as 60%. As a matter of fact, the very best, tried-and-tested trigeneration technologies have shown very high overall performances (no less than 86% - 42% electricity, and 42% heat or 31% chilled water).