tion on measurements and Falu Energi has exercised its option to purchase the equipment. Fully automatic pellet plant – Step number three is to measure the capacity, the quantity of pellets produced. The aim is to make the pellet plant fully automatic in so far that it does not require on-site personnel to take measurements and make adjustments to the production process itself. Instead daily routine inspection and maintenance work can be scheduled during normal working hours as operational staff do not need to take measurements during nights and weekends since this is handled automatically, said Nygren. According to Nygren an investment in the system is in the region of SEK 1 million (≈ EUR 105 000) with the payback time being a function of labour cost savings. – The real value lies in being able to produce a high quality pellet consistently. This reduces the risk of quality inconsistency issues turning up at the end-user, concluded Ulf Nygren. Text: Anders Haaker Photo courtesy Ulf Nygren BI81/4977/AS World’s first waste to energy powered pellet plant inaugurated Bioenergy International Internat ional No 81, 5-2015 21 the first pellmess fvt 4260 system was installed in spring 2014 at Falu Energi’s 46 000 tonne per annum pellet plant. The system is based on an automated measurement of density, moisture content and temperature of the pellets produced. The measurement data is analysed and processed by a software programme. Any corrective adjustments needed in the production process to achieve the desired level of quality in the finished pellets are relayed directly and carried out automatically. Patented system According to Ulf Nygren, CEO for UNY Konsult AB and inventor of the patented Pellmess system, it is the first pellet production “measure and optimise” process system of its kind. It is less dependent on personnel because the measurements are done automatically providing both more consistent measurement results and lower measuring costs compared to conventional manual systems used to measure and optimise the pellet production process. In addition measurements can be made at more frequent intervals, which reduces variations in the quality of the finished pellet product. – Moisture measurement is done with microwave technology and we have developed communication using mobile broadband so that the system can send the data. This means we can monitor and control the system remotely, explained Ulf Nygren. Test period After installation in spring 2014, it was run in parallel with the old manual method in order to demonstrate that the new automated system was reliable. The second step was to put data into the process control system. This was done in April 2015 and the system has been operational ever since. According to Nygren it has functioned flawlessly with minimum stand devia- Swedish municipal energy company, Uddevalla Energi AB, has officially inaugurated its new 42 000 tonne per annum wood pellet plant. Built next door to its 32 MW thermal municipal solid waste (MSW) fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant, Lillesjöverket, the new pellet facility utilises residual heat from the CHP during the summer period when the demand for district heating is low. Local environmental permitting regulations restrict the amount of cooling the CHP can deploy while at the same time the utility has a permit to treat up to 130 000 tonnes of combustible household waste per annum. The new pellet plant provides a suitable heat demand enabling the CHP to run year round without the need for cooling or scaling-back fuel intake. On an annual basis the pellet plant will use around 230 000 m³ of softwood sawmill residues from the region supplied by Norwegian based wood industry major Moelven AS. Supplied as a turnkey plant by Estonia based Hekotek AS, the SEK 180 million (≈ EUR 19 million) investment includes onsite pellet storage dimensioned for the current production, which is destined for large industrial clients and heating networks. – It’s the world’s first waste to energy powered pellet plant. By using residual heat to dry sawdust and shavings we in effect transfer energy from summer to winter when it is needed. This is an environmental and energy efficient way of operating the CHP, commented Roger Johansson, CEO, Uddevalla Energi during his inauguration address. Text & photo: Alan Sherrard BI81/4952/AS Filling the first delivery of pellets produced by the new Uddevalla Energi pellet plant for energy utility client Göteborg Energi. Falu Energi first with automatic process control A Swedish company UNY Konsult AB has developed a new system for optimising pellet production. Results from the first installation, at Swedish energy utility Falu Energi & Vatten AB, suggest that the system enables a better and more consistent pellet quality. Pellets
Bioenergy no 5 September 2015
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