Agra firm devises new genset

Runs on synthesis gas, could bag order from the US.

Ever since the manufacture of conventional technology generators was prohibited in Agra due to pollution concerns, the generator manufacturers of Agra have been looking at various technological options to boost their business.

Some manufacturers went through an expensive technological upgrade to conform to the new emission standards, while others looked at alternative fuels like natural gas and biomass.

Prakash Diesels Pvt Ltd, a local genset manufacturer, has succeeded in designing an an engine that is able to burn synthesis gas generated during the disposal of medical waste, into electricity. This has attracted the attention of foreign buyers.

Rajesh Garg, director, Prakash Diesels Pvt Ltd, said the company has been contracted by Northbrook, Illinois based PEAT International, to develop an experimental captive power generation system for its biomedical waste disposal plants in California. If the experimental engine conformed to the requirements, the company could bag a major production order for producing customised power generators at various waste disposal sites managed by PEAT International in the US as well as the rest of the world.

Garg added PEAT International was currently setting up Plasma Thermal Destruction Recovery plants across the world for the treatment of a wide range of biological/medical as well as industrial wastes. Upon disposal, these wastes generated a non-toxic “syngas”. The gas contained Hydrogen and traces of carbon monoxide. Since Prakash Diesels was already producing and successfully selling biomass-based gensets in India, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Australia and the US, PEAT International was interested in the company’s research and has asked the company to concentrate its efforts towards developing an engine that is capable of producing viable electricity from syngas, he said.

Garg further said there has been little progress in the exploitation of syngas in the generation of useful power so far. Syngas was a cleaner fuel than natural gas with negligible ozone and nitrous gas emissions, the calorific value per unit of syngas was quite lower (8 to 10 MJ/Nm3) compared to natural gas (39 MJ/Nm3) therefore requiring a larger quantity of syngas to generate the same thermal output, thereby reducing its cost-effectiveness.

He said the company has initiated the process of developing the syngas-based genset which will undergo field trials under the supervision of American environmental experts in Surat, Gujrat, in February 2009. PEAT International had set up an experimental biomedical waste disposal plant at Surat which was generating vast quantities of syngas that could be a valuable source of energy if properly exploited. The first co-generation plant was to be setup in California, which had one of the strictest emission norms in US, and the company was closely monitoring the emissions of the experimental engine to bring it in conformity with the US standards.

Garg claimed that the syngas generators could be manufactured according to the client’s requirements from 15 Kwh onwards and could even be configured to operate as captive power setups, feeding electricity back into the grid and thereby reducing the operating cost of the disposal plant.If the trials are successful, it could be a major breakthrough for the genset manufacturers of Agra in the international market, currently dominated by China and the multinational corporations.