HZIU to supply biogas upgrading plant to Wyoming

According to a statement, Hitachi Zosen Inova USA LLC (HZIU) has been commissioned by the North American biogas project developer WTE LLC to construct a gas upgrading plant in Carpenter, Wyoming (WY).

The project will build a membrane-based gas upgrading facility with a nominal throughput capacity of over 960 Nm3 per hour (≈ 600 SCFM) with the first feed-in is planned for early summer 2022.

It will take biogas produced by anaerobically digesting manure and slurry from a farm with around 6 500 dairy cattle and use membrane-based gas separation to upgrade it into biomethane aka renewable natural gas (RNG).

The plant will separate out the carbon dioxide (CO2) contained in the biogas and all the other undesired components from the methane, upgrading this to make natural gas substitute RNG which can be fed into the grid and used by homes and businesses.

From manure to RNG

Manure to RNG is part of a wider and growing trend in the United States. According to the State of California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), a program to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and promote clean vehicle fuels in California through the production of RNG from agricultural residues is particularly good in terms of negative carbon intensity (CI).

Here a life cycle assessment is done taking account of the emissions avoided that would otherwise occur during the storage, spreading of liquid manure, and the natural decomposition of straw on the fields.

Against the backdrop of the LCFS program, RNG is currently one of the fastest-growing markets in North America.

ASME-compliant and standardized

The plant design was developed by HZI BioMethan, an HZI subsidiary that specializes in gas upgrading systems. The company has developed, in conjunction with its North American entity HZIU, a design specifically for the North American market.

The upgrading plant is a standardized, economical set-up that meets the requirements of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), which was used for the first time at a facility in California: The M series Model L membrane system.

It’s currently a particularly interesting proposition for dairy farms. WTE is well known for biogas projects of this kind with dairy operations in the western United States, where it has great potential for reducing national carbon emissions by producing RNG, explained Mike Phillips, Director of Sales for North America at HZIU in Knoxville, Tennessee, and part of the team that developed the project with WTE.

Combing technology expertise and experience

The anaerobic digester (AD) systems for digesting organic residues from dairy farming are being constructed by DVO, Inc., the predominant designer and longstanding supplier of highly efficient AD systems to the agricultural and livestock industries.

The biogas is then converted into biomethane (RNG) by a membrane-based gas upgrading system.

In the HZI Group, we’ve found a highly capable partner with many years of experience, the appropriate technology, and in-depth know-how in interfaces. With fully comprehensive engineering, system design, and plant construction, as well as commissioning, we can offer our customers a completely integrated solution on a turnkey basis, said Doug VanOrnum, of WTE.

Besides the membrane system itself, the scope of supply includes coarse desulphurization, raw gas pre-treatment and catalytic deoxidation equipment, a compression unit for compressing the product gas, on-site installation, and programming and commissioning for feed-in into the local natural gas grid.

According to Doug VanOrnum, the HZI Group’s range of services maximizes speed and reliability in the execution of the project, an important consideration for farms. Another reason is that HZI has numerous references for biogas and biomethane installations operated by farmers.