To keep growing and developing internationally while holding firm to the principles of high quality and “Italianness” through energy efficiency based “green” policies: these are the common denominators of two companies such as AB and Granarolo.
Given the high consumption of electricity and thermal energy required by its production process and in order to rationalize the use of fossil fuels, resulting in cost savings and improved environmental conditions related to greenhouse gases, Granarolo S.p.A. has recently installed as many as two AB cogeneration plants at the production sites of Pasturago di Vernate (MI) and Gioia del Colle (BA).
Orzinuovi (BS), 11 March 2015. Agro-food companies are big “consumers” of heat and power within their supply chain, with a significant impact in terms of their utility bills and the environment; therefore, CHP is the ideal solution for meeting their needs. Granarolo S.p.A., the largest agro-industrial business in the country with Italian capital, is growing both domestically and internationally and pays great attention not only to the quality and excellence of its products but also to energy efficiency and environmental protection, and this why it chose AB, a leading CHP company worldwide, to design and build two cogeneration plants at the production sites of Pasturago di Vernate, near Milan, and Gioia del Colle, in the Province of Bari.
The electrical and thermal energy produced by the two plants will be fully used by the production sites, with considerable economic savings and also in terms of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere; it is estimated that the two plants will generate a total saving of approximately 5,800 tonnes/year of CO2 emissions.
The AB plants – Pasturago di Vernate
Granarolo’s plant of Pasturago di Vernate (MI) produces and packages fresh milk, cream, yogurt, desserts, and UHT milk.
AB’s plant, an ECOMAX® 33 HE, is a natural gas powered modular container model, with a 3,354 kWe total of nominal output at full load and a 7,674 kW total of introduced thermal power.
The new plant will produce electricity that, net of auxiliary equipment consumption, will be fully consumed by the manufacturing site, while the thermal energy produced by the cooling system of the exhaust and engine gases will be utilized by the company for technological uses respectively in the form of steam at 11 barg and hot water at 90° C.
A fire tube heat exchanger for the production of steam will be installed on the fumes circuit and used by the company for its production purposes. The total recoverable thermal energy amounts to 2,808 kWt.
The unit will run for about 7,000 hrs/year.
Features of the CHP plant
LCV of natural gas kWh/Nm3 9.5
Natural gas consumption Nm3/h 808
Introduced power kW 7,674
Mechanical power supplied kWe 3,431
Electrical power supplied kWe 3,354
Recoverable thermal power (hot water) kWt 1,707
Recoverable thermal power (exhaust gases cooled at 180° C) kWt 1,101
Electrical efficiency % 43.6
Thermal efficiency % 36.6
Overall efficiency % 80.2
The AB plants – Gioia del Colle
Granarolo’s plant of Gioa del Colle (BA) processes and packages the “Perla” and “Granarolo” brands of fresh pasteurized and UHT milk.
AB’s plant, an ECOMAX® 10 NGS, is a natural gas powered modular container model, with a 1,063 kWe total of nominal output at full load and a 2,673 kW total of introduced thermal power.
The new plant will produce electricity that, net of auxiliary equipment consumption, will be used to meet the factory’s energy demand, while the thermal energy produced by the cooling system of the exhaust and engine gases will be utilized by the company for technological uses respectively in the form of steam at 13.5 barg and hot water at 90° C.
A fire tube heat exchanger for the production of steam will be installed on the fumes circuit and used by the company for its production purposes. The total recoverable thermal energy amounts to 1,1488 kWt.
The unit will run for about 6,799 hrs/year.
Features of the CHP plant
LCV of natural gas kWh/Nmc 9.5
Natural gas consumption Nmc/h 281
Introduced power kW 2,673
Mechanical power supplied kWe 1,095
Electrical power supplied kWe 1,063
Recoverable thermal power
(hot water + exhaust gases cooled at 210° C) kWt 1,148
Electrical efficiency % 39.8
Thermal efficiency % 42.9
Overall efficiency % 82.7
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