Production of Synthetic Natural Gas from Refuse-Derived Fuel Gasification for Use in a Polygeneration District Heating and Cooling System

Natalia Kabalina, Mário Costa, Weihong Yang and Andrew Martin
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Natalia Kabalina: IDMEC, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
Mário Costa: IDMEC, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
Weihong Yang: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, S-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
Andrew Martin: Department of Energy Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, S-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden

Energies, 2016, vol. 9, issue 12, 1-14

Abstract: Nowadays conventional district heating and cooling (DHC) systems face the challenge of reducing fossil fuel dependency while maintaining profitability. To address these issues, this study examines the possibility of retrofitting DHC systems with refuse-derived fuel (RDF) gasifiers and gas upgrading equipment. A novel system is proposed based on the modification of an existing DHC system. Thermodynamic and economic models were established to allow for a parametric analysis of key parameters. The study revealed that such an upgrade is both feasible and economically viable. In the basic scenario, the retrofitted DHC system can simultaneously produce 60.3 GWh/year of heat, 65.1 GWh/year of cold, 33.2 GWh/year of electricity and 789.5 tons/year of synthetic natural gas. A significant part of the heat load can be generated from the waste heat of the upgrading equipment. The investment in retrofitting the polygeneration DHC system presents a payback period of 3 years.

Keywords: polygeneration; synthetic natural gas; district heating and cooling systems; refuse derived fuels; gasification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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