26 June 2007. MAN Diesel’s Power Plant Division is strongly developing its traditional ‘heavy fuel oil’ medium-speed engine business and is currently also heavily involved in the area of environmentally friendly, alternative fuels. Renewable and CO2-neutral, liquid fuels such as vegetable oils (palm, coconut, sunflower and rapeseed) are today greatly appreciated in more and more European countries as ‘green’ energy sources for land-based, electrical power generation; this power-plant segment seems to be particularly thriving in Italy. Currently, in the Italian biofuel power-plant market, the MAN Diesel Group is cooperating with Termoindustriale S.p.A., a specialist engineering, research and process-plant company, located about 70 km south of Turin in Santa Vittoria d’Alba.
Termoindustriale and MAN Diesel
The successful partnership has thus far yielded 18 large (27- and 32-cm bore), medium-speed engines/generating sets, ranging in size from 2.6 to 8.7 MW. Walter Brovia, President of Termoindustriale, is pleased with the existing cooperation agreement, and expresses a positive view of the future: “We envisage very good prospects for the Termoindustriale biofuel power plants fitted with MAN Diesel engines. MAN engines are renowned in Italy for their quality, robustness and long lifetime. While the initial investments required are sometimes a little high, they are acceptable to our customers because the inherent, favourable, long-term, operational savings means they profit in the long run.”
Safe and reliable operation with vegetable oils
All MAN Diesel medium-speed engines basically designed to handle very high-viscosity, heavy fuel oils are ideal for the reliable and efficient utilisation of a broad range of liquid, biological fuels. According to Ivano Laganà of Termoindustriale’s Research & Development Division: “For the time being, palm oil is the best solution and the cheapest oil. Our system is customised for palm oil, which, however, is a relatively high-viscosity oil that becomes solid at normal, ambient, temperature levels. Therefore, the fuel temperature and viscosity have to be controlled and kept within the correct temperature/viscosity levels – via our plants’ heater/booster modules – ensuring pumpability, optimal engine-injection, and efficient atomisation and combustion.”
Direct start on palm oil
“The MAN Diesel engines integrated into our plants are uniquely operated, stopped and started directly with palm oil. This means that no additional gas/diesel system (nor vegetable-oil system) and supply is needed and, consequently, fuel change-over operations are rendered redundant”, says Laganà. He adds: “By Italian law, it is stipulated that if more than 5% of the fuel used is of ordinary fossil origin, then the plant can not be classified as a biomass/biofuel power plant.”
Challenges and customer benefits
Walter Capponi, the Energy & Environment Division Manager explains: “We offer our customers the advantage of producing electrical power and heating/cooling power simultaneously through the use of renewable, biological fuel sources such as the oil palm, rapeseed and sunflowers. Through these sources, customers avoid using finite, subterraneous, fossil-fuel resources, limit the greenhouse effect, reduce pollutant emissions, and make a quick financial return.” According to Walter Brovia, the most challenging factors for Termoindustriale’s future, biofuel-business development are the short delivery times required by customers, the time authorities take to issue Green Certificates, engine and generator delivery times and, naturally, oil prices.
Green incentives - Green certificates
In Italy an incentive programme of ‘Green Certificates’ established under the so-called Bersani Decree, ensure the producers of power based on renewable clean sources an income from the sale of the certificates on top of the price for the energy sold. From April 2006 the active time frame for the Green Certificates obtained were prolonged from a period of 8 years to 12 years.
About Termoindustriale S.p.A.
TERMOINDUSTRIALE’s experience in the plant engineering field began in 1964 with industrial assemblies, and has built up over the years. By the beginning of the 1980’s simple assembly had developed into the designing and delivery of complete facilities, including turnkey solutions. Today it is represented by Certified Quality from design to installation, commissioning and start-up assistance, as well as maintenance – of the diverse project areas such as: Heating and refrigeration plants, co-generation plants, general and service fluid distribution systems, assembly of technological plant and stainless steel piping, industrial air conditioning plants, water fire extinguishing systems and sprinklers, MV/LV power transformer substations, power distribution and lighting, electronic and pneumatic instrumentation, and plant automation.
For the marine engine sales in Italy, (four-stroke medium-speed) the company Ranieri Tonissi S.p.A., Genoa, is representing MAN Diesel.
Captions for images and graphic
1) Termoindustriale managers – from left:
Mr. Giacomo Viberti, General Director
Mr. Walter Capponi, Division Manager
Mr. Walter Brovia, President
2) 3D exterior model showing the oil-storage tanks, the power house for three engines/generating sets with cooling towers and exhaust-gas after-treatment equipment
3) MAN Diesel Generating-set type 8L27/38 for 2.6-MW output under biofuel operation
4) The references listed show the plants, their engine combinations and status, with the first power-plant start-up due to occur during September of this year.