SRE launches new product for increased energy recovery – first customer in Switzerland
Svensk Rökgasenergi (SRE), a subsidiary of Opcon AB, the energy and environmental technology Group, today received an order for a flue gas condensation unit from a district heating plant in Ibach, Switzerland, that operates an 8 MW boiler. In addition to the condenser, filter and water treatment system normally supplied, the delivery will also include a completely new humidifier. The value of the order is over SEK 9 million. The delivery will take place in the summer of 2009.
The major new feature is a completely new humidifier that significantly increases energy recovery in SRE’s already efficient flue gas condenser. After connecting the humidifier, the recovery performance of the condenser increases by 30-70%, depending on the moisture content in the fuel. Meanwhile the customer gains considerably greater flexibility when choosing biomass.
“This is a step forward for both the environment and our customers. Our new humidifier strengthens our offer for new installations like this one in Switzerland. We can also upgrade all of the plants that have already installed our systems and thereby further increase their energy output. We give the customer greater flexibility when choosing biomass so they can choose fuel according to availability and price,” explains Per Egeberg, managing director of SRE.
“We have high hopes for our new humidifier and have already discussed with a couple of our customers the possibility of combining humidifier with our drying system,” continues Per Egeberg.
“Our new humidifier strengthens our international business offer. When using dry fuel with 20-25% moisture content, the humidifier increases the performance of our condenser by up to 70%. That gives us a much more competitive argument on markets that use drier biomass than what we are used to in Scandinavia. Today’s deal means that SRE has now received four orders in Switzerland from three different customers since it broke onto the market less than a year ago,” says Rolf Hasselström, President and CEO of Opcon AB.
SRE is a part of Opcon’s expanding Renewable Energy business area and its focus on Waste Heat Recovery and Bioenergy. SRE delivers systems for treatment and improved energy efficiency to bio-powered district heating plants, sawmills, pellets producers and commercial greenhouses. The company also supplies treatment equipment for industrial companies and drying systems for biomass. SRE’s Renergi system is based on heat recovery through flue gas condensation and it achieves significantly reduced emissions as well as large energy savings as the capacity in a boiler powered by biomass can be increased after an upgrade by up to 50% while emissions of particles, among other substances, are reduced.