Mass-Energy Balance
Design
Mass-Energy Balance
At the heart of any Energy from Waste project lies the Mass-Energy balance which depends on the waste stream to be processed and the technology employed.
Rodan implements waste audits to determine a representative characterisation of the waste streams to be processed. The waste streams are then modelled to determine how much can be realistically recovered from the waste for recycling, how much is inert materials, what the energy and moisture content of the prepared residual waste is likely to be and what its size range is.
A representative sample of Municipal Solid Waste, (MSW), Commercial & Industrial (C&I) waste and Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste streams is obtained and then physically separated into component fractions:
Rodan implements waste audits to determine a representative characterisation of the waste streams to be processed. The waste streams are then modelled to determine how much can be realistically recovered from the waste for recycling, how much is inert materials, what the energy and moisture content of the prepared residual waste is likely to be and what its size range is.
A representative sample of Municipal Solid Waste, (MSW), Commercial & Industrial (C&I) waste and Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste streams is obtained and then physically separated into component fractions:
Paper/Card
Plastic Film
Dense Plastics
Textiles
Misc Combustibles
MIsc Non-Combustibles
Glass
Garden Waste
Other Putrescibles
Ferros Metal
Non-Ferrous Metal
WEEE
Potentially Hazardous
Fines
Each separated fraction is is then weighed to provide a weight percentage of each component. A representative sample of each non-hazardous component is then sent to a laboratory for moisture, ash, calorific value, proximate and ultimate analyses to be determined. If possible a waste audit is carried out several times throughout a year to account for seasonal variations in the composition and give a better estimate of the annual average waste stream composition.
A process flow diagram is then developed for a system to deliver the required material flows for recycling and recovery. By combining the designed process mass flows with the analysis results for each fraction, the overall energy, moisture and ash content of fuels prepared from any combination of the component fractions can be determined. This enables fuels to be manufactured to specification.
Once the fuel characteristics have been determined and the energy conversion technology chosen, the overall Mass-Energy balance of the proposed system can be determined together with the net electrical and thermal energy outputs. The Mass-Energy balance then drives the whole financial model allowing various different scenarios to be evaluated before making a final commitment to technology type.
A process flow diagram is then developed for a system to deliver the required material flows for recycling and recovery. By combining the designed process mass flows with the analysis results for each fraction, the overall energy, moisture and ash content of fuels prepared from any combination of the component fractions can be determined. This enables fuels to be manufactured to specification.
Once the fuel characteristics have been determined and the energy conversion technology chosen, the overall Mass-Energy balance of the proposed system can be determined together with the net electrical and thermal energy outputs. The Mass-Energy balance then drives the whole financial model allowing various different scenarios to be evaluated before making a final commitment to technology type.