Use of Biogas in Gas Turbines for the Production of Heat and Electricity

In the modern developed countries of the world, the main part of the extracted fuel and energy resources is spent on the production of electricity and heat of low and medium potential. In Ukraine, the biomethane production potential is estimated at 7.8 billion m3/year, which is 25 % of the current natural gas consumption in the country. The infrastructure of Ukraine is ready for transportation and energy use of biomethane, as biomethane is a complete analogue of natural gas. When storing organic waste ("bio-waste") – for example, the organic part of household waste - biogas, a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide, is released. This gas is a high-quality fuel for gas engines or gas turbines - just like methane gas produced from biomass in sewage treatment plants. Biogas can replace fossil fuels and is also characterized by its CO2 neutrality. Biogas can be burned on-site with little to no processing to heat buildings and power boilers or even the reactor itself. Biogas can be used for combined heat and power generation, can be simply converted to electricity using an internal combustion engine, fuel cells or gas turbine, with the resulting electricity being used on-site or sold into the electricity grid. Taking into account the advantages of using biogas, as well as the price policy for natural gas, the study carried out a calculation of the thermal scheme of the state district power plant. Natural gas is used as the main fuel, biogas was chosen for comparison. The specific heat of combustion of biogas is almost half that of natural gas. When operating on biogas, the efficiency of a gas turbine installation is 8.5 % lower, and that of a steam-gas installation is 7.5 % lower than on natural gas. Since 1000 m³ of natural gas is equivalent to 1,00 m³ of biogas, a biogas accounting factor has been introduced. On the basis of the relevant research, conclusions were drawn regarding the use of biogas as an alternative to natural gas. The relevance of the use of biogas for the production of heat and electricity is to provide a promising source of electricity and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.