THE IPRP TECHNOLOGY: from concept to demonstration

Biomass and wastes are distributed and renewable energy sources that may contribute effectively to sustainability. Integrated Pyrolysis Regenerated Plant (IPRP) concept is based on a Gas Turbine (GT) fuelled by pyrogas produced in a rotary kiln slow pyrolysis reactor; waste heat from GT is used to sustain the pyrolysis process. The IPRP plant provides a unique solution for microscale (below 500 kW) power plants, opening a new and competitive possibility for distributed biomass or waste to energy conversion systems. To this aim a IPRP pilot plant, provided with a 80 kW micro-gas turbine, was designed and built, at the Terni facility of the University of Perugia. When used for 6,000 hours per year, electricity production is 400 MWh/year with a biomass consumption of 730 tonnes; the plant would avoid 290 t/year of CO2 in atmosphere. Data obtained with experimental activity will be used to tune simulation models which are fundamental for process optimization being the key issue for the estimation of pyrolysis product yields (char, tar, and syngas) and LHV (Lower Heating Values). This could give important information about the overall process efficiency and about mass and energy balances that characterize the plant for different operating conditions. A measuring device to determine tar content in syngas is necessary for mass and energy balance and to obtain samples for analytical characterization. To this aim on the basis of technical specification CEN/TS 15439:2006 a sampling line for tar has been designed and realized at the laboratories of the University of Perugia