Biogas growth spurs demand for Biogas Dehumidification System

Georgia, U.S.-based HRS Heat Exchangers says demand for its Biogas Dehumidication System is surging as global investment in biogas capacity increases.

The thermal technology company reports rapid growth in the sector — including word from the American Biogas Council biogas investment broke records for the third year in a row in 2023 — is spurring demand for its dedicated systems for biogas and anaerobic digestion, particularly its BDS.

“In the last twelve months we have delivered a number of BDSs to clients around the world,” system sales manager for HRS, Antonio Guillermo Jara Ponce, says in a release.

“The benefits of removing moisture from biogas in terms of plant performance and operational longevity are now well understood by the industry, and so we are seeing more plants specify these systems from the beginning.”

The American Biogas Council reported earlier this year US$1.8 billion, or C$2.5 billion, had been invested in the country’s biogas industry in 2023 — breaking records for the third year in a row. It estimated nearly 100 new projects had come online and another 100 were slated for this year.

More than 2,250 biogas projects are active in the United States, representing US$39 billion, or C$54 billion, in capital investment, the council reports.

For comparison, there are about 300 operating in Canada, according to the Canadian Biogas Association.

The European Biogas Association reported in June the European biomethane sector would receive an injection of €25 billion, or C$ 37.4 billion, in private investment by 2030. That’s a 30 per cent increase over last year’s estimate of €18 billion, or C$26.9 billion, in the same time frame.

The projected investments by 2030 will result in the installation of 950 new biomethane plants across Europe, alongside the 1,300 facilities already operational, the EBA reports.

“We are also seeing strong demand for retrofit installations as operators refurbish plants and look to improve operating efficiencies,” said Guillermo Jara Ponce.

“As the CHP engine is one of the most expensive pieces of equipment on an AD plant, protecting it makes good business sense.”

HRS Heat Exchanger BDS

If water enters a CHP engine it can decrease its efficiency, resulting in reduced biogas yields and engine damage. The BDS removes water from biogas, protecting CHP engines from corrosion and cavitation. It also includes a heat recovery section which helps increase the overall energy efficiency of an AD plant.

The BDS works by reducing the temperature of the raw biogas from around 40°C to approximately 5 to 7°C, condensing more than 90 per cent of the water volume. It uses a chiller system which supplies a coolant that is transferred to heat exchangers. Biogas flows on the product side of the exchanger, while the coolant flows on the service side. As the biogas cools, the water condenses from the gas, leaving a clean and dry biogas ideal for use in CHP engines.

Heat recovery uses the resulting cold biogas to pre-cool the warmer incoming biogas, reducing the load on the final cooling heat exchanger and recovering as much as 20 per cent of the energy needed for the process.

The BDS is suitable for AD plants of all sizes and is skid-mounted for easy access and freedom of movement. It also features an automatic control panel for full process control and can be adapted for ATEX-compliant applications.

HRS Heat Exchangers Ltd. is part of HRS Group. It was acquired by Calgary-based Exchanger Industries Ltd. in 2021. Founded in Alberta in 1961, Exchanger Industries operates in Canada and 25 countries internationally.