Conditioning technology cleans syngas

Jan. 29, 2010, Vancouver – Nexterra Systems Corp has successfully completed
performance testing of its proprietary syngas conditioning technology. This
technology is a key component of the company’s combined heat and power (CHP)
system that is being developed at its product development centre in Kamloops,
British Columbia. The conditioning technology cleans and refines
biomass-derived syngas so that it can be directly fired into internal
combustion engines instead of as natural gas to generate electricity. The
technology will be packaged with Nexterra's biomass gasification systems and
internal combustion engines into modular CHP plants sized from 2 to 10 MWe. The
new CHP system will be capable of achieving overall efficiencies up to 65% in
cogeneration mode and over 30% in combined cycle mode. Future applications of
conditioned syngas include conversion into biomethane and other synthetic fuels
and chemicals.

"Trials
conducted in the fourth quarter of 2009 verify that our combined gasification
and conditioning technologies produce a clean, stable, and consistent grade of
syngas, with more than 99% removal of tars and inorganics. The resulting syngas
meets and exceeds the fuel specification for internal combustion engines. We
will continue optimization and refinement of the process in 2010," says
Dejan Sparica, Nexterra's vice president and chief engineer.

The
syngas conditioning technology is based on a closed-loop, thermal cracking, and
heat recovery process. Development of the technology began in 2007, and
proof-of-concept testing was completed in 2008. The next step will be to
operate a GE Jenbacher model 208 internal combustion engine on conditioned
syngas in the first quarter of 2010. This will be followed by full-scale
demonstration projects.