Describes markets and production for biomass based synthetic natural gas.

1. SNG: A Renewable,
Regional Biofuel.
Looking at Possible Markets
Thomas Cheney
cheney (at) unbc.ca

2. What is SNG
● SNG stands for synthetic natural gas created
by anerobic digestion or methanization of
gasified wood .
● Renewable Power Methane is a related
product
● Can be used in existing natural gas
infrastructure.

3. Objectives
● Introduce SNG
production methods
● SNG uses
● SNGs role as energy
currency in
renewable energy
1 MW SNG production facility at Gussing,
Austria system

4. How SNGis Made from
Wood
Feedstock Gasification Gas
Gasification
Pre-treatment Cleaning
CO2 Gas Grid
Methaniz removal,
ation Compression

5. SNG Markets
● Space and Water
Heating
○ Existing gas furnaces
○ Peak load for alternative
fuel systems
● Power Generation
○ intermittent
○ peak load
www.energy.alberta.ca -
● Vehicle Fuels
○ Liquified bionatural gas
○ Compressed bionatural gas

6. Energy Efficiency
● 60-70+% wood to SNG
on LHV basis)
● ~ 90% including
cogeneration (
● 10-15 % higher than
biomass to liquids
efficiency (GM2012)
● Potential for
polygeneration
● Allothermal and
autothermal
From ECN
● Low temperature
gasification for efficient
~850 C

7. Allothermal vs Autothermal
gasification heat gasification heat
produced outside of the produced inside
gasifier the gasifier
Diagrams from Gassner and Marechal
(2012)

8. Two Allothermal Design
philosophies
Swiss-Austrian Dutch
● Steam Assisted ● Uses simple low-steam
gasification content, gasification
system
● reforming tars in
gasification ● Needs better tar cleaning
system
● Biodiesel gas cleaning
requires cleaner gas ● 6% higher modeled SNG
○ less efficient process production efficiency.
due to steam content
http://www.ecn.nl/docs/library/report/2010/m10050.pdf

9. Allothermal Gasification
● Higher capital costs
○ $927-$1755 /KWth
○ complex system
○ lower pressures to allow for
heat transfer by fluidization
medium
● Slightly lower efficiency
● Based on avoiding
requirement for oxygen
generation on site.
Photo: www.aer-gas.de/index.php?l=C&m=A

10. Allothermal Gasification process in
Gassner and Marechal 2012

11. Autothermal CFB
Gasification
● Lower capital cost
○ $1240-$521/KWth
○ Simpler system
○ pressurized gasification and higher methanization
pressure
● Requires oxygen supply
● Slightly higher efficiency than allothermal
systems

12. Autothermal Gasifier
From Gassner and Marechal (2012)

13. SNG Production Prices $/GJ
Low Wood Cost High Wood Cost
5 MW CFB $26.42 $33.23
20 MW CFB $18.76 $25.56
100 MW CFB $13.48 $19.62
5 MW FICFB $32.42 $39.45
20 MW FICFB $22.25 $29.28
100 MW FICFB $18.08 $24.81
Larger and autothermal plants have lower
costs. Based on Gassner and Marechal (2012)
and adapted to British Columbian conditions

14. ButSNG is so expensive!
A carbon price of
$100 per tonne
CO2 increases
the cost of
natural gas by $5
per GJ
Only when the costs of the carbon dioxide climate damage are
ignored (Ackerman and Stanton, 2004)

15. SNG With Carbon Tax
$ emissions low wood cost High wood costs
mitigations cost
5 MW CFB $388.49 $524.54
20 MW CFB $235.12 $371.16
100 MW CFB $129.51 $252.39
5 MW FICFB $508.36 $648.95
20 MW FICFB $305.09 $445.69
100 MW FICFB $221.64 $356.11

16. Biofuels $/TCO2 Reduction
SNG has
competitive
mitigation S
N
costs G
From Fulton et al. (2004) Biofuels for Transportation. http://www.cti2000.it/Bionett/All-2004-004%20IEA%20biofue
20report.pdf

17. GHG Effects of SNG
● Carbo et al (2011)
found significant
potential to combine
CCS with carbon
capture and storage
● Net negative CO2
when combined with
www.climate101.org
carbon capture and
storage

18. Methane Leakage
● Depends on the quality of the grid
● Life-cycle analysis of shale gas and natural
gas suggests limited impact of methane
emissions from transmission.

19. Natural gas has better than
GHG balance than coal!
Biomethane has even lower seeing role of
combustion GHG

20. SNG USES
© Lasse Hejdenberg/Hejdlösabilder

21. With SNG any natural gas
bus can be a biogas bus

22. Buses
● Natural gas buses are
widely used
● 150 units in Canada
● $45,000 Capital
premium
Source: Marbek (2010)

23. Truck
● 700- 900 miles range
● $70,000 more
expensive capital costs
● Spark ignition and
HPDI (natural
gas/diesel mixture)
○ spark ignition 10% less fuel
economy.
○ or 5% diesel mixture

24. Marine
Traffic
LNG MS Stavangerfjord
● LNG becoming popular as a marine fuel due to large
mobile "point" source of demand.
● Ferry in operation in Norway
● Considered by BC Ferries (BC ferries uses 118 Million
liters of diesel p/.a) and Washington State Ferries

25. Norwegian LNG Ferry
http://baltictransportjournal.com/poland/last-of-four-lng-ferries-for-torghattan-nord,23.html

26. Rail LNG LOCOS
CN Rail exploring LNG propulsion

27. Biogas Train in Sweden
Retrofit cost of 1 Million Euro
1.3 Million $ Canadian
fr.wikipedia.org

28. Power generation
www.ecomagination.com

29. SNG Electricity generation
● SNG works in existing natural gas generators
and turbines
● Can provide flexible low capital cost biomass
power
● Natural gas turbines cost 1.2 Mil Canadian
per MW.
http://www.emr.gov.yk.ca/oilandgas/pdf/eagleplain_.pdf

30. Renewable Power Methane
http://www.iwes.fraunhofer.
de/de/publikationen/uebersicht/2010/towards_100_integrationofresimulationscenariosandstoragebylinkin/_jcr_cont
ent/pressrelease/linklistPar/download/file.res/2010-049_Towards-Integration_NREL.pdf

31. Peak Load Heating
● Technological and Economic
barriers
● Biomass boilers high capital
costs
○ 5 MWth $ 600 per KWth
○ Nat Gas. $196 per KWth
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:
ANd9GcRcml0wFkH4yJA2uYFq0Y546UUP55zcHFktcBeUARpm_v1CQ9uO

32. Challenges with biomass
systems
● Turndown Ratio
○ Max prod: Min Prod
● Typically 3:1
○ Load variation much
greater
http://www.riebenbauer.at ○ Long start up time for
solid biomass systems
makes load following by
start up and shutdown
unfeasible

33. Food vs Fuel?

34. Heat Pump System Limits
● High capital cost
● Air source units have
much lower heat
production at low
temperatures
● natural gas backup and
peaking
○ SNG can replace fossil
natural gas

35. SNG Heating
● SNG Heating can work
where natural gas works,
due to quick start-up of
boilers and furnaces
● SNG is expensive so other
options will likely make
sense for baseload!

36. Flying on Liquified NG?
XB-70
Boeing SUGAR Freeze

37. LNG vs Hydrogen
LBM greater energy storage density
· Liquid Biomethane 22.2 MJ/L
· Liquid Hydrogen 8.5 MJ/L
Liquid hydrogen better energy KG/Mass
· Liquid Biomethane 53.6 MJ/KG
· Liquid Hydrogen 141.6 MJ/KG
LBM is a better fuel choice when volume is limited.

38. The decarbonization Triangle
e-
Various energy
currencies CO2
H2O
O2
CH4 H2
4H2 + CO2 CH4 + 2H2O
Muradov (2013), DOI: 10.1039/c3ee22879g

39. Conclusion
SNG offers
● energy efficient biofuel production
● Second generation biofuel
● Transportation, heating and power
generation fuel
● Low emissions
● Existing infrastructure
● Integration with Wind, Water Solar sources
through Renewable Power Methane.

40. Future Gas Well?
Fu
Thanks!
www.us.all.biz -