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Wheeler signed a cooperation agree- The VESTA technology has great flexi-
ment with Clariant International, the ca- bility in terms of gas quality at the inlet Bio-SNG Production
talyst supplier, and Wison Engineering to battery limit. Indeed, the methanation Schemes
build a pilot plant in China demonstra- process developed of Wood can handle
ting the VESTA Substitute Natural Gas syngas of a wide variety of composi- The three production schemes for Bio-
(SNG) technology. The pilot plant has tions, coming from different sources SNG production involve the following sy-
been erected in Nanjing for a production such as the biomass gasification, biogas stems, which represent the bricks upstre-
3
capacity of 100 Nm /h of SNG and con- upgrading, and Power to Gas applica- am the methanation process and relevant
ducted two successful test campaigns tion described in the following section, syngas conditioning:
in 2014 and 2015/2016 to demonstrate and can adapt to different purification • Biomass gasification
a continuous operation at 100% SNG methodologies. • Biogas upgrading
production meeting the Chinese natural • Power to Gas application
gas grid specification, and to test diffe-
rent operating parameters including all
the reactors and control system.
The plant operation, as well as the catalyst
performance, has been perfectly in line
with the expected data.
VESTA process can produce up to
250,000 Nm /h of SNG in a single train
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without recycle compressor and without
risk of temperature runaway or metal
dusting. The highest temperature in
the VESTA process does not overcome
550°C: internal lining reactors are not
required. All these features make the
VESTA process a very attractive option
for the market and Wood is ready for its
commercialization.
Moreover, in the renewable field the com-
mercial feasibility of the Bio-SNG proces-
ses will be established in the next few Fig. 3a
months by means of a Biomass-to-SNG
demonstration plant as part of a pro-
gramme to develop and commercialise
technologies required to decarbonise the
transport sector, which was funded by
the UK’s Department for Transport and
by National Grid Gas Distribution. Now
that the necessary technical research
has been completed and consolidated,
this project focuses on the commercial
innovation necessary to enable the con-
struction of commercial plants. Funders,
waste suppliers, power off-takers and Fig.3b
construction contractors are generally
unwilling to accept the risks associated
with a first of a kind plant and require a
demonstration that the technology can
be operated commercially before develo-
ping large scale facilities. Indeed, that 4.5
MWth demonstration plant will produce
enough compressed SNG to power 75
heavy goods vehicles. The Biomass-to-
SNG Demonstration scope consists of a
Basic Engineering Design (BED) followed
by Engineering Procurement & Fabri-
cation (EPF) of VESTA SNG technology
which includes the following sections:
• Final gas clean-up (deep desulphuri- Fig.3c
sation, dehalogenation)
• Clean syngas methanation Figure 4 – Biomass Gasification to SNG block flow diagram (a), Biogas upgrading and SNG
production by renewable Hydrogen block flow diagram (b), and Power to Gas application for the SNG
• CO removal system production block flow diagram (c). Renewable hydrogen used as reactant in (b) and (c) is assumed to
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• SNG drying be produced in electrolytic cells.

Impiantistica Italiana - Novembre-Dicembre 2018 27