Chemical Engineering December 2011 - 12

CHEMENTATOR
An in-pipe turbine system generates
energy from water effluent
ydrofoil turbines mounted inside
gravity-fed water-effluent conduits
can generate significant electrical
power without impeding flow, a demonstration
project has shown. The in-pipe
turbine systems offer chemical process
industries (CPI) companies a way to extract
emission-free energy from flowing
wastewater discharge pipes.
Based on hydropower research by
Northeastern University professor Alexander
Gorlov, and developed into a circular,
in-pipe format by Lucid Energy (Portland,
Ore.; www.lucidenergy.com),
H
the
lift-based turbines (photo) turn as water
flows through the pipe, producing torque
on the shaft. The rotating shaft turns a
permanent-magnet generator that induces
electrical current. The marine-grade
fiberglass composite blades of the turbine
work bi-directionally, and are coated with
a corrosion-resistant material.
To work cost-effectively, the system requires
a minimum of 10 ft of head, pipes
of greater than 24-in dia., and water
volumes of at least 10 million gal/d,
explains Josh Kanagy, director of business
development at Lucid Energy. One
turbine unit extracts between 2 and 5 ft
of head from the flowing water, depending
on conditions. Multiple units can be
mounted in the same length of pipe, as
long as they are separated by at least
two or three pipe diameters, Kanagy
adds. Depending on the amount of head,
flow velocity and volume, each turbine
Kenics HeatEx Ad.qxd 11/2/11 5:07 PM Page 1
unit can produce between 10 and 100
kW of electricity, which translates to
90,000 to 900,000 kWh per year.
This month, the company will begin
operation of the fourth version of its
demonstration pipe-turbine system at
a municipal water facility in Riverside,
Calif. The unit is identical to the company's
planned commercial unit, which
will be available in mid-2012. By installing
such a turbine system in their
wastewater discharge, companies are
eligible for certain tax credits for green
energy, Kanagy points out.
Kenics®
Heat Exchangers
Promote Plug Flow with Up to 10 Times Greater Heat Transfer
* The flow characteristics of the Kenics Heat Exchangers' static mixer elements
approach those of ideal plug flow - a key condition in reactors
* The step response curve of the static mixer elements
corresponds to a Peclet number of 145 - very
nearly equivalent to a plug flow processing device
* An added benefit is the heat transfer capability
that is 3 to 10 times that of open tube designs
* Unequaled performance in applications such as:
- Polymerization, Bulk Loop and
Isothermal Reactor Systems
- Batch and Continuous Processes
- Slurry and Solution Evaporation
- Fast Reaction Coolers
- Devolatization
For additional details, visit www.chemineer.com/kenics
For the nearest sales office, call 1-800-643-0641
or go to www.chemineer.com/sales
www.kenics.com
Circle 9 on p. 62 or go to adlinks.che.com/35072-09
12 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM DECEMBER 2011
http://www.lucidenergy.com http://www.chemineer.com/kenics http://www.chemineer.com/sales http://www.kenics.com http://adlinks.che.com/35072-09 http://WWW.CHE.COM
Chemical Engineering December 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering December 2011
