We focus on the installation and operation of our packaged biofuel CHP plant; the Renewable Power Station.
The Renewable Power Station is offered not only in the standard configurations listed in our products table but also as a bespoke system to suit almost any heat and power requirement. We will be happy to advise customers of the specification that is most appropriate to their needs.
 The heart of the Cantium Renewable Power Station is a Perkins diesel generator, modified to run on bio-fuel and connected to an alternator, which generates electricity. Through a series of switches and controls the alternator is wired into the building electrical system. Heat is captured both from the exhaust gases and from the engine jacket cooling water, using special heat exchangers. This heat is used to raise the temperature in a sealed and insulated vessel of water; known as a ‘buffer tank’. This tank provides a store of very hot water which is pumped into the buildings central heating system when required.
Fuel
Cantium’s standard product range runs on vegetable oil fuel. This fuel is usually produced from waste cooking oils which are cleaned and treated to a standard approved by the Environment Agency. As far as possible we try to source our fuel locally by obtaining waste cooking oil from catering outlets and other businesses.
 We should point out that our fuel is not biodiesel, a product offered as an alternative fuel for vehicles. Biodiesel manufacture often uses waste veg oil as a feedstock but this goes through a complex esterification process, which involves the use of toxic reagents and chemical catalysts. In our opinion it does not make a particularly ‘green’ fuel.
The biofuel is stored inside the Renewable Power Station box in a purpose built tank, which is also bunded to protect against any accidental leakage. The Station has a secondary fuel tank which contains a small quantity of standard diesel fuel. This is used only to start the engine from cold.
We believe Cantium is one of only a few companies in the UK offering CHP systems that operate on vegetable oil but we are also interested in supplying systems powered by other biofuels. These include biogas and especially the gases produced from anaerobic digestion plant.
Services Protection, Control and Monitoring
A Cantium Renewable Power Station operates automatically using a sophisticated local controller which is also monitored via the internet. This ensures that all Cantium CHP systems maintain optimum performance at all times.
 The local controller operates the plant according to pre-programmed rules and will ensure the Renewable Power Station operates or shuts down safely if a fault occurs. The data collected by the local controller is stored centrally at the Cantium offices and enables staff to undertake 'health checks' on the system and make remote interventions to achieve maximum efficiency. The remote monitoring of components helps Cantium schedule preventative maintenance and as the operating data is tracked, stored and analysed we can produce regular performance reports for the customer.
The data collected can be displayed at the customers building, perhaps in a reception area, showing the real-time output of renewable heat and power for visitors to the building.
Standard Product Range
Cantium’s standard CHP solutions cover a wide range of heat and power outputs for small or medium sized installations. These standard options would normally be specified to match the base heating requirement but in certain situations we can adapt our model to operate in line with the base power needs of a building.
These systems can be supplied as single or multi-module units to accommodate varying power demands and allow for continuous operation during maintenance and all will be delivered in a standard Renewable Power Station box. The size of the container is approximately 6.5m (l) x 2.44m (w) x 3.0m (h)
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Model
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Electrical
Output kW
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Thermal
Output kW
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Efficiency %
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CP-44
|
32
|
35
|
78.5%
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|
CP-50
|
36
|
40
|
79.0%
|
|
CP-65
|
47
|
52
|
81.0%
|
|
CP-88
|
63
|
70
|
80.5%
|
|
CP-110
|
79
|
88
|
80.0%
|
|
CP-150
|
108
|
119
|
81.0%
|
|
CP-165
|
119
|
131
|
82.0%
|
|
CP-250
|
180
|
199
|
81.5%
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Tri-generation
Cantium is developing a range of tri-generation plant; this is a combination of CHP and absorption chilling. Tri-generation can be a super efficient solution for certain applications.
A CHP plant produces heat and power; however during the summer months it may not be possible to fully utilise the heat generated on site. At these times a CHP plant might ordinarily shut down. However, it is during this time that the demand for cooling often reaches its maximum and the solution is to use the excess heat to operate an absorption chiller, which produces a chilled water supply for air conditioning units.
Not only is the heat that powers an absorption chiller a low-cost energy source, the chiller itself is far less demanding than conventional air-conditioning systems. An absorption chiller does not use refrigerant gases, has no gas compressor and therefore consumes far less electricity.
Absorption chillers are reasonably compact and with few moving mechanical parts are virtually silent in operation, although a fan assisted cooling tower is usually required. Cantium intends to supply absorption cooling plant matched to its CHP range in an additional standard shipping container.
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