Reference FSDPs
(EC-ASEAN COGEN Programme Phase II)
A 450 kW rice husk-fired cogeneration plant (Malaysia)
BACKGROUND
 Ban Heng Bee rice mill, with a capacity of 10 tonnes of paddy per hour, produces about 2 tonnes of rice husk every hour.
The owner of the mill has been looking for appropriate solutions to tackle the problem of disposing of rice husk. He finally decided to invest in a rice husk-fired cogeneration plant to cover all his energy requirements.
This investment does not only solve the rice husk disposal problem but generates substantial savings associated with the energy costs of the rice mill: reduction of power consumption from the grid and substitution of oil as fuel for paddy drying.
LOCATION
The power plant is located in Pendang, near Alor Setar in the state of Kedah, Malaysia, right in the heart of the rice bowl of Malaysia.
TECHNOLOGY
The plant, which was commissioned in October 1997, consists of:
- a steam boiler with a capacity of 8.0 tph of saturated steam at 32bar g;
- a 450 kW back pressure turbine;
- a 3,000,000 kcal/hr heat exchange system for paddy drying;
- a multicyclone dust collector.
ECONOMICS
Excluding civil and structural works, the total investment cost for the equipment is ECU 1,055,000 (USD 1,150,000). Based on the consumption and price of fuel oil, the annual savings in fuel oil purchases are expected to be ECU 229,000 (USD 250,000). Moreover, annual savings from the disposal of residues is estimated at ECU 12,000 (USD 13,000). An additional income to the company could come from the sales of ash, which are expected to generate a yearly profit of ECU 164,000 (USD 179,000). The expected payback period of the plant is around 3 years after commissioning.
CONTACTS
Customers |
European Suppliers |
Ban Heng Bee Rice Mill (1952) Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia)
Tel:(60-4) 7596045; Fax: (60-4) 7590264 |
Vyncke N.V. (Belgium)
c/o Regional Office in Malaysia
Tel: (60-3) 7541408; Fax: (60-3) 7541409 |
CUSTOMER'S VIEW POINT
 "Our main activities are paddy purchasing, drying, milling and marketing," explains Low Kok Kean, Director of Ban Heng Bee Rice Mil.
"As we need hot water for paddy drying and power for the milling operation, we have tried to find a system that could cover both these energy requirements. We finally decided to purchase the system of Vyncke, as we felt that it was the most reliable. The fact that Vyncke has its regional office in Kuala Lumpur, and that they supplied us with a turnkey system, offered additional guarantees. Their price was competitive. The efficiency of the plant secures a good return in terms of oil and power savings. It also solves our rice husk disposal problem and I am now investigating the possibility of selling the ash.
"The support of the COGEN Programme and the Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM) gives us additional assurance regarding the good operation of the plant, especially through the training, monitoring and advertising campaigns," concludes Low Kok Kean.
SUPPLIER'S VIEW POINT
 "Among the biomass fuels, rice husk is definitely one of the most difficult to burn," emphasises Peter Vyncke, General Manager of the regional office of Vyncke in Malaysia. "The design of the plant involved a lot of research and development, especially regarding the fuel feeding, combustion regulation and ash removal.
"The fuel infeed and ash evacuation are fully automatic and therefore allow a smooth and continuous combustion. The combustion takes place on a 'Dynamic Watercooled Stepgrate'. This Vyncke innovation allows good control of the grate temperature and prevents the ash melting. The boiler is of the combination design, a Vyncke innovation. The 'Combi Boiler' offers the best of two worlds, the advantages of both the waterpipe and firetube configurations. This concept is particularly appropriate in cogeneration projects because of the large volume
of water and the high evaporation surface/steamrate ratio. Moreover, the spacious grate allows a low flue gas velocity, even at full capacity, preventing the ash from being sucked out of the combustion area, which could cause damage to the boiler. Most of the ash is collected at the bottom of the stepgrate, avoiding excessive wear and tear of the convection parts.
"The fact that the COGEN Programme granted its support to the project gave our customer more confidence in his investment," insists Peter Vyncke. "We look forward to showing the whole rice milling industry that we have the solution they need."
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