Over the course of its 40-year history, HRS Heat Exchangers has become a global leader in heat exchange technology for the AD and biogas sector, with systems for digester heating, pasteurisation, digestate concentration, biogas dehumidification, and sludge and exhaust gas heat recovery.
High energy prices in recent years have highlighted the importance of efficiency when designing and operating an AD plant and as a result HRS has seen strong demand for its products from biogas companies around the world, with growing interest in North America, southern and eastern Europe, and Australasia.
HRS equipment is installed at more than 200 biogas plants worldwide, helping operators to improve their efficiency and overall operation. In recent years, HRS has worked on a number of international biogas projects, including:
- Provision of a six-module HRS DTI Series heat exchanger to maintain sludge temperature as part of an upgrade to Prince of Wales Bay Sewage Treatment Plant in Tasmania.
- Supplying HRS K Series stainless-steel shell and tube heat exchangers to Australia’s largest landfill biogas company to dehumidify biogas.
- Supplying an HRS Digestate Pasteurisation System (DPS) to help upgrade a 10.8 MW AD plant at Vievis in Lithuania.
- Provision of a Digestate Pasteurisation System (DPS) to New Zealand’s first dedicated food waste AD treatment plant at Reporoa.
- Supplying a Biogas Dehumidification System (BDS) as part of an upgrade to Melbourne Water’s Eastern Treatment Plant, the largest activated sludge plant in the Southern Hemisphere.
- A $3.8 million order for a mixture of 6m and 10m heat exchanger modules for delivery to North America in late 2024.
- Providing an HRS Digestate Pasteurisation System (DPS) with heat regeneration (to recapture heat which would otherwise have been lost and improve plant energy efficiency) to an existing AD plant in the UK
As well as heat exchangers for digester heating and heat recovery, HRS offers a number of specific biogas systems including:
Biogas Dehumidification System (BDS)
The HRS BDS removes water from biogas to protect boilers and CHP engines from corrosion and cavitation. It includes heat recovery as standard, increasing overall AD plant energy efficiency.
Digestate Pasteurisation System (DPS)
The HRS DPS is capable of pasteurising digestate, feedstocks, and similar materials pre-or post-digestion, allowing operators to maximise the efficiency of their overall process while meeting regulatory and customer requirements. Its continuous process is simpler than single tank options and provides up to 70% heat regeneration, making it extremely energy efficient.
Digestate Concentration System (BCS)
The HRS DCS reduces the volume of digestate while increasing its value, often using surplus heat from the CHP engine or biogas boiler. Not only does the DCS remove up to 80% of the water content, but it also increases the nutrient content, reduces odours, and usually requires no additional energy or water.
HRS Heat Exchanger, Stand H11, World Biogas Expo, NEC Birmingham, 10-11 July 2024
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