How it Works
Advantages of the Flex Powerstation™
• Generates electricity from existing gas sources at landfills, coal mines, industrial plants and oil fields
• Runs equally well on 100% (1000 Btu/scf), 50% (500 Btu/scf), 15% (150 Btu/scf) and 1.5% (15 Btu/scf) methane fuel
• Operates cleanly and efficiently with a wide range of fuels, including fuels with varying Btu content
• Emissions (NOx, CO) below 1ppm, significantly lower than those from other power plants and flares
• Gas compression or prior siloxane removal not required
• Uses a combination of proven/mature components and groundbreaking technology
• The Flex is a modular unit that allows additional systems to be added later to match the available gas energy
The Flex Powerstation™
The Flex is the integration of a proprietary thermal oxidizer and a Flex-customized gas turbine combined with unique system architecture and software control algorithms. The Flexidizer completely oxidizes air with dilute methane mixtures (1.5% methane). The Flex tolerates both moisture and siloxanes in the landfill gas. The Flex is the only complete clean energy solution that runs directly on low pressure, low flow, and low Btu fuel gas.
Compressed fuel is injected into compressed air and combusted with the energy released by combustion used to generate electricity. Each fuel is different, and therefore requires its own compressor, clean-up, and unique combustor. The siloxane removal and fuel conditioning system is the weakest link in traditional gas power plants. The fuel conditioning consumes about 20% of the power generated. The components that are not needed for the Flex are shown in the clouded area at the top of Figure 1.
Fuel is aspirated with air forming a 15 Btu/cubic foot mixture that is compressed and oxidized in a thermal oxidizer (Flexidizer). The energy released is used to generate electricity. The Flex does not require a fuel compressor or fuel conditioning system. It adds the Flexidizer. No matter what the initial fuel Btu content, it is diluted with air down to 15 Btu/cubic feet (1.5% methane or 1.5% the strength of natural gas). At well below 1 ppm, the NOx emissions from the Flex are far lower than from a traditional power plant.
The Flex’s fuel flexibility and low emissions enable the beneficial utilization of several types of weak fuels that no other power plant or gas-to-energy system can use. The mixture of fuel with atmospheric air (the lower clouded area in Figure 2) to achieve a uniform gas mixture of 15 Btu/scf allows the Flex to operate on a wide range of gaseous, and potentially liquid, fuels. The Flexidizer operates in almost the same manner no matter what the base fuel used. By keeping temperatures below 2000° F, the Flexidizer avoids NOx formation.
The Flexidizer also provides a long residence time, allowing both CO and VOCs to be fully destroyed. The Flex does not require siloxane removal, a moisture removal system, or gas compression. Through the elimination of problem-prone system components, the Flex is inherently more reliable than conventional technology.
