Improving Transparency and Optimizing Technical Processes at the WtE Plant Oberhausen

In this article, sub-project Validation of existing measurements and controllers is further explained. For this purpose, an assessment of the firing plant of line 4 during inspection shutdown was carried out.

by Robert von Raven and Frank Nachtsheim

GMVA Oberhausen was built in the 1970s on the site of the former Concordia Zechenkraftwerk in Oberhausen Lirich. Over the years, retrofits and modernisations have been carried out again and again in order to meet the increasing requirements of the 17th BImSchV to be able to follow.

Today, the plant has 4 incineration lines of different construction years. A total throughput of 700,000 t/a generates 430,000 MWh of electricity and up to 150,000 MWh of heat.

Each line consists of grate firing, boiler and downstream exhaust gas purification system consisting of E-filter, 2-stage scrubber and fabric filter. Line 3 is the youngest of the 4 lines and with a throughput of up to 28 t of waste per hour, it is above the oldest of the 4 lines, K4 with 24 t of waste per hour as well as above the lines K1 and K2 with 25 t of waste per hour.

As parts of the plant have already reached a certain age, we also started thinking about how the future of the plant should be designed in terms of new construction, CO2 capture or retrofit and the decision was to start a project to retrofit the plant.

The Retrofit project is divided into four sub-projects:
• partial renewal of systems,
• digitisation,
• validation of existing measurements and controllers and
• refractory concept.

In this article, sub-project Validation of existing measurements and controllers is further explained.

For this purpose, an assessment of the firing plant of line 4 during inspection shutdown was carried out. Checking plant documentation, online balancing and operation, the process management was reviewed and operating experience was queried and discussed. The review of operating data showed that there was potential for a stable operation, but that this could not yet be increased due to measurement uncertainties in the combustion air volumes, among other issues like quality of the controllers in the boiler part.

For a planned optimisation of the plant operation, the actual combustion air volumes supplied were determined, and comparative measurements were carried out as part of a measurement campaign.

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published: Abfallwirtschaft und Energie, Band 2, 1|2025
Keywords: Energy Recovery, Resource management, Mixed Waste, Germany