Cogeneration - CHP
Stark has a proud history of works on combined heat and power projects. Cogeneration and trigeneration plants are essentially an engine package with gas conditioning and a heat transfer plant attached. Our expertise in all aspects of generation, heat transfer, gas handling for a range of gas sources provides our clients with world class projects at small company prices. We work with a range of suppliers to deliver cogeneration and trigeneration projects.
Planning & Feasibility
​
Engineers at Stark work on a broad range of projects. Understanding the total plant - not just the engine package. We have the tools and experience to set up data monitoring and collection for evaluating plant performance and production.
​
We have years of operation and maintenance experience and understand the cost involved to maintain an engine for continual availability. Operation and maintenance costs can make or break a business case. Estimates are often based on the planned maintenance costs of an engine and often ignore the potentially significant breakdown maintenance costs associated with running an engine continuously.
We are able to provide experience-based estimates for operational costs. We understand the different maintenance requirements between biogas fed plants and natural gas fed plants. Biogas can have significant contamination and moisture content which results in increased maintenance costs and shorter lifecycles between major overhauls.
Stark understands the connection agreements and protection requirements for a plant, which can be a significant cost, even if the site is not being set up to export power.
​
To ensure an accurate business case, Stark reviews:
​
-
Grant funding available
-
Renewable energy certificate forecasts
-
Network connection agreements and power costs
-
Our construction experience for accurate capital cost and time estimation
-
Accurate operation and maintenance costs
-
Risk planning
-
Existing site electrical distribution and gas availability
New Plant Design & Upgrade
​
We have the experience and expertise to design new plants and upgrades. Our designs include innovation for both safety and efficiency. Stark Engineering works with clients to determine the criticality of equipment to prepare robust but efficient designs. We understand the hazards that come with gas handling and provide practical monitoring solutions and fail-safe designs. There are varying regulations for different regions on emissions from gas engines. Our designs ensure environment compliance, particularly with biogas on nitrous oxide and sulphur oxide compounds.
​
We make sure our personnel have operation and maintenance experience such that they truly understand how a plant works before creating a design. Our experience has changed our designs on gas conditioning to simplify and improve gas compression and preheating. We have developed a detailed understanding of corrosion effects both from fuel gas to environmental conditions, which has led to Stark developing specifications on coatings for heat exchangers and radiators.
​
Our team can provide an efficient thermal design to optimise heat recovery or provide cooling with the use of an adsorption chiller. Stark has thermal modelling capability ranging from simple excel based models to CR Tech tools to tackle any challenge.
​
Our engineers are trained in the latest safety requirements and provided practical instruction to reduce risk with gas hazardous areas and fire safe design. Spurious trips can lead to additional costs and call outs such as fire brigade and HV electricians to reset equipment, as well as reducing the importance of safety monitoring equipment in the eyes of operators.
​
Our experience ensures the correct safety monitoring, fail safe design and operator training to ensure a robust safety system with a minimum of nuisance alarms. We work to incorporate safety into our designs through our team of safety facilitators who run workshops for design and construction, including:
​
-
Design- Safety in design; CHAZOP; HAZOP; CHAIR 1; FMECA
-
Construction- CHAIR 2
-
Operation- CHAIR 3; risk assessments
​
Biogas plants commonly require various gas treatment to reduce the effects of siloxanes on the engine and lower the concentration of sulphur byproducts (SOx and NOx) in the burnt gas. Stark have the hands-on experience to provide operator friendly bulk filters. Maintenance handling can be one of the most significant long term risks of any operation. Our designs reduce the risk to our clients workforce.
For more detailed information or a price offer on any of our services contact Stark Engineering Consulting
24/7 Plant Monitoring & Call Out
​
Stark have a dedicated 24/7 remote monitoring and support network. Our in-house personnel undergo quarterly training and review to ensure we provide immediate support for our clients. Working with our clients we determine the level of support right for the project. Our dedicated team are able to diagnose and take appropriate action remotely. ​
​​
-
Set-up and maintenance of remote monitoring software, including set up of automated call out alarms
-
Use of Stark RESET and REMOTE solutions to allow our personnel to restart from breakdowns without on-site support, where appropriate
-
Flexible arrangements based on equipment criticality
-
Trained and supported local team
-
Design of monitoring dashboards to work with existing SCADA equipment to provide an intuitive interface and business reporting solution.
-
Remote support from industrial automation team
-
Provide timely detailed reporting and analysis of breakdown events
Operation & Maintenance
​
Our team has spent years developing and refining solutions for our clients. We take a holistic, whole of life view of operation and maintenance services to provide value for money. Depending on the asset and clients needs we have developed a multifaceted approach to operation and maintenance:
​
-
Stark works with clients to develop effective asset management plans. We look to undertake condition and risk-based maintenance to extend the operating life of equipment while maintaining service.
-
Stark has developed relationships with a range of engine and parts suppliers to ensure value for money on parts and equipment supply. We do not have exclusive arrangements with particular vendors and maintain an active strategy of encouraging competition and objective evaluation for the procurement of equipment and parts.
-
Our Process Controllers review plant operation regularly. The service we provide is aimed at:
-
Reducing overall operational costs by optimising plant performance and improve plant availability
-
Prioritise plant failure events and develop solutions in line with the value or risk of failure
-
Undertake conditions assessment and operational assessment of each plant to improve prediction of asset replacement and operation and maintenance costs.
-
-
Our Industrial Automation team develops automated reporting and BI solutions to regularly keep our clients up to date in the long term.
For more detailed information or a price offer on any of our services contact Stark Engineering Consulting
Plant Optimisation and Improvements
​
There are many areas where cogeneration plants can be improved. Stark has the experience and expertise to provide continual review and improvement for our plants. We have approached this in many ways for our clients, some examples include:
​
-
Developing dashboards, reporting and Business Intelligence (BI) solutions from multiple plants and data sources.
-
Optimisation for cost effective generation based on energy tariffs
-
Noise reduction improvements and parasitic load reduction through redesign of gas handling equipment.
-
Upgrade to smoke and gas detectors with plant notification as well as ventilation improvements to reduced spurious alarms. Improved fail-safe design on generators.
-
Superior material specifications including coatings for harsh environments.
-
Improved SCADA controls for hot weather
-
Automatic and proportional de-rate on ambient temperature
-
Dump radiator speed control for LT circuit
-
