Our innovative solution optimises ERF’s productivity and output

Recycling and energy specialist Viridor’s ERF in Beddington treats nearly 350,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste each year. 95% of waste delivered to the facility will be diverted from landfill and will facilitate the generation of up to 210GWh of electricity, which will power the facility itself and supply over 25MW to the National Grid. This is the equivalent of powering 59,025 homes.

Impressed by the solutions that Green’s had provided for similar sites at Ardley, Cardiff, and Runcorn Viridor asked Green’s to propose their ideas for making their final economiser more efficient while improving its output in line with Viridor’s overall targets. Green’s solution was created using its engineering team’s analysis and modelling tools and the system design significantly reduces fouling which optimises performance leading to greater productivity, reliability, and increased output from the unit.

Green’s engineering team made use of the available space in the unit with by adding extra rows of tubes that would increase the overall performance while not impacting the existing casing that was to be reused. Greens replaced the existing cast-iron finned tubes with Corten finned tubes because the cast-iron finned tube has a carbon steel tube core, which is prone to corrosion with low gas temperatures in and around the dew point. The Corten material also has a heat transfer coefficient similar to carbon steel, so the size of the units would be smaller than cast iron and stainless-steel units operating in this temperature range with the same thermal duty This gives the performance required from handling the particularly corrosive and low temperature flue gas after it leaves the boiler.