Biomethane grid interconnection container contributes to the growth of fossil-free fuels

Feeding biomethane into the natural gas grid - how does it happen?

1. Raw biogas is processed into biomethane in the gas processing unit.
2. The produced biomethane is transported to the grid connection container by pipeline or gas transfer container.
3. The pressure of the biomethane fed into the grid connection container is precisely adjusted to the requirements of the local natural gas network.
4. The gas flow is measured so that the network company or end customer can be billed for the amount of gas supplied.
5. Finally, the biomethane is fed into the natural gas network.

The grid connection container developed by Biovoima enables the injection of biomethane into the natural gas grid. The container can also be used to receive gas from the gas network to the point of use, with the network connection container connected to the gas network to regulate the gas volume and pressure according to the requirements of the point of use.

We have developed a container-based solution to feed the biomethane produced by the biogas plant into the natural gas network simply and efficiently. This allows 100 % of renewable biomethane to supplement and even replace fossil fuel use by existing natural gas customers.

The mains connection can also be used for pressure reduction in applications other than mains gas supply. Container pressure reducers can be used, for example, to reduce the pressure of a 250 bar gas container to suit the customer's gas burners or industrial processes.

The network connection container is a prefabricated solution that is almost completely standardised. Only the size of the piping and the pressure control components are chosen on a customer-specific basis, depending on how the gas is brought into the container, the local network company's supply pressure requirements and how much gas will flow through the container.

Chromatograph for monitoring gas quality

The gas network container can also be equipped with a gas chromatograph, which allows the quality of the gas supplied to be accurately measured and analysed. A typical situation where a chromatograph is required is gas processing unit limited analytics and data collection system. Network companies often have strict requirements on gas quality, and a network interface container with chromatography meets this challenge in terms of analytics.

The first online connection container went out to a customer

The first Biovoiman grid connection container was delivered to the customer in the Baltics in October 2019. The solution will enable the gas from the existing biogas plant to be sold to the grid company, whereas previously it was only utilised locally. In practice, the gas will become much more accessible as the natural gas network will reach a significant number of industrial companies and consumers.

Gas supply from both the transfer container and the pipeline

The Biovoiman network connection container is designed to to receive the gas feed at a wide range of inlet pressures. If gas network connection point is far away from the biogas plant, the gas can be pressurised at the plant into 200-300 bar transfer containers and transported to the grid connection container. to the grid connection. In this case, the gas pressure is reduced through a heated valve group to match the network pressure before flow measurement and feeding into the network.

If the biogas plant is located directly along the gas network, it can be the gas can be brought to the connection container via a pipeline. In this case, the pressure control is selected a slightly different set of valves to fine-tune the pressure of the gas coming from the refinery. from the process to match the pressure in the gas network. This pressure differential is typically quite small, but it is still important to take it into account.

Biomethane flow measurement as a basis for billing and/or support

Gas flow measurement is integrated into the mains connection container, to accurately measure the amount of gas flowing through the container. The measurement is connected to to the automation of the container, allowing remote reading and transfer of the measurement data to an external system. The flow measurement also allows the network company or the end customer according to the exact amount of gas supplied. If the biomethane grid supply is covered by the government's energy subsidy policy, it will be possible to information on the energy supplied, as required by the subsidy, can be obtained through the same measurement.

Connected container - a compact solution and quick deployment

The Biovoiman network connection container is a compact solution using a standard 10 foot marine container (see dimensions here). This makes it easy and inexpensive to transport to any part of the world. It is also quick to set up, as only the inlet and outlet gas pipes need to be connected to the ready-made inlet and outlet fittings.

Tips for using the online connection container:

1. Feeding biomethane into the gas network directly from the gas processing unit (so-called plants in the immediate vicinity of the gas network).
2. Feeding biomethane into the gas grid container logistics (allowing grid connection even when the plant is further away from the gas grid).
3. Feeding biomethane directly to the point of use from the transfer units, with a connecting container to reduce the pressure to the appropriate level for the process.
4. Feeding biomethane from the grid directly to the point of use, e.g. a power plant or refuelling station.
5. Equipping a power plant with a grid-connected container creates the capacity to use biomethane as a substitute fuel, for example in process or district heat production.

If the transmission of biomethane in the natural gas network could fit into the for your project, please contact us - we'd be happy to tell you more!

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