- Gerresheimer Bünde installs combined heat and power plant (CHP)
- Gas operated 570 HP truck engine generates 400 kWh of electricity
- Majority of the energy used can be recovered
Medical plastics parts manufacturer Gerresheimer Bünde, who operates one of the world’s most modern production facilities for pre-fillable syringe systems, put its first combined heat and power plant (CHP) into operation.
Gas operated 570 HP truck engine generates 400 kWh of electricity
The CHP was manufactured by Sokratherm and it is used for the decentralized production of electrical power and heat according to the heat and power co-generation principle. The 570 HP truck engine at the heart of the plant is gas operated and generates around 400 kWh of electricity. The operation of the engine also generates 520 kWh of heat, which is recovered by a system of heat exchangers and used for heating and hot water supply.
Gerresheimer Bünde installs its own heat and power plant
Power and heat is generated at site – no transportation losses
The advantage of this technology is that power and heat can be efficiently generated at the site itself without transportation losses. The overall efficiency is around 90%, i.e. the majority of the energy used can be recovered. “The CHP is helping us to reduce our primary energy consumption and our CO2 emissions,“ explained Olaf Posteher, the energy manager responsible for the CHP at Gerresheimer Bünde. “We can save up to 1,480 t CO2 every year. That’s almost 50% of the old system’s greenhouse gas emissions,” said Posteher.
Feasibility studies to generate process steam and cooling
The ISO 50001 energy management system that was also recently introduced at the facility demonstrates the company’s continued commitment to introduce even more efficient and green technologies over the coming years. Feasibility studies are currently being implemented at the Bünde plant for two further CHPs that will be able to generate process steam and cooling in addition to power and heat.
