Processing large amounts of RDF and sending to landfill or overseas can be costly, and with technology now available for smaller distributed sites many businesses are choosing to install their own heat and power plants to provide additional incomes streams and make savings. But how do you identify which technology is correct for your business? And what savings might be made?

When fuelling with RDF there are two main types of boilers, thermal oil and steam. Both of these technologies can be applied to a number of different applications but there are uses which are better suited to one process or the other. A key decision factor is whether you have requirements for process heat and how much. For example, businesses which raise steam for processing such as food suppliers could install a steam boiler and turbine to make large savings throughout the manufacturing process.

For a steam boiler and turbine to generate a meaningful amount of power the system needs to be run at high pressure, so without a need for steam the system size needs to be large enough to justify the cost. Without this demand, a thermal oil boiler would be the most suitable option for fuelling with RDF as it works at small scale with lower pressure making it financially viable for smaller distributed sites.

Thermal oil boilers are suited to burning a variety of fuel types including RDF. The systems are much more flexible than steam, due to boiler temperatures which can be adjusted and used for a variety of different fuel types. For smaller, distributed sites this can be the key to longevity. As any business will want to be aware of long-term factors, it’s important to keep in mind long-term fuel security.