CEP’s ion generator
The company CEP Clean Energy Project S.a.r.l. in Contern/Luxembourg has developed and brought to market in recent years an efficient, compact system for fuel and emission reduction. The working principle is based on the ionization of oxygen molecules and their injection into the flame together with the combustion air. In the last 12 months alone, the company has delivered 10 systems to German and Luxembourg customers. The results have been confirmed by TÜV Germany.
Retrofittable reduction of energy costs and emissions
The German cement industry has invested more than half a billion Euros in recent years to make the manufacturing process future-proof. The industry’s efforts are particularly concerned with reducing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrogen (NOx). There has been little reduction in CO2 emissions, and this is despite the increasing use of refuse derived fuels.
CEP Clean Energy Project S.a.r.l. of Contern has further developed its efficient “Energeen” compact plant, which is based on the ionization of oxygen molecules supplied to the flame with the combustion air. The negative oxygen ions released in excess act as electrochemical catalysts, causing an increase in flame speed as well as flame temperature and improved burnout. As a result, fuel yields can be increased between 7 and 15 %. Energeen reduces CO₂ by up to 40 % and NOx by up to 14 %.
Formaldehyde generation is reduced by up to 32 % with this process. The improved burnout also results in considerably fewer soot and fine dust particles, which significantly extends the cleaning intervals. However, this is directly dependent on the fuel quality used.
As a result of the existing inhomogeneity with different fuels, the increase in flame speed, flame temperature and improved burnout in the reaction zone, has a direct effect on the quality of combustion. By using the CEP technology “Energeen”, the combustion process can be stabilized in such a way that it is run with a smaller excess of oxygen, which leads to further fuel savings.
Low payback time when used in large-scale applications
In the past, savings in existing cement plants have been achieved by using the Energeen on rotary kilns and calciners. Ongoing quality control upstream of the burner has resulted in up to 15 % reduction in fuel consumption (improved burnout).
The Energeen generator provides optimized combustion for all types of combustion processes. As a result, both fuel input and emissions can be efficiently reduced. The Energeen can be easily retrofitted to save space. The ROI is approx. two years.
The stable, approx. 100 x 220 x 50 cm large Energeen units are modularly manufactured and can be used, so that several units can be connected in parallel for larger capacities. Chemically pure water is used as ionization medium, which is partially consumed during operation. The Energeen unit can be installed at the intake of the combustion air of the plant during regular operation or during a short inspection period. The described savings or reduction effects occur successively after a run-in period of approx. 6 days.
