Energy costs continue to rise. As the focus on environmental concerns grows, there is more costly regulation of the processes being used to produce energy. At the same time, municipal landfills are surpassing capacity, so experts are looking at ways to use decomposing organic waste. Tuthill M-D PneumaticsTM rotary positive displacement blowers are playing an important role in providing a solution that meets these challenges.
Tuthill rotary positive displacement blowers are becoming more widely used in landfill gas applications that convert landfill gas to energy. As landfill waste decomposes landfill gas (LFG) is created. A form of natural gas, LFG is a mixture of methane, carbon dioxide, and other non-organic compounds. The gas is collected to control odors and to prevent the LFG from contaminating the atmosphere. Blowers are used during this process to contain and move the gas. The landfill gas is collected under a slight vacuum and discharged at around 5 psig into a header that feeds a special natural gas engine. This engine drives the generators that actually convert the gas to electricity so the gas can be used to power the landfill operations, power certain types of vehicles, or it can be sold to a local utility provider.
Tuthill M-D Pneumatics, PD Plus model blowers are extremely well-suited for this application. Advantages include:
- Various gas service sealing options available
- Special materials, if needed
- Ability to handle different gas mixtures
- Heavy-duty casting and rugged design
- Experience and track record in this application
- Manufactured in Springfield, MO USA
For outdoor and enclosed area installations, a double envelope 67/64 series blower with internal labyrinth-mechanical seal on the chamber and another mechanical seal on the drive shaft is recommended since it offers the lowest leak rate of 1X10-4 cc/sec per mechanical seal. Since many of these LFG applications require up to 5000 acfm, positive displacement blowers are a great option considering the low vacuum and pressure requirements in these systems.
Contact us to learn more about rotary positive displacement blowers or to discuss your project.