Fuel Feed & Storage Solution Selected for Surrey Eco Park Gasification Facility

M+W Group the lead contractor for Surrey County Council’s new Eco Park, under construction at Charlton Lane, Shepperton in Surrey, has selected Saxlund International to provide the bulk material handling solution for the storage and discharge of RDF (refuse derived fuel) to feed the gasification facility within the site.

The innovative new Eco Park, being developed by SUEZ recycling and recovery Surrey as part of its 25 year PFI contract with Surrey County Council, will take general waste collected from homes in northern Surrey and also some from local businesses. It will incorporate both Anaerobic Digestion to process some 40,000 tonnes food waste, and the latest fluidised bed gasification technology producing syngas from RDF to provide 3.5MWe energy to the national grid, enough to power up to 8,000 homes.

Under the contract Saxlund International is responsible for the design, supply and commissioning of a fully automated fuel handling solution which will provide a fuel storage bunker for 2300 m³ of processed and screened RDF produced at the Eco Park.

The solution incorporates fully automated state-of-the-art push floor technology, based on ‘first in first out’ design principles to limit the opportunity for the fuel to degrade or compact. Fuel is then discharged on demand to a conveying and weighing system which in turn elevates and feeds the RDF to the gasifier fuel feed bins.

The solution is designed to handle some 55,000 tonnes of RDF per annum, feeding the gasifier with a metered flow of material. M+W Group, which is leading the design and development of this advanced waste-to-energy facility, selected Saxlund for their in-depth experience of bulk materials handling, especially alternative fuels like RDF, and their long involvement with fuel handling solutions for waste to energy plants.

Matt Drew, Managing Director of Saxlund International commented: “We are delighted to be involved with the development of the Eco Park’s gasification facility. Saxlund push floor technology and material handling solutions will help to ensure a highly resilient and robust solution for our clients. The project at Charlton Lane brings the number of UK concurrent gasification and waste to energy projects in which Saxlund material handling technology is involved to 10, all in design & construction.”