Power For Drying

Capstone Turbine Corp. said it received an order for a C600S microturbine to power and serve the wood drying process for a manufacturer of wood chip and wood flour for the zootechnical sector in Northeast Italy.

IBT Europe GmbH, one of Capstone’s Italian distributors, secured the order, which is estimated to be commissioned in January 2018. Capstone microturbines were selected for the associated cost reductions due primarily to their ability to connect seamlessly with existing industrial process systems.

“Being the first reference in Europe of a direct exhaust application for the wood flour industry, it’s a very important project for us,” said Ilario Vigani, IBT Europe GmbH’s chief executive officer. “It plays a strategic role as a forerunner in the configuration of Capstone’s oil-free natural gas microturbines in direct fumes applications used in specific industrial drying processes.”

The Capstone C600 Signature Series microturbine will be installed in a combined heat and power (CHP) configuration and operate on liquefied natural gas. In addition to powering the manufacturing facility, the direct exhaust from the microturbine will connect with the existing wood drying system, boosting overall efficiency.

“As the U.S. dollar weakens, we are seeing a noticeable improvement in the number of opportunities within the European power generation sector,” said Jim Crouse, Capstone’s executive vice president of Sales and Marketing. “With direct drying applications, in particular, businesses can achieve energy efficiency levels greater than 80% while simplifying the installation and maximizing return on investment.”