Netpro has a licensing agreement with IISc for its open top, down
draft biomass gasification process (LINK TO CGPL web site). It has
taken the laboratory - industry team ten years to make an excellent
result of R&D into a high performance and reliable commercial
product. The process of transforming the biomass gasification process
of CGPL / IISc, which is today recognised to be one of the best
in the world, into an industrial technology has involved continued
improvements on the basis of tests in CGPL laboratory and ABETS'
prototype and demonstration plants as well as the results of testing,
modifications and long term operational experience in running power
plants of DESI Power, a sister company of Netpro. The feed-back
from field experience has been used to engineer the total power
station with its prime mover, auxiliaries and components for round
- the - clock operation. The O&M procedures and systems have
been established to enable the trained local operators to manage
the power plants reliably and efficiently. Training packages have
been developed to train uneducated village operators and give them
regular refresher courses.
During this period IISc has further improved the gasification and
gas clean-up processes. It has designed, built and operated larger
unit ratings. Engines are now available for pure gas operation.
DESI Power has built a large number of gasification based power
plants (the oldest one in Orchha being operational for over 15000
hours) and has provided access to IISc and Netpro to carry out field
testing to improve the reliability and performance of the power
plants. Netpro has exported one unit to Switzerland where DASAG
Energy Engineering and its other local partners have tested, adapted
and operated the IISc-Dasag gasifier under Swiss conditions with
a pure gas engine.
Overall, the experience of industrialising the IISc biomass gasification
technology into a first rate industrial product is a fine example
of laboratory - industry - utility collaboration. It has taken many
years to achieve the excellent results achieved under the leadership
of IISc, thanks to the persistent hard work of the entire team in
the laboratory, the industry and the plant operators.
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