In recent years, the amount of waste in urban areas, in particular, has increased dramatically due to population growth, urbanisation and lifestyle changes. As a result, the importance of intermediate treatment facilities to reduce the volume of waste, such as incineration plants, has emerged as pressure increases on the remaining capacity of final disposal sites.
Hightopo takes waste incineration power generation as the research object, and exploits the self-developed visualization product, HT for Web(mentioned as HT below), to visually demonstrate WtE(Waste-to-Energy) incineration equipment process. Simulate the smoke and dust emissions from the waste incineration power station, as well as the treatment technology, technological process, environmental conditions and machine failures. Visually display the execution progress of waste incineration, the operation status of equipment, the control status of flue gas pollutants, etc., and facilitate the visual management of WtE(Waste-to-Energy) incineration plants.
WtE(Waste-to-Energy) incineration is the process of direct controlled burning of waste in the presence of oxygen at temperatures of 850°C and above, coupled with basic mechanisms to recover heat and energy and more sophisticated mechanisms to clean flue gas, utilise wastewater, and assimilate diverse streams of waste.
HT uses 2D configuration diagrams to popularize the working principle of waste-to-energy generation. Staff can more intuitively see the working status and detection information of each system, including the fermentation time of the waste pit, the negative pressure of the waste pit, the residence time and temperature of the stocker, furnace, boiler, combustion chamber and steam turbine, etc. Click “Configuration Process” in the scene to drill down and switch to a different process. The visualization flowcharts of different dimensions will meet the business demands of managers and operators.
Digital Twin Simulates Main Process
1. Waste pit for the storage of waste before it is fed into the furnace
Adopt indoor positioning, vehicle positioning, and sophisticated IoT device, data which indicated car location on the platform can be collected. By RESTful APIs or WebSocket, communicate the data to the front end for visualization and display. Utilize multiple algorithms to calculate data such as waste volume, waste crane status, precrusher status, etc.
2. Incineration furnace operated at a temperature over 850ºC
After the waste enters the incinerator, it is fully burned at high temperature. By combining the temperature measurement system, the system counts the furnace temperature, boiler feed water temperature, flue gas temperature and steam temperature in the incinerator, and monitors the operation status of the slag treatment system and the fly ash treatment system. Ensure that the fuel combustion energy in the furnace meets the needs of the boiler, maintain the safe and economical operation of the boiler, and maintain the stable operation of the incineration system.
3. Heat recovery and power generation
One of the objectives of WtE incineration is to recover energy from waste combustion heat by generating steam. Most steam is sent to a steam turbine and then used to generate electricity.
The steam conditions of boilers significantly affect the output of power generators. It is desirable to design systems that incorporate high-temperature and high-pressure steam boilers. Therefore, HT visualization highlights the current steam temperature and pressure to empower maintainers and staff to get a comprehensive view of the current status, as well as the water-steam cycle, turbine spin speed, power generation efficiency.
4. Flue gas cleaning system typically includes a bag filter;
Bag filters are used to remove air pollutants from flue gas through filtering. An alkali agent such as lime powder and powdered activated carbon is injected into flue gas before it passes through the bag filter. Air pollutants, except NOx, can be removed through the following mechanisms.
To monitor flue gas, dust, HCl, SO2, and NOx must be measured continuously. And for HT, the data panel will update in real-time to display the data.
5. Ash discharge and treatment
Quality of bottom ash and APC residue (fly ash) should be checked for loss on ignition (LOI) and harmful substances before reclamation or other treatment. The most common method of treatment is reclamation in a controlled landfill site.
HT simulates the whole process and uses data to trigger 3d models as well as the 2d data panel. Exploit digital twins technology, stakeholders can get a comprehensive overview of each progress; get shaper insight on each process and monitor key data. Leverage the development with a good sense of sustainability.
Advantages & Disadvantages
The main benefits of MSW incineration are volume reduction and disease control, and it is a practical way to treat MSW in 1.2 Historical background and main features of WtE incineration Waste incineration began because of the need to control outbreaks of disease and reduce the rising volume of waste that resulted from continuous population growth in towns and cities large or populated cities as it can be localised in an urbanised zone. WtE incineration also offers the added benefit of using waste as a resource to produce energy. This form of incineration also decreases carbon emissions by offsetting the need for energy from fossil fuel sources and reduces methane generated from landfills if used as an alternative to landfilling.
However, the introduction of MSW incineration has its own barriers, such as (1) high costs to construct and operate incinerators, (2) insufficient income from waste disposal and energy sales to cover all costs, (3) the minimum amount of feedstock required for operations, which could potentially divert waste away from the 3Rs, and (4) risks to human health.
In above use cases, we can see how HT help to minimise the disadvantages and empowers the WtE incineration for its digital transformation.
HT Web 3D Visualization Solution
Hightopo solution offers to view the 3D digital model anytime, anywhere, thanks to HT’s B/S structure, all the content are live on the web. During the construction process, the company avoided the traditional manual count and review of work quantities, and it used the model to view the equipment and pipeline schedules, which became an important basis for preparing the construction budget and completion settlement. Meanwhile, it carried out the lifecycle management of project assets through the model to improve the operational management efficiency of enterprises.
Hightopo visualization solution enabled a mobile display and VR display of the 3D model, making it easier to view the equipment and pipeline properties with an immersive view, as well as improving communication with each stakeholder.
Conclusion
Companies are gradually adopting digital twins to manage their most critical assets. In return, digital twins are helping monitor and identify ways to become more efficient, prevent downtimes, and even plan for the future. As in the case of WtE incineration plant, Hightopo digital technology help to inform decisions on whether to be reduced, recycled and made harmless to the environment.
Hightopo 3d visualization solution also offers the possibility of improving energy sales, reducing the cost to construct and operate incinerators, and energy savings or simply being more efficient at the storage of renewable energy. Related research demonstrates that digital twins can indeed help companies to repurpose their sense of sustainability and take it to a plausible level. In the end, development with a good sense of sustainability is key for corporations to thrive while limiting their environmental footprint.
