The award recognises engineering excellence in the areas of assessing and reducing environmental impact, improving quality of life, protecting the natural environment and demonstrating innovation and sustainable engineering principles.
A creative engineering approach by AGL and SDA Engineering resulted in the development of a highly efficient 4.4MW cogeneration power plant at the Coopers Brewery in South Australia. The $6.2 million natural gas fired plant is owned and operated by AGL and provides all electricity and steam necessary for the brewery's production process.
The co-generation facility consists of a low emissions gas turbine/generator set and waste heat recovery boiler. Steam is generated by using the exhaust heat from the gas turbine, which significantly increases fuel efficiency.
Energy utilisation in the cogeneration plant is close to 80%, which is 2.5 times more efficient than a conventional power station, resulting in a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by up to 15,000 tonnes per annum. This is equivalent to taking 3,200 standard vehicles off the road.
The state-of-the-art turbine combustion system has resulted in measured nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions of seven parts per million, just one seventeenth the emissions from a conventional turbine.
Approximately 6,000MWh of generated electricity is used annually in the brewing process at Coopers, while the remaining 18,000MWh is exported into South Australia's electricity grid.
