Cogeneration has proved to be an economically and environmentally friendly technology that is ideal for highly specialised sectors such as the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors. Patheon Italia S.p.A. is a global leader in the sector of pharmaceutical toll manufacturing and in Italy, where it is growing at a staggering rate, it has chosen to adopt a "green" policy related to energy efficiency thanks to AB, world leader in the cogeneration sector, with a view to rationalising use of fossil energy sources, with an economic saving as a result, as well as improvement of the environmental situation as regards greenhouse gases, for its state-of-the-art production sites in Monza (MB) and Ferentino (FR).
Industrial cogeneration, in particular the high-tech engineering offered by AB, proves to be an excellent solution for companies in various sectors which focus great attention not only on the quality and excellence of their own products, but also on economic savings, energy efficiency and environmental protection.
Patheon Italia operates in a very specialised sector - the pharmaceutical production sector. This industrial company is closely linked to the local area, with a significantly international hallmark. Despite the contingent economic state of affairs, Patheon is going against the trend, with the awareness that investments are one of the most important instruments. Not only to withstand the crisis, but also to continue to grow in terms of turnover, with a positive impact on the development of the local area, both with regard to the surrounding industry and employment, and in terms of a policy attentive to energy efficiency and impact on the environment. The company works in facilities equipped with highly sophisticated, cutting-edge machinery and systems, which are continually renewed and enhanced with all possible technological innovations that can optimise production and improve the quality of the processes and end products, from a green perspective.
That is why Patheon Italia chose to build a cogeneration plant from the ECOMAX®Natural Gas Line, inside its own production plants in Monza and Ferentino.The plant, an ECOMAX® 20 HE, is powered by natural gas and is a modular solution in container, with overall rated power at full load of 2,004 kWe, and cogenerated thermal power of 1,835 kW, in relation to thermal power input of 4,477 kW.
The new cogeneration plant produces electricity which, net of consumption by the auxiliary equipment of the power plant, is used to supplement the energy demand of the plant, while the cogenerated thermal energy will be exploited for technological and production uses by means of the production of superheated water (approximately 175°C) and hot water (approximately 90°C). This investment became necessary to meet the energy and economic requirements of the company (which works around the clock) and, just as importantly, to operate in line with environmental sustainability. The new plant is expected to cut CO2 emissions by 3,300 tonnes per year, and the unit should be operative for around 8,000 hours/year.
Cogenerator characteristics
NCV methane | kWh/Nmc | 9.5 |
Gas consumption | Nmc/h | 471 |
Input power | kW | 4,477 |
Mechanical power output | kW | 2,058 |
Electricity supplied | kWe | 2,004 |
Recoverable thermal power | kWt | 1,835 |
Electrical efficiency | % | 44.8 |
Thermal efficiency | % | 40.9 |
Overall efficiency | % | 85.7 |
Who is AB
Founded in Orzinuovi in 1981 by Angelo Baronchelli, AB (www.gruppoab.com) operates in the sectors of cogeneration and the exploitation of energy from renewable sources. AB is today the world reference point for cogeneration, thanks to its 100 to 10,000 kWe modular solutions for outdoor environments. To this day 900 plants have been installed for a total rated power exceeding 1,300 MW. The production capacity has increased fourfold in recent years and there are now more than 500 employees. AB is now present with direct subsidiaries in Poland, Serbia and Croatia, as well as in Spain, Romania, the Czech Republic, Austria, Brazil, The Netherlands, France, Germany, the UK, Canada, the USA and Israel, and it has recently opened in Russia and Turkey, too.
Who is Patheon Italia
Patheon Italia S.p.A. is the Italian subsidiary of DPx Holdings B.V., a NewCo with offices in Amsterdam and Headquarters in Durham, N.C. (USA), which is today an industrial company with a yearly turnover of 2 billion dollars, subdivided into three business units - Patheon, DPx Chemical and Banner - specialised respectively in the development and manufacturing of pharmaceutical and chemical products and its own products.Patheon Italia is present in Italy with two production plants, in Monza since 1998 and in Ferentino (FR) since 2002, which employ around 1,200 workers overall, 595 of whom at the production site in Monza and 586 at the Ferentino plant. Patheon Italia is a member of the Gruppo Produttori Conto Terzi di Farmindustria [Translator's note: Farmindustria Group of Toll Manufacturers], which unites thirteen companies throughout Italy.
