Characterizing the Dynamic Behaviour of a WtE Plant through Start-up Data

Municipal Solid Waste is a highly heterogenous fuel, with physical and chemical properties that change over time. When describing the dynamic behaviour of a waste-to-energy plant, physical parameters such as thermal inertia of the different plant components play an important role when determining the plant response to fluctuations in waste properties. In this work, we used process data collected during plant start-ups to experimentally determine these parameters for an existing plant. Identification of these parameters during normal operation is challenging due to lack of information on physical and chemical properties of waste entering the process. However, fossil fuels are burned during start-up due to EU regulations. By using process data from a plant start-up where a chemically and physically defined fuel was used, we could establish mass and energy balance over the whole system and estimate plant specific parameters. The parameters were further validated using data from a second start-up. The error between model prediction and experimental data was below 6%, and prediction was better for conditions closer to plant normal operation.