3M Brockville
- Fuel Type Natural Gas
- Application Manufacturing
- kW Production 2,000 kW
- Location Brockville, Ontario, Canada
About This Project
3M, best known to consumers as the manufacturer of products such as Post-it® notes, Scotch® tape, Nexcare™ bandages, and Scotch-Brite® kitchen products, produces nearly 50,000 products including abrasives, adhesives, coatings and sealers, plastic films, roofing granules, traffic control products,
computer-related office products, medical and dental products, electrical connectors and commercial chemicals.
In early 2016, 3M implemented CHP in two of its Ontario, Canada, facilities including a 2- megawatt system at its Brockville, Ontario, site, which makes masking tape. The system provides the necessary power and heat for the manufacturing processes while the waste heat is used for space heating throughout the plants.
3M partnered with consultants from CEM Engineering, based in St. Catharines, Ontario, to help with the design specifics and program execution. The company evaluated different CHP and heat recovery options, eventually set-tling on a reciprocating engine system from 2G Energy.
Reciprocating internal combustion en-gines are a mature technology well-suited for CHP systems, according to the U.S. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Reciprocating engine CHP systems burn fuel to turn generators to produce electricity. Heat recovery de-vices capture the heat that is produced from the engine and exhaust and turn it into useable thermal energy, usually in the form of steam or hot water.
The EPA notes that current generation natural gas engines offer low initial costs, fast startup, proven reliability and significant heat recovery potential. 3M has seen those results in only a short time. 3M is on track with overall gas use efficiencies of 60 to 65 percent and projected net annual cost savings are
in the range of $600,000 to $900,000 for each CHP system.
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