Energy

Singleton Birch Biogas Plants Benefit from 10 Years of Borger Pump Reliability

Written by Abby Davey

At three Singleton Birch biogas plants in Northern Lincolnshire, four rotary lobe pumps made by Borger have completed 10 years of uninterrupted service.

Operating at the main Singlton Birch 2MW site in Barnetby, which has three 2800m3 digesters, two Borger pumps are an important part of a process that at full power utilises imported maize (70 ton), sugar beet (40 ton) and chicken litter (10 ton) for its feedstock.

Established in 2014, and then expanded two years later with a third digester, additional silage clamps and two more CHP engines, the principal Singleton Birch facility contributes 86% of the power required for the 2.3 hectares Singleton Birch site, which for over two centuries, has produced high quality lime products.

At two smaller (500kW) AD plants at Elsham, near Scunthorpe, and Willoughton, near Lincoln, a Borger pump operates at each, transferring liquid feed overflow into a drying system.

“Over the years, we’ve developed a very good partnership with Borger,” said Danny Mason, Renewable Energy Manager at Birch Energy.

“The equipment is very reliable; easy to maintain, and when we need spares or just a bit of advice, Borger’s Richard Marcinkowski is just a ‘phone call away; always ready to help us out. This gives us great peace of mind that our AD operation won’t be affected by any downtime.”

He added: “The pump application here means that wear and tear is inevitable, but Borger always keep right on top of the servicing schedule and the flow of spare parts, so that we are never without.”