Scientific Principles for EFW and Biomass Operators

The aim of this training program is to provide operations and other technical personnel with the necessary scientific knowledge to support their plant knowledge by introducing a variety of useful subjects relevant to the operation of Energy from Waste and Biomass Power Plants that produce electricity, heat, or a combination of the two.

The course is modular in design with each module lasting one day. Understanding is assessed throughout the day by learners completing an exercise-based workbook.  Learners who successfully pass all five modules will be awarded a Certificate of Completion.

The five modules are:

Day 1, Thermodynamics.

SI Units and measurement, energy, work & power, kinetic & potential energy, change of state from water to steam, relationship of pressure to saturation point, Laws of Thermodynamics.

Day 2, Combustion Chemistry.

Introduction to basic chemistry, atoms, elements, compounds, periodic table, combustion equations, theoretical air, excess air.

Day 3, Electrical Theory.

Ohms Law, magnetism, AC generation, DC generation, single & three phase networks, energy distribution networks.

Day 4. Operational Considerations.

Record keeping & logs, process safety, radio protocols, procedures, incident response, shutdown considerations, start up processes.

Day 5. Water Treatment Plant.

Water cycle, conductivity, ionic bonding, pH scale, resin bed demineralization, electro-deionisation, reverse osmosis.