Professional Articles

Plant Automation

Always on Top- Cranes for Automatic 24-hour Operation in Refuse Incineration Plant

Amagerforbraending is a company in the refuse processing sector. The company is owned by five municipalities, including the south of the capital Copenhagen. The company is also responsible for the district heating system, which ensures that refuse disposal and heating energy are provided by the same supplier. 500,000 inhabitants live in the area served. In this sector, Amagerforbraending collects some 430,000 tonnes of refuse every year that lands in the furnaces of the refuse incineration plant and is used to generate energy for the area. The beginning of the refuse incineration plant dates back to 1970, making Amagerforbraending one of the pioneers in Denmark.
Together with a neighbouring power station, electricity is generated for 70,000 homes and 75,000 homes are supplied via the district heating system in winter. During the summer months, when the power stations in the inner-city area are switched off, Amagerforbraending supplies district heating for all of Copenhagen and the surrounding area. Operators of refuse incineration plants have been obliged to operate their facilities as combined heating and power generation systems in Denmark since the early nineties. 120 of the 175 employees work at the Amagerforbraending refuse incineration plant and ensure smooth operation of the four furnaces, which were in continuous operation for 29,000 hours last year. A further 50 are employed at the eleven collection stations in the south of the city.
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