A SECURE SUPPLY FROM START TO FINISH
Reliability and security of supply are especially important for industrial processes. Rheinbraun Brennstoff’s refined products can offer something few competitors can match. From extracting the raw material in RWE’s opencast mine, to refining it in our plants, all the way through to the final sale, we control the whole process from start to finish.
It all starts with the raw material: our production plants manufacture high-quality refined products for industry and environmental technology out of the Rhenish lignite that we mine on our doorstep.
As a customer you can rely on the fact that we apply the same high standards of quality, reliability and environmental sustainability at every stage of the process, from extraction in the opencast mine to delivery to your premises.
HAMBACH OPENCAST MINE
Hambach opencast mine lies at the heart of the Rhenish lignite mining area, between the towns of Jülich and Elsdorf. The mine began operating in 1978, and it is currently 370 metres (1214 ft) deep. Its 85-square kilometre (53-square mile) area is home to 2.5 billion tonnes of lignite, buried up to 450 meters (1476 ft) deep.
The opencast mine makes uses of the world’s biggest excavators. Each one is 220 metres (722 ft) long, 96 metres (315 ft) tall, and weighs 13,500 tonnes. They can handle up to 240,000 tonnes of coal every day. Hambach currently produces around 24 million tonnes of lignite every year. 16 million tonnes are used for power generation, with the remaining 8 million being used in the refining plants.
You can find out more about Hambach opencast mine here.
Knapsacker Hügel
Knapsacker Hügel, located in the town of Hürth, produces Lignite Energy Pulverized. The production process is subject to strict environmental criteria. For example, emissions from the plant are cleaned up using electrostatic filters, and the filtered material is then re-used.
Around 1 million tonnes of refined products are produced at Knapsacker Hügel every year.
The Knapsacker Hügel power station doesn’t just supply the refining plant’s production and transport units with power and steam; it also provides district heating and steam to industrial consumers and to the town of Hürth. Co-generation allows the power plant to achieve up to 85 per cent efficiency.
The fluidised bed combustion in the power station’s boiler ensures very favourable combustion conditions. The even mixing of combustion gases and residence times of more than 2 seconds show just how good the burn-off properties are. Additional approved substances, such as sewage sludge or timber, can be burned at the same time. This ensures that the power station makes environmentally-friendly use of biogenic fuels, making a positive contribution to reducing CO2 emissions.
Wachtberg
The Wachtberg refining plant in Frechen in the Rhine-Erft district produces up to 1 million Lignite Energy Pulverised products per year. Manufacturing takes place under strict environmental conditions. For example, the plant exhaust air is cleaned with the help of electrostatic precipitators and the separated material is used.
The Frechen power plant supplies the site’s production and transport equipment with electricity and steam and achieves a high energy efficiency of up to 85% through cogeneration.
The fluidised bed combustion in the power station’s boiler ensures very favourable combustion conditions. The even mixing of combustion gases and residence times of more than 2 seconds show just how good the burn-off properties are. Sewage sludge can also be burnt. As a result the power station makes environmentally-friendly use of biogenic fuels, making a positive contribution to reducing CO2 emissions.
Fortuna-Nord
The Fortuna-Nord refining plant in Niederaussem near Bergheim manufactures around 200,000 tonnes of HOK® Activated Lignite annually. Around 1.000,000 tonnes of Lignite Energy Pulverized also leave the plant every year.
The coking plant contains two rotary hearth furnaces in which the dried lignite is subjected to extreme heat on a slab. This causes it to excrete water and gaseous component compounds. The whole process is carried out using reduced amounts of oxygen to ensure the lignite does not burn. The resulting HOK® Activated Lignite is then allowed to cool before being ground into various fractions, sieved and packed for transportation, either bulk storage or in various sizes of container. The gases released during the coking process are re-used in the plant as part of a co-generation process.
