Bioenergy Research Demonstration Facility (BRDF)


Inside the Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Facility

Bioenergy Research Demonstration Facility

The Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Facility (BRDF), located at the UBC Vancouver campus, is an energy generation facility that processes renewable biomass sourced from urban wood waste to generate thermal energy for heating campus buildings. A first of its kind project in North America, the system reduces UBC’s reliance on fossil fuels, provides a quarter of campus heating needs, and eliminates 14% of campus greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, a 2MW cogeneration engine uses Renewable Natural Gas to generate over 5% of the power for UBC’s electrical grid, while waste heat from the electrical generation process is also used for heating buildings. BRDF is a signature Campus as a Living Laboratory project, integrating UBC’s core academic mandate of research and teaching with our district infrastructure, all within a facility that is a showcase for cross-laminated-timber products made in British Columbia (CLT).

How the BRDF Works

Operational since 2012, the $27.4 million facility processes two to three truckloads of ground and chipped waste wood daily, consisting of sawmill residuals, municipal trimmings and land clearing operations.

The BRDF has two modes of operation, which produce energy for campus use:

  • Thermal Only Mode: produces 6 megawatts (MW) of thermal energy (steam) per hour. Thermal Only Mode uses commercially proven gasification technology to turn biomass into syngas.
  • Biomass Cogeneration (CHP) Mode: produces 2.4 MW of thermal energy (heat recovery) and 2 MW of electricity. In CHP mode, raw biomass syngas is refined to produce an engine grade or clean syngas—using a custom made syngas cleanup technology—which is used by the BRDF engine.

New Partnerships, New Approaches

The BRDF initiative began in 2009 as a partnership with UBC Operations, faculty members, students, researchers, and key industry partnerships with BC Hydro, Nexterra Energy Corporation and GE Power and Water, a leading developer of green technology. The facility is one of the first buildings in North America to be constructed from Canadian produced Cross Laminated Timber (CLT).

CLT is a new wood building material that can be used as a low carbon, renewable alternative to steel construction. The BRDF’s location near the Marine Towers student residence was strategically chosen to show that facilities of this kind can exist safely in high density urban environments.

Monitoring Emissions

The BRDF has demonstrated that the cleaner the fuel source is, the cleaner the emissions are. A real-time ambient air monitor has been installed in a nearby building to ensure emissions from the facility remain at safe levels for the surrounding buildings and residents. The monitor provides alerts if air quality limits are exceeded. Air emissions from the facility have fallen well below permitted emission limits to date.

Maximizing Performance and Returns

The latest development at the BRDF is the use of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG). When syngas is not available, RNG fuels the cogeneration process as a complementary fuel source to syngas. RNG is classified as a biofuel, the same as biomass. The RNG cogeneration dual fuel project was commissioned by UBC in July of 2014.

The use of RNG allows operators to maximize the thermal and cogeneration modes of operation at the same time. The BRDF can now produce up to 8.4 MW (thermal) and 2MW (electricity).

The facility will provide a positive return on UBC’s investment by 2028. The BRDF will generate over $800,000 in operational savings annually, which will be used to pay down the University’s $8.15 million contribution to the overall project over 15 years.

Learn more about the BRDF in the Clean Energy Fund Report: BRDF Clean Energy Fund Report (English) |  BRDF Clean Energy Fund Report (French)

Read more about how BRDF is a signature Campus as a Living Lab project on UBC Sustainability.

Renewable Natural Gas (RNG)


Presently running on renewable natural gas, this engine produces both electricity for the campus grid and steam and hot water for UBC’s Academic District Energy System.

The UBC Bioenergy Research Demonstration Facility’s (BRDF) cogeneration engine has undergone a transformational dual-fuel upgrade. The engine is now capable of using a renewable natural gas (RNG) and natural gas (NG) combination, in addition to syngas (mainly hydrogen and carbon monoxide).

The engine was originally designed to run off syngas produced from gasified biomass (waste wood products), to produce green electricity and thermal energy. RNG, or biogas, on the other hand, is methane produced from landfill or bio digester sources and is a common green fuel source.

BRDF operators currently use all the syngas produced by the gasifier to fuel the thermal energy production process—then they use an RNG/NG mix to fuel the cogeneration engine.

Dual Fuel Upgrade Benefits

  • The dual fuel upgrade maximizes the BRDF engine’s electrical and thermal energy production capacity
  • While we can produce green electrical energy as originally envisioned by using RNG, we can also increase the thermal energy production beyond our initial plans by adding NG use to the BRDF engine
  • As a result, we’re increasing overall energy production by 75 per cent beyond the original BRDF design concept

Offsetting Costs and Generating Savings

RNG is typically more expensive than NG. However, the additional fuel costs are being offset by the BRDF’s electrical production revenues. We’re working actively with FortisBC to reduce UBC’s RNG pricing. As RNG pricing decreases, we intend to increase RNG consumption and reduce NG use, to meet the BRDF engine’s thermal production needs.

The BRDF is a key component of UBC’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction efforts. By using 100 per cent RNG for the BRDF engine, we could reduce our campus GHG emissions by an additional five per cent, compared to the facility’s original reduction targets, and help UBC meet its overall goal of reducing GHG emissions by 33 per cent by 2015, compared to 2007 levels.

Frequently Asked Questions about the UBC Bioenergy Research Demonstration Facility (BRDF)

How does the BRDF support UBC’s Campus as a Living Laboratory concept?

UBC is transforming itself from primarily a research powerhouse to an innovation hub for British Columbia and North America. The “Campus as a Living Laboratory” concept brings together research, operations and industry partners to address some of the most pressing sustainability issues facing society today. The University combines the talent of its researchers and knowledge of its operators with the expertise of some of the world’s most innovative companies –many of them based in BC.

The BRDF is a partnership between UBC and two of the world’s leading developers of green technology—Vancouver-based Nexterra Energy Corporation and GE Power and Water. The facility is a Campus as a Living Laboratory project integrating UBC’s core academic mandate (research and teaching) with the University’s infrastructure and business operations. UBC is committed to taking advantage of its unique capacity for research and problem solving to embrace and deploy leading-edge technology and concepts using the campus infrastructure as a real-world demonstration and testing lab.

What is biomass?

Biomass is a generic term to describe plant material that is used, in a variety of forms, as fuel to generate energy. Examples of wood-based biomass include wood grindings, shavings, bark, clean construction and demolition waste and chips. The purpose of using biomass is to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by replacing conventional fuels such as natural gas or coal with a renewable fuel.

The BRDF’s fuel supply is biomass, which is a carbon neutral fuel alternative to fossil fuels.

How do the BRDF’s operating modes work?

The BRDF has two operating modes. The first, Thermal Only Mode, uses commercially proven gasification technology developed by Nexterra Energy Corporation to turn biomass into a synthesis gas or syngas. The syngas replaces natural gas used to produce steam and hot water to meet campus heating needs.

In the second Biomass Cogeneration/Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Mode, the syngas is conditioned (i.e. cleaned) to remove impurities and fed into a GE Jenbacher gas engine that drives the generator to produce electricity.

Thermal heat from the engine is also recovered in two ways:

  1. By capturing exhaust gas heat in the heat recovery steam generator
  2. By using heat recovery from the engine lub oil and cooling water systems

Thermal heat production from the engine is directed via heat exchangers to UBC’s Academic District Energy System (ADES) for campus use.

What is the BRDF’s production sequence?

  1. Two or three truckloads of biomass fuel are delivered to the facility daily
  2. The biomass is screened for oversized and non-woody material, dried, if required, and then gasified to produce a synthesis gas (syngas)

When operating in Thermal Only Mode:

  1. Oxygen is added to the syngas and is burned in the oxidizer, downstream of the gasifier. The hot flue gas from the oxidizer is then directed through the fire tube boiler to produce steam
  2. The steam is converted to hot water via steam to hot water heat exchangers, and distributed through UBC’s Academic District Energy System (ADES) to heat campus buildings

When operating in Biomass Cogeneration/Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Mode:

  1. All of the syngas is cleaned and conditioned to remove impurities such as tars that would “foul” an internal combustion engine
  2. The conditioned syngas is cooled, filtered and injected into the internal combustion engine connected to the generator to produce electricity
  3. The electricity is distributed throughout the campus via the UBC power grid
  4. Recovered engine exhaust heat is used to create steam, which is directed into UBC’s (ADES) via steam to hot water heat exchangers.
  5. Recovered engine lub oil and coolant water heat is used to heat hot water through a heat exchanger, which is directed into UBC’s (ADES)
  6. Impurities removed during syngas conditioning are returned to the gasifier
  7. About 25 per cent of the clean syngas is surplus to the engine’s needs, and is directed back to the oxidizer for use in Thermal Only Mode

Will the BRDF generate revenue?

Yes. The electricity produced by the BRDF will feed into UBC’s power grid, which will result in revenue to UBC through a “Load Displacement Agreement” (LDA) with BC Hydro. UBC is the largest public sector, single site emitter of greenhouse gases in BC, and BC Hydro’s second largest customer.

How does the BRDF provide education and research opportunities for the UBC community?

The BRDF provides faculty and students with the real-world opportunity to study, test, teach and apply lessons learned at the facility. There are also opportunities for UBC operations staff and academics to collaborate and enhance teaching and research.

Where is the BRDF located at UBC?

The University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus is situated on cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The BRDF is a low profile and architecturally striking building within a forested area of the campus adjacent to the student residences, research labs and operations facilities. The building is set amongst trees and enhanced with natural landscaping, visually supporting the integration of the facility into the neighbourhood.

Who provided funding for the BRDF?

Funding for the BRDF was provided by:

  • The Government of Canada (Natural Resources Canada and Western Economic Diversification Canada)
  • The Province of British Columbia (BC Innovative Clean Energy Fund and the Ministry of Forests, Mines and Lands)
  • FP Innovations
  • Canadian Wood Council
  • BC Bioenergy Network
  • Sustainable Development Technologies Canada
  • BC Hydro
  • The University of British Columbia

Are there any research projects underway at the BRDF?

Yes. The BRDF provides unique research opportunities to explore areas such as:

  • Community scale heat and power system
  • Hydrogen and fuel cell research
  • Electro-chemical battery storage
  • Catalytic tar cracking
  • CLT life cycle study
  • Metro Vancouver fuel study
  • Examination of corrosion mechanisms in steel vessels
  • Advanced integrated AC-DC systems
  • High temperature hydrogen membrane extraction
  • Added value ash study

Are tours provided of the BRDF?

The University of British Columbia offers free tours of the BRDF in addition to a number of green buildings on campus. Tours can be booked through UBC Sustainability.