Richard L. Bain

Technoeconomic analysis of the production of biocrude from wood

Abstract The production of biomass-derived oil (biocrude) has been studied to determine the technoeconomic characteristics of the process. A detailed process model was developed for the production of biocrude from wood chips. The process consists of a silo dryer for the removal of water from the feed wood, a vortex reactor for the pyrolysis of the wood, a furnace to provide the required sensible heat and heat of reaction for the pyrolysis reaction, a steam turbine to convert excess thermal energy into electric power, and a biocrude recovery section. Results of the simulation were used to size and cost major equipment items. Technoeconomic evaluation of the process was conducted to develop an understanding of the important parameters and to identify missing or incomplete data. Studies were conducted to illustrate the importance of economic parameters on the perceived viability of a process. Plant size and production capacity were examined, as were a number of process development strategies.

Electricity from biomass in the United States: Status and future direction

Abstract The biomass power industry in the United States has grown from less than 200 MW in 1979 to more than 6000 MW in 1990, primarily as a result of the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act of 1978. The United States Department of Energy (USDOE) is projecting installed capacity will grow to about 22 GW by the year 2010, with environmental considerations (carbon dioxide neutrality, low sulfur dioxide emissions, and low nitrogen oxides emissions) being the primary driving force. The primary conversion technologies being developed in the United States are gasification-combined cycle systems, pyrolysis oil-combined cycle systems, and advanced direct combustion systems. The USDOE program has the objective of reducing the risks associated with commercializing new technologies and feedstocks for power production. The program is divided into two areas: research and development and systems analysis. The major research and developmental program is in the area of hot-gas cleanup, while the systems analysis area is concentrating on gasifier scale-up and site-specific commercial feasibility studies.

Short-rotation forestry as an alternative land use in Hawaii.

Abstract The traditional mainstays of Hawaiis economy: sugarcane and pineapple crops, have declined such that as much as 80,000 hectares of agricultural land are now available for alternative land uses. Concurrently, imports of fossil fuels continue to accelerate and now provide over 90% of the total energy supply at a cost exceeding

Biomass Gasification — Commercialization and Development: The Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Option

1 billion annually exported from the local economy. The feasibility of short-rotation forestry on these former sugarcane and pineapple plantation lands to produce a variety of wood products, including biofuels, is being evaluated using a species-and site-specific empirical model to predict yields of Eucalyptus saligna , a system model to estimate delivered costs of wood chips to a bioconversion facility, and a geographic information system to extend the analysis to areas where no field trials exist and to present results in map form. The island of Hawaii is showcased as an application of the methodology. Modeling results are presented for using tropical hardwoods as dedicated feedstocks from biomass energy plantations to produce methanol, ethanol and electricity. A hypothetical, integrated, high-value hardwood, veneer, utility lumber and wood-chip operation is featured in contrast to the biomass energy plantation scenario. Short-rotation forestry may hold some promise for the greening of Hawaiis energy system and even greater promise for the industrial production of value-added wood products for the benefit of the states citizens and visitors. The methodology is readily transferable to other regions of the United States and the rest of the world.

Biomass-fired power generation

World-wide, biomass is the most used nonfossil fuel and is expanding from its traditional thermal applications to more usage for liquid fuels and electricity. More than 9 gigawatts of biomass electrical generation capacity have been installed in the United States, primarily by forest products industries, since the Public Utilities Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA) was passed. Combined heat and power (CHP) technologies promise to improve power-to-heat efficiencies to strengthen the economic viability of these electrical generating methods. These technologies, which are now being tested and demonstrated, employ industrial and aeroderivative gas turbines; use a variety of feedstocks including agricultural wastes, residues, and dedicated energy crops; and range in size from 8 MW to 75 MW. Specific demonstrations with the U.S. Department of Energy Biomass Power Program and partners in Vermont and Hawaii are discussed.© 1997 ASME