Wood fuel processing routes and economics

Conference · Mon Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1980 · Alternative Energy Sources; (United States)

OSTI ID:5061670

McGowan, T F; Walsh, J L

The nonforest products industry is confronted with a wide variety of options when it decides to switch to wood fuel. Should wood residue be purchased as fuel, or are whole tree chips preferred. What type of boiler and burner are indicated. Is drying or pelletizing wood economically attractive. This paper quantifies the total cost to the user for each wood fuel processing route. The cost for wood fuel is added to the amortized cost of the capital equipment, plus other charges such as maintenance and operation costs. This total is the cost of heat (typically as steam) in dollars per million Btu's delivered. These costs are drawn from data on wood fuel properties and cost, size reduction, handling, drying, densification, gasification, liquefaction, and combustion. Each potential route is analyzed as a process diagram with blocks representing the various equipment required to produce energy. Equipment cost is estimated in cost per ton per hour of fuel throughput, boilers rated in dollars per pound of steam capacity, fuels on a cost per million Btu, as fired. Operating costs, maintenance costs, and tax and insurance costs are estimated from historical data. All of these costs are displayed in graphical form, where possible, to aid the user or designer in developing cost estimates and comparisons on competing process routes. Details of calculation techniques and methodology are also provided.

• Research Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology, Technology Applications Laboratory, Atlanta, Georgia
• OSTI ID: 5061670
• Report Number(s): CONF-801210-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Alternative Energy Sources; (United States) Journal Volume: 8
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
299003* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Unconventional Sources & Power Generation-- Other-- (-1989)
ACCOUNTING
APPLIANCES
CALCULATION METHODS
CONVERSION
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
DIAGRAMS
ENERGY ACCOUNTING
ENERGY ANALYSIS
ENERGY CONVERSION
ENERGY SOURCES
EQUIPMENT
FUELS
FURNACES
PROCESSING
WOOD
WOOD BURNING APPLIANCES
WOOD BURNING FURNACES
WOOD FUELS