State demonstration program in wood energy. Volume III. Wood fuel processing. Economic and technical design manual for wood systems. Final report

Technical Report · Sun Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1980

OSTI ID:5099946

McGowan, T F; Walsh, Jr, J L; Chelf, R D

This report provides a data base for industrial users on the types of wood fuel processing systems that are available. Process routes for wood fueled systems are detailed, capital and operating costs estimated and the cost of heat delivered as steam or as processed fuel is calculated for wood and competing fossil fueled systems. A design manual approach is taken in documenting the technical and economic considerations involved in designing and operating wood fueled facilities. Present costs are emphasized due to the uncertainty of cost of fuels in the future. Forecasts of the availability of wood for industrial use are provided to allow prediction of supply, demand and costs. The major application for wood fuel is the production of steam; accordingly major emphasis is placed on this subject. The processing of wood, including drying, densification, gasification and liquefaction are also covered but in less detail due to their future rather than present potential. The report is written from the industrial user's viewpoint and starts with the purchase of whole tree chips, wood waste, wood pellets, or other fuels. The capital cost of the storage, handling and combustion equipment, and operating costs are then compiled. The capital cost varies widely for different types of wood fuel, being highest for unprocessed waste and lowest for dry, densified wood. Each part of the process from purchase of wood fuel to discharge of burning gases out the stack is addressed in the ten sections of this report. Fixed and variable costs are reduced to a bottom line figure of dollars per million Btu's delivered to the process. 52 figs., 47 tabs.

• Research Organization: Georgia Inst. of Tech., Atlanta (USA). Engineering Experiment Station
• DOE Contract Number: FG05-79ET23076
• OSTI ID: 5099946
• Report Number(s): DOE/ET/23076-T2-Vol.3; ON: DE86001960
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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