Design, construction, operation, and costs of a modern small-scale fuel-alcohol plant

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5537992

Leeper, S A; Dawley, L J; Wolfram, J H; Berglund, G R; Richardson, J G; McAtee, R E

The design used for the Small-Scale Fuel Alcohol Plant (SSFAP) has overcome the major drawbacks of small-scale ethanol production, which are high labor requirements, batch operation, inefficient energy use, and low yields. By incorporating a microprocessor into the plant design, most plant operations have been automated and labor requirements have been reduced. Continuous processing has made energy conservation possible, thus reducing energy requirements. A low-temperature, continuous plug-flow cooker design has made high yields possible. Ethanol has been consistently produced at the SSFAP from corn at a yield of 2.6 gallons (anhydrous) per bushel and an energy requirement of 30,000 to 35,000 Btu/gallon (190-proof). In addition, barley, grain dust, and potato waste have been converted at the SSFAP. The capacity of the SSFAP is 180,000 gallons per year (300 days operation). Competitively priced ethanol is produced at this capacity. DOE intends that the SSFAP design be used as the reference design for small-scale ethanol production.

• Research Organization: EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-76ID01570
• OSTI ID: 5537992
• Report Number(s): EGG-M-11781; CONF-820127-2; ON: DE82011019
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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