Group 30

Gaelen Mcfadden Chris Weinkauf Brian Pohl Kevin Paul Miriam Mudenge

CHE 450 Project 3: Biomass Torrefaction Process Design Region: Tennessee Material: Switchgrass

Summary of Process Background

Purpose: To model an economical, efficient, and non-polluting torrefaction
process to improve the conversion process of biomass (switchgrass) to fuel, in order to replace some or all of the coal requirement for a large 500MWe electricity generating boiler

Summary for 25% coal replacement:

Switchgrass content: Cellulose, C6- hemicellulose, Lignin Byproducts: hydroxymethylfurfural, methanol, cresol Assumed water content at feed: 15% Process time: 8000 hrs/yr (333 days) Amount Switchgrass needed: ~98.5 tons/hr (assume production is possible) Torrefied Yield: 42.8 tons/hr Capital Cost: ~ $ 64 million Operating Cost: ~$263 million Coal Equivalent Worth: ~$20.8 million Return on Investment: -249%

Process Block Diagram

Store bales Transport from fields

Break bales

Grind

Pelletize

Store Pellets

Transport

Reactor/ Dryer

Distillation

Collect Byproducts and Product

Pre-Reactor System

Store

Bale Breaker

Grinder

Pelletizer

Costs

Capital

Electricity
Total Cost for electricity per hour: $217.15 Reactors: ~10 kW Distillation Columns: ~17 kW Haybuster: 578 kW Hammer mill: 1008 kW Pelletizer: 2730 kW Total Electricity Usage per hour: 4343 kW

Water
Equipment Using: Reactors and Distillation Columns Assume no capital cost to generate steam since we assume it is already available at the power plant.

Haybuster, model 2800 balebuster 25 tons/hr $ 729,000 (Bare Module Cost) 115.6 kW, electric 5 total.

SCHUTTEBUFFALO HAMMER MILL, model 15200 hammer mill 50 tons/hr $ 3,578,400 (Bare Module Cost) 336 kW, electric 3 total

Liyang Degao Agro Machinery Ltd., Model 1500 15 tons/hr $ 10,735,200 (Bare Module Cost) 390 kW, electric 7 total

Total Equipment Cost: $ 53,922,600 3 Reactors: $19,800,000 7 Distillation Columns: $16,200,000 3 Storage Columns: $450,000 3 sets of Piping: $2,430,000

Cost Per Ton of Torrefied Material With No Tax

Product Price 2%

Cost Per Ton of Torrefied Material With Tax

Product Price 3%

Utilities 26%

Utilities 26%

Transport ation Cost 61% Byproducts 3%

Transporta tion Cost 60%

Byproducts 3% Raw Materials 8%

Raw Materials 8%

Total Cost per ton of torrefied material: $3221.12 when carbon tax is not imposed, and $3254.87 when carbon tax is imposed.

Reactor Product
Solid Product Composition (% mass)
Hemicellulose 0% Ash 17% Other 6% Cellulose 25% HMF 3% Methanol 10%

Vapor Product Composition (% mass)

Cresol 0%

Lignin 6%

Glucose 0% Water 87% Creosote 0%

Charcoal 46%

Transportation 100%

Transportation Cost
Tons per year Average distance to destination (miles) 36.67 77.42 36.67 56.10 36.67 46.67 116.94/ 46.26/ 28.19 Total distance (miles) Cost per mile per ton Total cost Hay to Plant 100% Product to Power 100% Hay to Plant 50% Product to Power 50% Hay to Plant 25% Product to Power 25% Hay to central plant 3,311,903 1,738,749 1,665,952 869,374 827,976 434,687 3,311,903/ 1,665,952/ 827,976 15842 696.81 8801.10 208.52 5280.66 233.33 46777/ 11843/ 4059.2 $0.20 $0.05 $0.20 $0.05 $0.20 $0.05 $0.20 $10.5 Billion $0.0606 Billion $2.91 Billion $0.0122 Billion $0.874 Billion $0.00507 Billion $31.0 Billion/ $3.92 Billion/ $0.672 Billion

Transportation Cost
100% Total Cost per Year Distributed Central $10.6 Billion $31.0 Billion $2.93 Billion $3.92 Billion $0.808 Billion $0.672 Billion 50% 25%

In the 100% and 50% cases, distributed plants provide the lowest transportation costs.
In the 25% case, a central plant located at the power station will provide the lowest transportation costs.

Recommendations/sensitivity analysis
Do not recommend construction of the plant. Looking at the economic analysis, it does not make any profit even for a small substitution of torrefied material for coal. Conditions to change this recommendation: Cost of biomass goes down. Capital cost is much less than operating cost, therefore, only construct if transportation costs are able to be minimized. Government give tax credit for carbon dioxide since most of the gas produced in the process will be used up by the plants growing, thus leaving a net zero effect on the environment. In the sensitivity analysis, an increase in the price of the torrefied material by ~200% will help even out the cost. Future analysis should be done on modification of the switchgrass price, and torrefied material to reduce loss margin.

FMEA
30 total failure points identified. Severity, Frequency, and Detect-Ability found on 1-10 scale. RPN=S*F*D RPNs above 125 viewed as super-critical. (Note that High Severity is

always considered regardless of RPN)

Function Failure Mode
Conveyance of ground bales to pelletizer

Effects

Severity Frequency

Detect- RPN ability

8 360

Reduction is production, fire, explosions, damage to capital, Leakage of particles destruction of plant, damage to environment

Reduction is production, fire, Pressure buildup in explosions, damage to capital, Drying of particles dryer destruction of plant, damage to environment Reduction is production, fire, Conveyance of explosions, damage to capital, torrefied pellets to Leakage of particles destruction of plant, damage storage to environment

10

160

360

Management of Release of material waste/coproducts into atmosphere

Damage to the environment, damage to the surrounding community

135

Solutions
Conveyance issues can be alleviated by having good ventilation in the plant,

reducing ignition and heat sources, and performing visual inspection of conveyance equipment daily for dust buildup. Frequency and detect-ability reduced to 1, RPN to 9 Potential pressure build up in reactor solved by installing pressure release valves and adding more monitoring sensors. Detect-ability reduced to 3, RPN to 80 Coproduct/byproduct process issue has reduced effects by making plant well ventilated and adding sensors at key locations, along with HAZMAT training and awareness in plant. Severity reduced to 6. Detect-ability reduced to 3. RPN becomes 54.

Process Control
System Process Conveyer Belts Control Action Monitor and change output conveyer belt speed when needed. Use switches. Operational when conveyer belts running. Measure grating blockage with compressed air flow; if there is a blockage, shutdown plant for maintenance

Crusher Hammer Mill

Pelletizer

Measure force applied using pressurized air to test for blockage; shut down for maintenance if blockage found.
Temperature measurement signal to valve on steam inlet fans used to circulate temp. Use switch to turn on/off during process.

Torrefaction Reactor

Environment
TOXICOLOGY
Distillation Process
Methanol Water HMF

Cresol
Corrosive damage on contact EPA threshold (0.004 ppm) Trace amounts thus no problem.

Currently at 2.139 ppm

Methanol
Distil 1 Distil 2 Distil 3

Affects central nervous system Negligible amounts in product

HMF
Slightly mutagenic Not toxic/ regulated by EPA

Carbon dioxide Output from coal use: 495.8 tons/hr Output from process: 5.68 tons/hr

Cresol

Water Not toxic

QUESTIONS??