This example highlights the hazards in solid fuel gasification and combustion.
We may hear the full story on the explosion eventually. There are explosions in
wood dryers and boilers that you never hear about. Root causes for explosions
can be in the fuel, the design of the system, or in the operation of the
system, so I wouldn't condemn the supplier out of hand, but then I am not a
news reporter.
I heard that the plant did have a complex history. Johnson Controls was the
general contractor and therefore responsible for the plant operation. There
were a number of component suppliers. Nexterra supplied the gasifier and
boiler. Others supplied the fuel system. Startups of this scale are never easy
and sometimes can be bad. We heard of problems in construction and startup. I
had understood that most of the problems had been resolved. I wouldn't expect
any supplier to advertise problems on their website.
Nexterra has supplied some very successful plants of the same size and
capacity. I have visited both their plant in Hefley, Canada, which has operated
for six years, and their pilot plant in nearby Kamloops several times. I
visited two, larger, gasifiers at Kruger paper mill, Kruger (Vancouver, BC)
after a year of operation. I spoke last week with the manager of a new system
they installed at U of Northern British Columbia. All of those owners are quite
pleased. I haven't visited Dockside or USC. The housing facility at the small
Dockside Green plant was only half filled when I last checked so I don't know
if the low production is due to low demand, fuel prices or other causes.
There is another hazard that would not be obvious if you have not done it
before, and that is installing industrial solid fuel burning equipment in a
non-industrial setting like a university or office building. It is a completely
different environment than an industrial plant. Facilities personnel in these
institutions do not have the same skills, safety training, or attitude that you
require in an industrial plant. Management's approach to capital projects is
completely different. Instead of looking for solutions to problems they more
often "search for the guilty" or they have a variety of agendas that are often
not related to building a heating system. That is why companies like Johnson
Controls who build and operate plants like this get the contracts and take the
responsibility.
Tom
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
[email protected]
Sent: Monday, October 10, 2011 6:34 AM
To: Discussion of biomass cooking stoves; Alex English
Subject: Re: [Stoves] Wood chips for syngas energy
Alex:
1. Thanks for the added information on Nexterra being the actual group
(not Johnson Control) behind the South Carolina project. At their site
(http://www.nexterra.ca/industry/johnson.cfm) there is no indication of any
problems. Do we know if Nexterra should take the blame for most of the down
time and the accident? What is the division of responsibility between Nexterra
and Johnson for this project? Are any of the other half-dozen Nexterra plants
having the same troubles?
2. Maybe some of the people on this list don't know that your 99% record of
being on-line includes your doing a lot to convert from a combustion unit to a
pyrolysis unit - making char successfully. Being one of the only people in the
world who has made this important shift, can you say anything about the
relative difficulties in combustion, gasification and pyrolysis. Are you
operating today as a char-maker?
3. Reading the WUWT (WattsUpWithThat) article makes me more than a little
mad. They have clearly shifted into a position where all renewables (the blog
entries talk of wind and solar also) are to be slammed at every opportunity.
This is in support of a similar position by the extreme right - including many
in the majority party in the US House of Representatives. I don't see this as
a Tea Party issue but wonder if anyone knows. This is an extension of the
WUWT position that there is no global warming issue. They would probably
similarly degrade any work of this list on biomass stoves. Their position is
probably that all wood stove users should shift to fossil fuels - as being
safer and cheaper.
Ron
_____
From: "Alex English" <[email protected]>
To: "Discussion of biomass cooking stoves" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, October 10, 2011 6:30:47 AM
Subject: Re: [Stoves] Wood chips for syngas energy
Crispin,
Yes they were supposed to be the beacon for biomass energy. Nexterra is often a
featured presenter at Biomass energy conferences. I stopped by their Dockside
Green heating plant in Victoria in June. Johnson Controls seemed like a big
player that could do thing right. 98 day out of 534 providing steam/heat, ouch.
It would be nice to see a complete "aircrash investigation" style report on all
the problems that goes beyond journalism. I could write one for our wood chip
fired heating plant. There are lots of things that do go awry, but we've been
online producing all our heat for over 99% of the time. Then again we could
blow up tomorrow:) This summer our fuel pile was struck by lightning.
Stuff happens but there is a strong tendency not to talk openly about it.
"officials touted plant as the cat's meow" When my cat meows its usually be
cause she is stuck up a tree.
Alex
On 10/10/2011 12:40 AM, Crispin Pemberton-Pigott wrote:
Dear Gas-Friendly Friends
Not quite the result we were expecting:
1.) The technology:
http://www.palletenterprise.com/articledatabase/view.asp?articleID=2841
2.) The problems:
http://www.thestate.com/2011/10/09/2001993/uscs-biomass-plant-debacle.html#ixzz1aKeVXkUU
3.) The discussion:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/10/09/green-fail-foia-shows-dangerous-university-biomass-power-plant-frought-with-problems-closures-explosion/#more-48955
It is a wood gasifier with three chambers. It is not a pyrolyser. It produces
ash, not char.
Regards
Crispin
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