{"id":4025,"date":"2017-01-25T20:00:43","date_gmt":"2017-01-26T01:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/airex-energy.com\/airex-energy-supply-biocoal-pellets-to-portland-general-electrics-boardman-plant\/"},"modified":"2023-02-02T21:10:52","modified_gmt":"2023-02-03T02:10:52","slug":"22-airex-energy-supply-biocoal-pellets-to-portland-general-electric-s-boardman-plant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/airex-energy.com\/fr\/22-airex-energy-supply-biocoal-pellets-to-portland-general-electric-s-boardman-plant\/","title":{"rendered":"Airex Energy supply biocoal pellets to Portland General Electric\u2019s Boardman Plant"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Continuing its years-long investigation of whether torrefied biomass could extend its life, Boardman Power Station is prepping to undergo a substantive test burn.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u00a0Trial by Fire<\/h2>\n

Boardman Power Station is feeling the heat. The last operating coal-burning power station in Oregon, the relatively young, 550-MW plant has faced much pressure and scrutiny regarding its ultimate fate, which must be decided and underway by 2020. While several potential options have been ruled out\u2014including a half billion-dollar pollution control equipment upgrade, and repowering with natural gas and wood pellets\u2014one option has remained on the table since Portland General Electric began exploring possibilities: replacing Powder River Basin coal with torrefied biomass.<\/p>\n

After years of research and tests, the project, which has garnered attention from energy stakeholders of all kinds, has reached a new level: a full-scale, 24-hour test burn using 100 percent torrefied biomass. Besides wood, torrefied energy crops such as arundo donax will be fired, as the utility has been growing and harvesting energy crops on test plots around the plant the past several years.<\/p>\n

An exact date for the test hasn\u2019t been nailed down yet, but it will happen before the end of the year, and may occur relatively suddenly. Spokesman Steve Corson explains the time has to be just right\u2014not only because the 8,000 tons of torrefied material required for the burn has to be on-site and ready for consumption by the plant\u2019s Rankine cycle coal boiler, but Boardman remains a working plant that still plays an important role in the utility\u2019s power supply. \u201cWe need to time the test to occur during a window when generation from the plant is optional for us to meet our customers\u2019 needs\u2014for example, when we\u2019re not experiencing extreme weather that could drive peak loads, and when other generating resources are available to meet demand.\u201d<\/p>\n

In these days leading up to the test burn, plant staff and expert consultants are working to determine the most effective execution. \u201cThis includes examining the safety implications of a new fuel, coal transport testing, pulverizer grinding performance and ash characteristics,\u201d Corson says. \u201cAnd included in this will be test instrumentation, coupled with plant instrumentation to assess the burn performance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those engaging in the test burn will assess overall plant stability as the plant burns the biomass, according to Corson. \u201cWe believe the test can be completed without undue risk,\u201d he says. \u201cWe already confirmed that the plant\u2019s existing equipment can handle torrefied biomass, with our cofiring test burn last year. Nevertheless, there\u2019s uncertainty involved in any unusual procedure of this sort, so we need to account for that uncertainty and minimize it through careful planning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though torrefied biomass has characteristics very similar to coal and tests to date has shown compatibility with the plant\u2019s mechanics, PGE wouldn\u2019t escape having to make changes\u2014capital investments\u2014to accommodate the fuel switch. \u201cPart of the attraction here is that the conversion could be completed with minimal modifications to the existing plant, to the conveyors, silos, pulverizers, burners and boiler,\u201d Corson says. \u201cThere are also advantages from an emissions standpoint, with little or minimal sulfur dioxide or mercury emissions expected, for instance. That said, we\u2019d expect the plant to need additional emissions controls for oxides of nitrogen, so an SCR (selective catalytic reduction) [system] would likely be required, and thus is part of the math in deciding if the conversion will make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though the test burn will be the most extensive to date, Corson emphasizes that even a full-day test burn won\u2019t answer all of PGE\u2019s questions. At least, not yet. \u201cIt will give us some additional information about the plant\u2019s emissions profile when fueled by biomass, plant chemistry, and how the plant\u2019s equipment handles the fuel,\u201d he says. \u201cPresuming all goes well, that will point us toward areas where we need to focus our attention in future test burns, and will begin to give us a more complete picture of what will be required if we decide to proceed with a conversion.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the time that happens\u2014likely 2020 or sooner\u2014Oregon Torrefaction, the company PGE has hired to supply the fuel needed for the upcoming test burn, hopes to see a more developed torrefied biomass market in the country. Working with the utility to determine if the potential is real, and whether the long-term operation of Boardman on biomass could be feasible and economic, could help grease the track.<\/p>\n

Building a Market<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Oregon Torrefaction has been working on the fuel-gathering project for PGE for about a year and a half, according to Matt Krumenauer, CEO. \u201cWe\u2019re working to produce and procure the torrefied material, and we\u2019ve got a number of facilities working with us,\u201d he says, explaining that the company isn\u2019t manufacturing torrefied material itself, but to churn out the 8,000 tons needed, has brought on board several companies with a variety of technologies, including New Biomass Energy in Mississippi, Airex Energy in Quebec and Reklaim in Boardman. \u201cWe\u2019ve also borrowed a mobile torrefaction system from Idaho National Energy Lab\u2014we\u2019ve moved that to Boardman and its producing material for us,\u201d Krumenauer says. \u201cThen, we\u2019re densifying it in a cuber that we are contracting another company to run for us. We\u2019ve got a number of different efforts going on, to really see if this is a viable opportunity and whether it will perform technically at the power plant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Krumenauer highlights the variety of torrefaction technologies involved, all of which result in end products with similar characteristics. \u201cWe have a rotary kiln\u2014a pretty standard type of torrefaction system, the Reklaim system is a Wyssmont Turbodryer, which is a fairly standard thermal treatment application, and Airex has its own propriety technology, as does New Biomass Energy,\u201d he says. \u201cNot only do we have a range of different technologies, but we\u2019re also using many different types of woody biomass.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Oregon, the company is sourcing 100 percent of its material from national forest restoration treatments and stewardship contracts, small-diameter biomass, and plans are to test some of PGE\u2019s purpose-grown energy crops. On the task of delivering the material PGE needs in the desired timeframe, Krumenauer says things are on track to deliver by the year\u2019s end, and the process is going fairly well. \u201cWe\u2019re learning a lot\u2014this is a fairly large proof-of-concept run, and we\u2019re going to be completing a full economic analysis after the burn is completed, and hopefully help PGE determine if this is a viable opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related to the initiative is a consortium Oregon Torrefaction has formed, the Consortium for Advanced Wood to Energy Solutions, an effort by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry Communities, the U.S. Forest Service and a number of different academic institutions and private sector companies that are working to help advance torrefaction in a precompetitive manner. \u201cThe point is to help advance the market,\u201d Krumenauer says. \u201cThat\u2019s the mission-driven aspect behind this effort\u2014to create and advance a market for these low-value biomass residuals, primarily from national forests. Our hope is that if this is successful, and we\u2019re able to help PGE and other utilities, it will open up opportunities for companies like Airex and New Biomass Energy. We don\u2019t view it at all as competitive, we view it as something that will help break that chicken-and-egg scenario.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the focus after delivering the torrefied material to Boardman will be to analyze the test burn results. \u201cImmediately after, we have to evaluate the technical aspects, the economic aspects, and the feedstock sustainability aspects to really understand what the true cost would be, to try to supply a facility the size of Boardman,\u201d Krumenauer says. \u201cOur next steps will really be analysis-based. After that, I think we will look at helping supply larger, longer-duration test burns, and sharing this information with the broader industry. There are other power plants that could certainly cofire or convert.<\/p>\n

While the Boardman\u2019s potential conversion investigation is taking a great deal of time, excitement is building, Krumenauer adds. \u201cI have to give PGE a lot of credit for sticking with this. It\u2019s been a long, hard path, but we\u2019re getting there. We\u2019re going to get through this test burn\u2014I\u2019m certain it will be successful, it\u2019s just a lot of work\u2014and we\u2019ll see what comes after that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Source :\u00a0Anna Simet<\/a>,\u00a0Biomass Magazine<\/a>.\u00a0 \u00ab Trial by Fire \u00bb,\u00a0\u00a0BBI International, Biomass Magazine, Released November 29, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Continuing its years-long investigation of whether torrefied biomass could extend its life, Boardman Power Station is prepping to undergo a substantive test burn. \u00a0Trial by Fire Boardman Power Station is feeling the heat. The last operating coal-burning power station in Oregon, the relatively young, 550-MW plant has faced much pressure and scrutiny regarding its ultimate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-non-classifiee"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAirex Energy supply biocoal pellets to Portland General Electric\u2019s Boardman Plant - Airex Energy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/airex-energy.com\/fr\/22-airex-energy-supply-biocoal-pellets-to-portland-general-electric-s-boardman-plant\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Airex Energy supply biocoal pellets to Portland General Electric\u2019s Boardman Plant - Airex Energy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Continuing its years-long investigation of whether torrefied biomass could extend its life, Boardman Power Station is prepping to undergo a substantive test burn. \u00a0Trial by Fire Boardman Power Station is feeling the heat. 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