Anaerobic digestion means different things to different people. To the biologist, it is a genetically diverse ecosystem. To the civil and mechanical engineer, it is an engineered environment. To the chemical engineer it is a heterogeneous autocatalytic sequence parallel reaction system. Is it any wonder then that more than 40 percent of biogas plant failures occur after start up and are due to monitoring and control errors?
Not only must the biogas manager possess the normal skill set associated with managing a business, but he or she must indeed also possess at least some of the skills of engineers and biologists. This begins with a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of biological processes, because this is what drives most of the decisions that he or she needs to make on a daily basis.&nbsp;
Substrate inventory and recipe management: For a biogas plant processing multiple substrates, knowledge of the biology will dictate the recipe, or mixture of substrates. The biogas plant manager needs to know what feedstock can be processed and in what ratio, what contaminants in the feedstock will inhibit the organisms, and what mass load and frequency to feed the digesters. Once these factors are known, managing the inventory of feedstock becomes common sense.
Process monitoring: All biogas plants require measurement of certain process parameters to enable effective process control. Faced with parameters like pH, total solids, volatile solids, chemical oxygen demand, volatile fatty acids, alkalinity, ammonia and biogas composition, the biogas plant manager not only needs to know what these parameters mean, but also how they relate to and are affected by the biological processes occurring. Over and above these parameters, there are a host of other parameters that can be used by the biogas plant manager to diagnose digester health. For example, the presence of light metal cations in high enough concentrations will inhibit the microorganisms. The biogas plant manager needs to understand the biological processes and know what to look for if the routine monitoring data is insufficient to diagnose digester health.&nbsp;
Process control: A thorough working knowledge of biological processes will inform the biogas plant manager of the temperature the process should be operated at, the impact changes in temperature has on the process, how mixing impacts the efficiency of the process, what causes foaming and how to deal with it if it occurs, what solids concentration range the digesters should be operated at and what happens if this range is exceeded, which other parameters should be measured and how they are used to control the process, and what biogas flow and composition say about the stability of the process and what to do when these trend in the wrong direction.
In diagnosing digester upsets, which inevitably occur, the cause may be due to a single factor, or multiple factors. Additionally, the biogas plant manager has, or should have, a number of process indicators at his or her disposal that allow diagnosis of the upset and to take corrective action. It is only an understanding of how biological systems work that allows the biogas plant manager to avoid upset conditions or to correctly diagnose and correct upset conditions.
Author: Anthony Leske Engineering Manager, Himark BioGas info@himarkbiogas.com 780-492-3234

2013/12/Anthony-Leske_1387321498458_largethumb.jpg

2013/12/Anthony-Leske_1387321498458_thumb.jpg

2013/12/Anthony-Leske_1387321498458.jpg

Himark BioGas Engineering Manager Anthony Leske discusses skill sets a biogas manager should possess, including a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of biological processes. 

Managing, Operating Multisubstrate  Biogas Facilities

Despite being met with a number of hurdles including a challenging financial climate, the advanced biofuel industry, utilizing an array of first-ever technologies, has been gradually and steadily growing over the past several years. As more advanced biofuel companies achieve commercialization, another obstacle may be on the horizon: sourcing employees armed with necessary skills, a potential problem that, among several potential measures, may be combatted with the crafting of recruitment strategies.
Considering the relative youth and state of the industry, most companies, including isobutanol manufacturer Gevo Inc., haven&rsquo;t yet encountered issues. &ldquo;There are two components to our workforce, and the first is scientists in the lab,&rdquo; says Brett Lund, Gevo chief licensing officer. &ldquo;A lot of us [industry stakeholders] are doing a great job training these folks to enter the workforce, and so far we really haven&rsquo;t had a hard time hiring and recruiting folks to join us. There are a number of people who have been in this field, and then there those in the general biotech community&mdash;particularly the pharmaceutical side&mdash;who have similar skill sets. They aren&rsquo;t exactly the same, but they have a pretty sufficient background.&rdquo;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
For Gevo, which operates an 18 MMgy facility in Luverne, Minn., its business model has generated an employment model on its own. &ldquo;We retrofit existing ethanol plants&mdash;our first plant was one that we purchased from Agri Energy, and it had a workforce already there running the plant when we purchased it,&rdquo; Lund says. &ldquo;We maintained employment of all folks who were operating the plant, and brought on a few of our people to modify it to make isobutanol. So for us, we already had the workforce in place. Those employees were very familiar with the plant, so the only challenge for us was getting them up to speed on our technology that we retrofitted the plant with, and how to operate it as an isobutanol plant.&rdquo;&nbsp;
The main changes from the existing ethanol plant to the biobutanol plant include use of different yeast, the addition of a separation system and a number of different operating procedures. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no instruction manual on how to operate an isobutanol plant because nobody has done it before,&rdquo; Lund points out. &ldquo;In essence, we were writing the operating manual as we were starting up the plant, and we&rsquo;re still continuing to learn all of the best practices. It&rsquo;s quite a bit different than running an ethanol plant, but at least our employees have that background.&rdquo; &nbsp;
Most companies in the advanced biofuel space are building facilities in green field locations, which means hiring new people who haven&rsquo;t operated a plant of its kind. &ldquo;It might be more challenging for them to get the right people,&rdquo; Lund says.
College courses and university programs aimed at training graduates for the field have drastically changed in the past few years, Lund says. &ldquo;Even just in terms of scientific disciplines,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;To create our yeast, we genetically engineer it using metabolic engineering, techniques that weren&rsquo;t known 15 to 20 years ago. They were first put into use in the pharmaceutical space, then moved into the ag biotech space, and has now moved more into the industrial biotech space. A lot of advances have come over time, and how we apply those advances over different fields has evolved. People are becoming more interested in green and clean technologies, and as our country becomes more environmentally friendly, people are becoming more interested in that as a career path.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Colleges and universities have responded to that demand and are a driving force behind engaging the interest. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve put together new courses that I had never seen or heard of before in green tech or biofuels,&rdquo; he says. &nbsp;&ldquo;Locally, the University of Colorado at Boulder does a lot of work in green tech and clean tech and Colorado State University &nbsp;has a pretty substantial program as well. Those two are doing a lot of work, things that not only start in the classroom, but also kind of bridge the gap into the commercial space and expose their students to companies.&rdquo;
Sue Hager of Myriant Inc. agrees with Lund that the initiatives being taken by colleges and universities to encourage students to consider relevant career paths are having positive impacts. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re doing a great job in getting the word out that they will have a job, and that&rsquo;s really important because there&rsquo;s a huge need for engineers.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Myriant operates a biosuccinic acid plant &nbsp;Lake Providence, La., and Hager says that since its flagship facility is located in a region that is in need of jobs, sourcing needed employees there wasn&rsquo;t an issue. On top of that, the state boasts one of the top workforce training programs in the nation, LED FastStart. &nbsp;&ldquo;It assists with everything when you decide to locate there [Louisiana]&mdash;providing incentives, but also recruiting and job fairs to developing training modules for employees that you hire. We&rsquo;ve went through the program and have put together a customized training program to people we&rsquo;re bringing on. Separate from that, we have a program that sends people who are working in our labs down in Lake Providence to our research facilities in Massachusetts to shadow scientists, and vice versa.&nbsp;
Hager says Myriant is also fortunate enough to have a great relationship with ThyssenKrupp Uhde, which developed a validation facility in Leuna, Germany, where Myriant proved its biosuccnic acid production process and has employees trained.&nbsp;
The industry as a whole should be mindful of the fact that more engineers will be needed, and encouraging more women to take up that career path could help, as it has traditionally been dominated by men. &ldquo;When I went through my undergrad in 1992 as a biology major, &nbsp;we were pretty split between male and females, but we had a lot overlap with engineers, and there weren&rsquo;t a lot of women who chose it as a career path,&rdquo; Hager says. &ldquo;I definitely see that trend changing, though&mdash;there are more people driving women in that direction.&rdquo;
And initial sparks of interest are being ignited much earlier on in academic paths, which could be key in growing the industry workforce. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just in college, but at the middle and high school levels, we&rsquo;re seeing more programs&mdash;robotics, engineering, forensic science&mdash;specifically created to encourage kids to consider engineering and science career paths before they get to college,&rdquo; Hager adds. &ldquo;These are options we never had growing up, and I think that&rsquo;s going to be huge. We&rsquo;re in [an engineering] lag right now, but in 15 years, it&rsquo;s going to have had a huge impact.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Author: Anna Simet Managing Editor, Biomass Magazine asimet@bbiinternational.com 701-738-4961 
&nbsp;

LIFE IN THE LAB:  Experiments, product samples, and routine chemical analyses are performed by employees in Gevo's labs in Englewood, Colo.

2013/12/LabExperiment1_1387314048032_largethumb.jpg

2013/12/LabExperiment1_1387314048032_thumb.jpg

2013/12/LabExperiment1_1387314048032.jpg

ONE TEST TUBE AT A TIME: The road to commercializing isobutanol began in Gevo's laboratories in Englewood, Colo.

2013/12/LabTesting_13873140498225.jpg

Recruiting employees isn't currently a problem for advanced biofuel companies, but as the industry grows, a lack of engineers may pose problems. 

Sourcing the Force

The U.S. EPA recently released its proposed rule for the 2014 renewable fuels obligations (RVO). Unfortunately, it essentially mirrored the leaked document, which has tormented biofuels renewable identification number (RIN) markets since it was first reported. &nbsp;&nbsp;
If a picture is worth a thousand words the chart speaks volumes (pun intended). &nbsp;Clearly, this is a dramatic cut not only from what was delivered last year, but also a significant cut from what the Congress intended in the 2007 statute. &nbsp;
EPA&rsquo;s proposed methodology for setting upcoming RFS targets looks backward at the average of historical data, rather than forward to future production levels. For our evolving industry, such a policy will ensure a continuous oversupply of advanced biofuels. This imbalance will, in turn, crater the value of RINs. RIN prices are instrumental to financing the development of future advanced and cellulosic biofuel facilities, and the agency cannot support the emergence of a low-carbon, innovative industry by looking through the rearview mirror. Simply put, EPA&rsquo;s Monte Carlo model will always roll snake eyes for the advanced and cellulosic biofuels industry.&nbsp;
The proposed RVO numbers represent a 20 percent reduction from the 2013 advanced biofuels targets and a 40 percent reduction from the statutory mandates. Although we will easily exceed the 2013 volumes, EPA believes we will see a significant reduction in the number of gallons of biomass-based diesel moving forward given a range of political issues, such as the tax credits. &nbsp;In addition, by lowering the advanced number it appears there is an attempt to squeeze out Brazilian ethanol without consideration to the use of it to meet the Low Carbon Fuels Standard in California. These actions suggest a lack of understanding of how lowering the numbers will destroy markets and have downward pressure on RIN values across their board.&nbsp;
This rule, without question, will have a chilling effect on the financial community. &nbsp;Anyone seeking financing to build a new facility, which was the intent of this law, will have major challenges as a result of this proposed rule.&nbsp;
The irony here is that the federal courts chastised EPA in December 2012 for trying to put their thumb on the scale for pushing for the development of cellulosic fuels by overestimating the volume for that category and ordered them to vacate the numbers. With this rule, they have apparently done a 180, as this set of numbers is not only a reduction below the actual gallons of biofuels currently being produced but also it sets a process in place that means fuels that are produced will essentially have to wait a year to be reflected in the mandated RVO numbers. So rather than a thumb on the scale, it&rsquo;s a thumb in the eye for our industry. &nbsp;
This is the most serious threat to the future of advanced biofuels in the past seven years. &nbsp;Anyone who is involved in this industry must send comments expressing their concerns to the EPA before the 60-day deadline expires on Jan. 28.
Author: Michael McAdams President, Advanced Biofuels Association michael.mcadams@hklaw.com&nbsp; www.advancedbiofuelsassociation.com&nbsp;

2013/12/Biofuels-Biomass-McAdams-0114_13873143516606_largethumb.jpg

2013/12/Biofuels-Biomass-McAdams-0114_13873143516606_thumb.jpg

2013/12/Biofuels-Biomass-McAdams-0114_13873143516606.jpg

2013/12/EPA-Chart_13873147325193.jpg

Advanced Biofuels Association President Michael McAdams discusses potential impacts of the U.S. EPA's proposed rule for the 2014 renewable fuels obligations. 

EPA Picks Winners and Losers in Released RVO Rule

The U.S. EPA released its proposed rule for the 2014 renewable fuels standard (RFS) renewable volume obligation (RVO) on Nov. 15. If enacted as proposed, the rulemaking would reduce the 2014 RVO significantly, to levels below both statutory requirements and the RVO finalized for 2013. Industry trade groups and biofuel producers have expressed disappointment in the proposal.&nbsp;
The Biotechnology Industry Organization called the proposed rule flawed and vowed to make every effort to correct it. "The proposed rule&hellip;turns the logic of the RFS on its head and could significantly chill investments in advanced biofuels projects. We will focus over the immediate comment period on convincing the administration to right the course on this policy," said Brent Erickson, executive vice president of BIO&rsquo;s Industrial &amp; Environmental Section.&nbsp;

2013/12/RFS-Chart_13873146668553.jpg

EPA cuts RFS RVO in 2014 proposal 

The USDA has awarded nearly $10 million to a consortium of academic, industry and government organizations to research the use of insect-killed trees in the Rocky Mountains as bioenergy feedstock. The consortium, led by Colorado State University, will explore recent advances in thermochemical conversion technologies that enable the production of onsite liquid biofuel and coproduct production.&nbsp;
The project is working with Greenwood Village, Colo.-based Cool Planet Energy Systems. The company&rsquo;s prototype pyrolysis system can be tailored to the amount of feedstock available, enabling it to be deployed near stands of beetle-killed timber. The ability to localize production lowers the cost of wood harvest and transportation.&nbsp;
The award was made under the USDA&rsquo;s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, a program authorized by the Farm Bill. The USDA estimates pine and spruce bark beetles infestations have impacted more than 42 million acres of forestland since 1996.&nbsp;

USDA funds project to convert beetle-killed  trees to biofuel 

The lack of qualified anaerobic digester operators presents a staffing challenge to the biogas sector. To solve this problem, some universities are utilizing or developing curriculum to educate and train the workforce needed in the industry. Anaerobic digestion is still a relatively new technology in the U.S., says Caroline Henry, vice president of marketing at Quasar Energy Group. Colleges and universities can help by offering courses in biomass renewable energy that requires internships at operational facilities. &nbsp;
Cleveland-based Quasar, which operates 14 anaerobic digestion facilities, requires its plant operators to spend between three and six months shadowing veteran operators at the sites. Hands-on experience is the single best method of training a new operator, Henry says. &ldquo;We also look for a background in mechanical engineering, chemistry and biology.&rdquo;
In addition to onsite shadowing, Quasar offers internship opportunities for students working for degrees in renewable energy programs at schools such as Ohio State University&rsquo;s Agricultural Technical Institute. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a great opportunity for the students to gain hands-on experience in the renewable energy field,&rdquo; Henry explains, adding that Quasar hires many of those students right out of school.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh is currently proposing its own bachelor&rsquo;s degree program for environmental engineering to help train future anaerobic digester and wastewater treatment personnel. &ldquo;Just talking with some of our partners on our digesters and other companies in Wisconsin, they all say as they build more facilities, they are going to need operators to run those facilities,&rdquo; says John Koker, dean of the college of letters and science at UW-Oshkosh. &ldquo;Right now, pretty much it is either self-trained or learn-as-you-go, but that is what we hope to use our facilities for on campus to provide that training while people are still in school.&rdquo;
As biogas operations continue to expand in Wisconsin, from small farming operations to larger industrial applications, the search for qualified workers presents a growing challenge. &ldquo;The plant installations are going to grow faster than the trained workforce,&rdquo; Koker says, &ldquo;So we need to catch that workforce up.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Currently, the campus receives interest from companies, municipalities and other universities for its dry digester system and expects to see additional interest in its wet digester facility, which is expected to be operating at the state&rsquo;s largest dairy operation by the end of 2013. &ldquo;If we have the wet digester operating right there onsite, I think that&rsquo;s going to give us a lot of interest from people who want to come and see how it operates and fits their site,&rdquo; Koker says.&nbsp;
Universities and schools fill the void of professional technicians most notably by providing formal education about the industry, sites for training and facilities for research and development to answer questions from operators, builders and interested clients of the biogas industry, explains Koker. &ldquo;We got 70 manufacturers, industries, businesses in northeast Wisconsin to respond to a survey about what types of programs and formal training they would like for future employees, especially at the bachelor degree level,&rdquo; he says.&nbsp;
The campus is in the process of formalizing suggested programs so that students can graduate with bachelor degrees to meet the technology needs in the area and be able to move into a managerial level. The proposed environmental engineering technology degree includes the fundamental studies on wastewater, environmental microbiology and environmental economics.&nbsp;
Students would also have the opportunity to study renewable energy, water resources management and hazardous waste management as part of the program while also being required to complete a capstone project or an internship. The renewable energy class would focus primarily on alternative energy systems.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Before we can formally offer the program, we have to get formal approval from the Higher Learning Commission,&rdquo; Koker says. &ldquo;The environmental engineering technology will really be focused on biogas technicians and wastewater technicians. But all those plants will need mechanical and electrical folks as well.&rdquo;&nbsp;
With growing interest in programs offered and in development at universities, such as ATI and UW-Oshkosh, the margin between the number of plants and workforce population might shrink. With a larger population, biogas producers and manufacturers would be able to source experienced and qualified operators to maintain and operate facilities.&nbsp;
Author: Chris Hanson Staff writer, Biomass Magazine chanson@bbiinternational.com 701-738-4970

TRAINED TECHNICIANS:  Digester operators like the University of Wisconsin-Oshkoshâ€™s Brian Langhoff will be in high demand as the industry expands.

2013/12/OshkoshDigester_13873152840167_largethumb.jpg

2013/12/OshkoshDigester_13873152840167_thumb.jpg

2013/12/OshkoshDigester_13873152840167.jpg

PAVING THE WAY: A program to train future digester and wastewater treatment workers is in development at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, which has constructed the nationâ€™s first commercial-scale dry fermentation anaerobic biodigester (above).

2013/12/Oshkosh-BD1_1387315285411.jpg

John Koker, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 
dean of College of Letters and Science 

2013/12/Koker_John_13873152863724.jpg

U.S. biogas industry growth is outpacing its workforce. To solve this problem, some universities are utilizing or developing curriculum to educate and train the workforce needed in the industry.

Wanted: Digester Technicians

A landfill gas-to-energy plant 100 miles southwest of Chicago that had sat idle since 2006 is back on line after being purchased and refurbished by Hoosier Energy. The 15-MW facility is located at the 460-acre Livingston Landfill near Pontiac, Ill.&nbsp;
Previously owned by American Disposal Services, a Republic Services company, Indiana-based Hoosier Energy purchased it in late 2011 and partnered with landfill owner Republic and Ameresco Inc. to refurbish the plant&rsquo;s three Solar Caterpillar Taurus 60 turbine engines.&nbsp;
"Cooperatives have a long tradition of working with local communities and this project is no exception. We've had great support, encouragement and local involvement from Livingston County, Pontiac and other local communities," said Rob Hochstetler, Hoosier Energy vice president of power production.
Hoosier Energy also owns the 3.5-MW Clark-Floyd Landfill Methane Generation Project in southern Indiana, which was constructed in 2007 and expanded in 2009.&nbsp;

A Refurbished RESTART: Hoosier Energy Chairman Jim Weimer (left), Hoosier Energy CEO Steve Smith, and Eric Dippon, Republic Services Environmental manager for the Livingston Landfill dedicate the Livingston Renewable Energy Station. 

2013/12/HoosierEnergy-BMM_13873217296426_largethumb.jpg

2013/12/HoosierEnergy-BMM_13873217296426_thumb.jpg

2013/12/HoosierEnergy-BMM_13873217296426.jpg

Refurbished landfill gas project opens in Illinois

A high-solids anaerobic digestion (AD) system has begun operations in Akron, Ohio. The Renewable Energy Facility, once known as the Akron Compost Facility, is using the AD system to manage biosolids generated from the city&rsquo;s water reclamation facility. The biosolids, previously used to produce compost, are now converted into power by KB BioEnergy, formerly KB Compost Services.&nbsp;
KB BioEnergy and the city have had a public-private partnership since 1989 to manage the biosolids. In 2007, Akron contracted the company to construct a phase I demonstration project to process one-third of the city&rsquo;s biosolids to produce renewable energy. The phase II project can now accommodate 100 percent of the biosolid waste stream.&nbsp;
The project features Bioferm/Schmack Biogas technology and a new dryer by Komline-Sanderson. The expanded system is expected to generate 10,000 megawatt-hours of electricity annually via three 600-kilowatt combined-heat-and-power units.&nbsp;

High-solids AD system opens in Ohio 

When it comes to thermal imaging, Enertechnix&rsquo;s roots run deep, particularly in the pulp and paper industry. The company has made several advances since the early 1990s and has extended its technology to waste-to-energy plants and, just recently, its first woody biomass power plant&mdash;the Factory Sales &amp; Engineering-supplied boiler at Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of Kansas.&nbsp;
Via a specific infrared wavelength, Enertechnix&rsquo;s PyroOptix camera filters all combustion gases common with the boiler, providing biomass plant operators with advanced views of material feeding on the biomass grate floor, temperature profile information regarding the impact of potential slagging in the upper furnace, and clear images and crucial data to indicate what&rsquo;s happening throughout the boiler combustion process. &ldquo;Just as you&rsquo;d be able to see with your naked eye,&rdquo; says Dave Suplicki, director of sales and marketing. &nbsp;&ldquo;In the biomass arena, we can now look at actual feed chutes and what&rsquo;s going on in the waste streams being burned. Prior systems used video cameras to look at flame patterns. Now, if there&rsquo;s a fireball, we can actually study the health and management of the process.&rdquo;&nbsp;
As Suplicki points out, thermal imaging, in terms of heat patterns or heat signatures, is very common in the power industry and has been used for 20 years. &ldquo;But we work at this specific wavelength, combined with some very advanced optics and optical lenses, so the camera can provide views through smoke and ash in very hot environments, anywhere from 500 degrees (Fahrenheit) up to 3,200 degrees.&rdquo;
The camera uses lens tubes that can be inserted into the boiler observation windows/doors and manipulated, which greatly expands areas that can be observed. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve brought into play the ability to view the upper furnace, where a lot of boiler cleaning activities are done,&rdquo; Suplicki says. &ldquo;Using image processing, we can take snap shots from when it&rsquo;s clean and as slag builds up in different areas over time. By recording it pixel by pixel we can do a comparison of what it should be, and what it is, and create a slag index, which can tell you where to clean instead of trying to guess.&rdquo;
Enertechnix&rsquo;s technology is relatively new, and as Suplicki points out, things don&rsquo;t move quickly within the industry. &ldquo;It takes time to introduce new process stuff, but slowly and surely, we&rsquo;re expanding upon the fact that we can provide better input. Boiler operators are able to see things they never have before, and can make decisions from them. By providing specific information used in cleaning decision making processes, it can result in cost savings. Right now, decisions are based on inputs that are nonvisual, such as pressure and temperatures, common recipes that have been put together and traditionally used.&rdquo;
------------------------- SIDE BAR&nbsp;-------------------------
Video Vs Thermal&nbsp;Imaging in Boilers
While thermal imaging may provide advantages over traditionally used video cameras, there are upsides to both, according to Sonnick Clausen. For one, the video camera is typically smaller and significantly cheaper than a thermal camera. &ldquo;Most customers go for an inspection system with a video camera unless features of the thermal camera are needed,&rdquo; Clausen says. &ldquo;Nevertheless, the image quality is mostly superior to the thermal camera in boilers, due to scattering of light by fine particles and light from soot particles.&rdquo;&nbsp; 
Thermal imaging is a nice tool in grate-fired systems, as the view is far better than using video, according to Clausen, and it provides details and behavior during the whole cycle from inlet to outlet.
Color video cameras are mostly used in situations where visible light is emitted&mdash;flame light from soot&mdash;or light from a bright source is reflected or absorbed by surfaces or particles. &ldquo;The video camera can be used in most situations in boilers, if features can be seen by the human eye,&rdquo; Clausen says.
As a rule of thumb, operators of boilers with soot and small ash particles will have a view 10 times better with IR than VIS.&nbsp;
Clausen's company Pyrooptic is manufacturer of high-quality industrial rigid endoscopes for looking inside high temperature processes, an instrument used to examine the interior of boilers, burners and flames during operation. Clausen says the best solution for burner and flame optimization is an inspection system combining both video and thermal imaging. "Technology has advanced to a level that permits high speed visual and thermal videos to be obtained simultaneously using the same endoscope optics," he adds, "for example, snap-shot &nbsp;infrared images of the turbulent mixing of gas and fuel in small and large power plant flames can be recorded together with visual image showing ignition details."
------------------------- SIDE BAR -------------------------
&nbsp;
Author: Anna Simet Managing Editor, Biomass Magazine 701-738-4961 asimet@bbiinternational.com

ADVANCED VIEW:  Enertechnixâ€™s PyroOptix camera provides advanced views of material feeding on the biomass grate floor, temperature profile information, and clear images and crucial data to indicate happenings throughout the boiler combustion proces

2013/12/Enertechnix2_13873224597139_largethumb.jpg

2013/12/Enertechnix2_13873224597139_thumb.jpg

2013/12/Enertechnix2_13873224597139.jpg

Pictured, left is a super heater in a full-scale, coal-fired boiler with video camera. At right, super heater tubes that can be seen with an IR-endoscope with IR camera, invisible with the video camera.

2013/12/Infrared_13873224586045.jpg

BEATING THE HEAT:   Enertechnixâ€™s PyroOptix camera can provide views through smoke and ash in anywhere from 500 to 3,200 degrees Fahrenheit.

2013/12/Enertechnix3-BMM_13873224616524.jpg

Advancements in thermal imaging technology are providing plant engineers with new insights into combustion conditions. 

A Lens on Efficiency

Competition can bring out the best in us. &nbsp;In sports, it can bring out higher contender performance levels while allowing fans and sponsors to learn more about the sport and have fun with it. At the Wood Stove Decathlon in November, competition brought teams together, creating a sense of community that grew amongst them, their partners and judges.
&nbsp;
According to the U.S. EIA, 13 million U.S. households used wood to heat &nbsp;homes last year, with 2.8 million using it as primary heating fuel. Wood heat is reducing fossil fuel use faster than all other renewable technologies combined and still has opportunity to grow if we can demonstrate the technology is up to snuff. &nbsp;
&nbsp;
The decathlon was designed to help build public support and trust that wood stove technology is on the move, becoming cleaner and more automated. &nbsp;But holding a competition of innovative stoves, some of which were still prototypes, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was not without risk. &nbsp;What if they smoked and contributed to the perception that all wood stoves are old and dirty? &nbsp;What if mobile particulate samplers couldn&rsquo;t withstand a rigorous testing schedule? &nbsp;What if antibiomass groups picketed the event? &nbsp;Fortunately, the event went smoothly, thanks to the scores of companies, institutions and individuals that donated funds, time, materials and labor.&nbsp;
Twelve stoves competed and were scored for emissions, efficiency, affordability, consumer appeal and innovation. &nbsp;The winning stove was a sophisticated, naturally drafting, catalytic hybrid stove that will retail for $2,000. &nbsp;Produced by Woodstock Soapstone in New Hampshire, the stove is the result of decades of refinement and can meet the strictest emission standards the U.S. EPA is considering in its new regulations. Two second prizes went to Travis&rsquo;s Cape Cod and the Wittus&rsquo;s Twinfire, a unique down-drafting wood stove that won top scores in efficiency.&nbsp;
Some observers thought the automated stoves with onboard computers, sensors and fans would sweep the prizes. While they did very well&mdash;especially in the innovation and emissions categories&mdash;the nine judges handed the top prizes to naturally drafting stoves with no electronics. &nbsp;Results could have been reversed if we were able to test stoves for longer and run them as consumers do, not as trained experts. Other than catalytic hybrid and automated stoves, the other class that stood out was the masonry stoves that have been refined over centuries.&nbsp;
Here are a few of the longstanding benefits of the competition:
&bull; Big players in the combustion sector that serve Detroit automakers showed up to explore the possibility of teaming with stove manufacturers to apply some technology that already exists in our cars to our stoves. &nbsp; &nbsp;
&bull; Members of Congress and officials from EPA, U.S. DOE, USDA, U.S. Department of Interior, and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development saw modern wood stoves, and talked with the engineers who built them and to the judges, nationally recognized experts. They also saw six to eight stoves burning at one time without any visible smoke.
&bull; High-level administration officials attended, including Janet McCabe, EPA&rsquo;s acting assistant administrator for air and radiation, Sally Jewell, secretary of the interior, and several USDA political appointees. In this age of restricted travel for federal employees, we came to them.
&bull; Key players on all sides of the issue met and engaged ideas in a positive atmosphere. &nbsp;Attendee diversity was enormous compared with industry trade shows and included many representatives from the D.C. nonprofit community.
&bull; The event was accessible and intriguing to the Washington press corps, resulting in stories by the New York Times, National Geographic, NBC, the National Journal and scores of smaller regional outlets.&nbsp;
At the decathalon award ceremony, the community spirit of the competition really came alive. Receiving the $25,000 first prize, Tom Morrissey of Woodstock Soapstone announced that he was giving part to two other teams who made it to the event on shoestring budgets. &nbsp;Receiving the $5,000 second prize, Travis Industries, led by Kurt Rumen, gave the check back to the Alliance for Green Heat to help pay event expenses.
Three members of Congress spoke: Rep. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., Rep. Dan Benishek, R-Mich., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. Rep. Tonko used to lead New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and expressed his determination to help this sector grow. Benishek recalled how just last week he had been splitting his own wood to heat his home. &nbsp;And Van Hollen closed by saying, &ldquo;The Wood Stove Decathlon is a terrific showcase for the creativity and innovation being brought to next-generation wood stove design.&rdquo; &nbsp;
Author: John Ackerly President, Alliance for Green Heat jackerly@forgreenheat.org 301-841-7755
&nbsp;

2013/12/john-ackerly_13873753492132_largethumb.jpg

2013/12/john-ackerly_13873753492132_thumb.jpg

2013/12/john-ackerly_13873753492132.jpg

Alliance for Green Heat Executive Director John Ackerly discusses outcomes of the Wood Stove Decathalon held in Washington, D.C., in November.

Wood Stoves Compete on National Mall

The Alliance for Green Heat&rsquo;s Wood Stove Decathlon kicked off at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in mid-November. During the event, 12 teams from the U.S., Denmark, New Zealand, Austria and Finland competed for the title of the cleanest, most efficient and innovative wood stoves.&nbsp;
To judge the teams&rsquo; products, experts from a U.S. EPA-accredited wood stove test lab were onsite to complete emissions and efficiency testing. The winner was selected from nine judges who inspected the stove designs, components and construction to assess durability and the potential of innovative technological features.&nbsp;
The event also featured panel discussions on residential heating with biomass stoves. In some areas, pellet stoves are selling faster than wood stoves, which is partially explained by the complexity of cordwood. John Crouch, Pellet Fuels Institute director of public affairs, discussed the varying properties of cordwood and how pellets offer consumers a more uniform biomass fuel.&nbsp;

Innovative wood stove designs featured in international contest

General Motors and Detroit Renewable Energy have announced a new waste-to-energy project that will convert municipal solid waste (MSW) into steam used to heat and cool portions of GM&rsquo;s Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant. Once complete, the project is expected to fulfill 58 percent of the assembly plant&rsquo;s energy needs.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We have 107 landfill-free facilities across the globe that recycle or reuse their waste, with some of it turned into energy,&rdquo; said Rob Threlkeld, GM&rsquo;s global manager of renewable energy. &ldquo;It made sense to explore this option with DRE at Detroit-Hamtramck, given their quality work in helping us manage our energy use at some of our other GM plants.&rdquo;
Detroit Renewable will process more than 1 million tons of MSW per year into power and steam, while recycling an estimated 40,000 tons of metal. The resulting steam will travel through an 8,300-foot pipeline, delivering 15.8 MW of renewable energy to the assembly plant. Once the project is complete, Detroit-Hamtramck will be the top GM facility in the world by percentage of renewable energy used. The project is expected to be operational this spring.&nbsp;

2013/12/News-GMPlant_13873755152557.jpg

GM assembly plant to implement  Detroit waste-to-energy project

Hammermills are the workhorses of the pellet industry. Across the biomass industry, that fact is sometimes overlooked. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll get calls saying the capacity has dropped off, and the first thing we ask them to do is to check the hammers,&rdquo; says Curtis Horinek, service manager for Bliss Industries LLC. Today, automation has been a big improvement at many plants, there is a tendency to rely too much on automated systems. Previously, an operator would stand next to a machine and physically start it with a push of a button or by flipping a lever. While that can be done from the control room, but it doesn&rsquo;t replace being there. &ldquo;Nothing takes the place of occasionally walking through the floor and just listening, putting a hand on the bearings to see if they&rsquo;re warm,&rdquo; Horinek says.
Hearing or seeing an increase in vibration is a key indicator of wear in a hammermill, according to Horinek. Another indicator that maintenance is needed is a drop in capacity. Operators should not rely solely on what the screens in the control room report, he adds, recommending that the hammermill output be physically measured and compared to specs.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Another place to monitor hammermill performance is the amp load. &ldquo;If you keep bringing those amps up, and one day you find there are 50 more amps than a week ago, that&rsquo;s an indication you may have worn parts in the system,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Or your feedstock has changed.&rdquo; &nbsp;If a mill begins to over-amp and shuts off as it is designed to do, it is time to go back and first check the incoming product. &ldquo;Check the moisture. Is there oversized material? If not, open the inspection doors and check the hammers, and go through the checklist,&rdquo; he says. The accompanying guidelines from Bliss provide a troubleshooting checklist applicable to any hammermill, whether used for size reduction of wood, hay or grains.
&nbsp;
Automated systems are available to help with such monitoring, adds Chad Cook, vice president of sales and marketing at Bliss, as sensors can be installed to monitor vibration and bearing temperatures from the control room.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
There is an industry-wide movement to add fire safety equipment, Cook adds, and new hammermill systems are now being equipped with spark detection and fire suppression systems.
Author: Susanne Retka Schill Senior Editor, Biomass Magazine 701-738-4922 sretkaschill@bbiinternational.com
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Hammermill Troubleshooting Guidelines Tips for locating vibration source, improving the life of replacement parts.&nbsp;
Hammermills used for grinding wood chips into uniform sizes before pelleting are systems that must be maintained properly to operate at maximum efficiency. Excessive vibration, worn parts and failure to diagnose irregularities in the grinding process can lead to costly repairs and operational inefficiencies. Plants that try to cut corners end up paying for it for the entire life of the system. The following steps are suggested as ways to help mills prevent this from occurring. 
Finding the Vibration Source Excessive vibration is one of the most common problems in hammermills. To locate the vibration source: 
&bull; First, remove all hammers, hammer rods and spacers, then, start the hammermill and run it at operating speed. If the vibration disappears, then the source is your&nbsp; hammers and/or rods.
&bull; If the vibration still exists, stop the hammermill and check the tightness of the stabilizing bars and spanner nuts. Check the welds on the rotors, if applicable. Start the hammermill again, and run it at operating speed.&nbsp;
&bull; If the vibration still exists, have the rotor rebalanced.&nbsp; Check for excessive wear, looking to see if the rotor plate hammer rod holes are worn and need replacing. If the&nbsp; rotor is worn, it will have to be replaced. 
Optimal Replacement Schedule Replacing parts before they become too worn is another preventative measure that can be taken. Here&rsquo;s a look at three critical components of a hammermill and when they should be replaced:
&bull; Screens: When the perforated hole edges become&nbsp; rounded.
&bull; Hammers: When the corners become rounded and&nbsp; main drive motor amperage has increased.&nbsp;
&bull; Wear Plates: When the thickness has been reduced by 50 percent.
Maximize Longevity Once the replacement parts are installed, take the following steps to maximize their longevity:
&bull; Reverse the rotation of the hammermill rotor on at least a weekly basis, if not daily. Doing this will increase the life of both the hammers and screens.
&bull; Make sure product is being fed uniformly into the mill. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
&bull; Too little air flow will cause premature wear on the main rotor plates and force you to change hammers and screens before they normally would need to be changed.
&bull; Make sure adequate air volume is used. Air flow will help&nbsp; uniform feeding and grinding.
&nbsp;
The Grinding Process Finally, it&rsquo;s important to troubleshoot the grinding process on a regular basis, to make sure the system is operating properly. One way to accomplish this is by using the following checklist:
&bull; Confirm capacity.
&bull; Check hammers and screens.
&bull; Check temperature of the grinding chamber.
&bull; Check the air volume.
&bull; Check the feeding device.
&bull; Check for possible discharge obstructions.
&bull; Make sure you&rsquo;re not using excessive horsepower.
SOURCE: Bliss Industries LLC
&nbsp;

ADVANCED PNEUMATICS:  New hammermills are installed with negative lift conveying systems and can be set up with spark detection and fire suppression systems.


2013/12/AdvancedPneumatics_13873759974166_largethumb.jpg

2013/12/AdvancedPneumatics_13873759974166_thumb.jpg

2013/12/AdvancedPneumatics_13873759974166.jpg

INTERNAL CHECK REQUIRED:  Open the doors and check all internal 
wear parts.  

2013/12/InternalCheck_13873759959275.jpg

Monitor output, amp usage and vibration for indications of needed maintenance on hammermills, the workhorses of the pellet industry.

Troubleshooting the Workhorse

When trying to answer the question, &ldquo;What does the wood pellet industry need?,&rdquo; it would be reasonable to think that the best answers would come from those in the industry, particularly those who are making pellets. &nbsp;While I do not have permission to quote anyone, I can relate comments that I hear repeatedly from different people who are actually doing it. &nbsp;Among these are:
&bull; Definition of sustainability requirements. &bull; Clarification of pellet plant emissions requirements. &bull; Financing. &bull; Reliable and productive equipment. &bull; EPC contractors that can deliver plants&nbsp; that perform as represented, on time and&nbsp; on budget.
Currently, the last two bullets may be the most pressing. Thus far, most plants have been pieced together by owners or consulting engineers in the absence of anyone to manufacture pellet plants. On-site construction has been lengthy, as has startup and bringing the plants up to design production rates, and post-installation modifications have been abundant. The problems and needs associated with these situations are often expressed in forums at industry conferences and in private conversations, and it is safe to say that the industry leaders agree that EPC plant providers that can come through and deliver on promises and expectations are sorely needed.&nbsp;
The challenge involved in answering this call is considerable. &nbsp;These projects are complex and large in terms of site acreage, equipment and money. The range of expertise required is great; such a provider will have to have substantial strength.
I believe the best solution to these needs will come through a provider that offers standardized plants with designed-in flexibility. &nbsp;The advantages of standardization are pretty obvious: design costs and time will be greatly reduced, as will shop fabrication time and on-site construction. Additionally, with standard equipment, it is possible to reliably predict performance. &nbsp;The design has an opportunity to mature instead of being new every time, which allows capital investment and operating and maintenance costs to be driven down. &nbsp;Such equipment can be built in modular designs such that on-site assembly is minimized. Investors and owners will then be able to possess a high level of certainty concerning how long it will take to get a plant up and running, costs, production rates and pellet quality.
So, with highly standardized equipment, does the rub come in dealing with all the variations of material and local conditions? &nbsp;Some feel that &ldquo;cookie-cutter&rdquo; plants are not the answer. &nbsp;I agree. However, standardization does not necessarily mean cookie cutter. &nbsp;Many industries have long dealt with such variations within a set of standard designs and standard options. So covering all of the bases may not be as daunting &nbsp;a task as it might at first appear. &nbsp;Consider the major variables that must be addressed: &nbsp;different wood species, moisture contents, local weather and climate, different emissions limits, different site conditions, different chip sizes and shapes, and dirty materials. The solution to several of these issues is that the process and equipment design must be robust. &nbsp;For instance, the drying process must be designed and built such that it does better than just barely meet its guaranteed production rate at the guarantee moisture content. When some reserve exists, the system can then handle a little higher moisture content or a little colder weather. &nbsp;It is true that the plant located in southern Georgia may perform better than the same plant located in Nova Scotia, but the Nova Scotia plant will still meet its guarantees. With such standard designs, changing corrosion-sensitive components to stainless steel to deal with hardwoods costs is not much of a design challenge. &nbsp;Adding a cold-climate insulation package to prevent condensation and subsequent corrosion and to reduce heat loss is also relatively simple.
The industry will no doubt struggle with this equipment issue for some time yet. &nbsp;In the end, cost and productivity will win. In that light, what makes sense: every plant being somewhat of a unique, &ldquo;from scratch&rdquo; design, or all components being standardized and properly matched to each other? &nbsp;I believe in the standardized equipment approach.
Author: Malcolm Swanson Vice President of Engineering, Astec Inc. mswanson@astecinc.com 423-867-4210

2013/12/Malcom-Swanson_13873762315345_largethumb.jpg

2013/12/Malcom-Swanson_13873762315345_thumb.jpg

2013/12/Malcom-Swanson_13873762315345.jpg

Astec Inc. Vice President of Engineering Malcolm Swanson weighs in on the importance of reliable, productive equipment and EPC contractors that can deliver pellet plants that perform, on time and on budget.

What the Wood Pellet Industry Needs

The global wood pellet industry has grown by a compound annual rate of 23 percent since 2000, said Gordon Murray, executive director of the Wood Pellet Association of Canada, during the opening of the WPAC&rsquo;s annual general meeting. More than 300 industry professionals took part in the event, which kicked off Nov. 18 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Robert Tarcon, general manager of Premium Pellet and WPAC present, noted that attendance had more than tripled since the previous year.&nbsp;
The event featured six panels addressing topics ranging from export logistics to sustainability and the learning curve associated with the fast-growing pellet export market.&nbsp;
According to information presented at the event, Canada exported 1.6 million metric tons of pellets to Europe in 2012, with most going to the U.K. The quickly increasing demand has put a strain on producers. The resulting &ldquo;capacity gap,&rdquo; or inability to meet current and future demand with existing capacity, has generated significant excitement in the Canadian pellet industry.&nbsp;

WPAC meeting focuses on rapid growth  

The government of Denmark has filed a report on its domestic wood pellet market with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service&rsquo;s Global Agricultural Network, forecasting that pellet imports will increase substantially through the end of the decade. According to the report, Denmark is already the world&rsquo;s largest wood pellet importer, with imports of 2 million metric tons in 2012. By 2020, imports are expected to increase to 3 million metric tons.&nbsp;
Denmark currently imports most of its pellets from the Baltic region, with 960,000 metric tons imported from the Baltics in 2012. The country also imported 348,000 metric tons from Russia in 2012. Imports from the U.S. were marginal that year, equating to only 38,000 metric tons.&nbsp;
Moving forward, sustainability will be a key factor in determining which exporting countries benefit from growing demand. According to the report, the Danish government is analyzing the sustainability of biomass supplies, and the results of its study are expected to be released soon. The analysis is expected to form the basis for future policy and funding initiatives.&nbsp;

2013/12/Denmark-chart_13873765312763.jpg

Demand for pellets expected to grow in Denmark

The wireless and mobile movement that has swept across the globe hasn&rsquo;t stopped short of cell phones and tablets. Adaptation of smart, sensory and remote monitoring technologies has been ongoing in the power industry for many years, and innovations have only just begun. Via these applications, plant operators are seeing reduced installation and maintenance costs, safer operations, increased efficiencies, and in the case of emergencies or unplanned down time, are able to conveniently access real-time plant data while being nowhere near the facility.&nbsp;
For Stacy Cook, plant manager of Koda Energy, a combined-heat-and-power (CHP) biomass power plant in Shakopee, Minn., being able to access and view control capabilities from remote locations proved highly valuable. Provided by Rockwell Automation, Cook explains that Factory Talk software is set up with the ability to log in to the system from a network. Purchasing extra licenses and installation of a Citrix-based network portal means remote users, once logged into the network, can navigate to the server where the Factory Talk software resides. &ldquo;So any time I am away from the plant and have an Internet connection, I can log into Citrix, get onto our internal network, navigate to our control system server and log into Factory Talk after selecting whether I want to have control capabilities or a read only file,&rdquo; Cook says. &ldquo;Once I am into the system, the screen on my mobile device has the same functionality and appearance as if I were sitting at the operator control station in our plant control room.&rdquo;
Having that capability recently proved extremely useful to Cook. &ldquo;About a year ago, I was in Central America hiking on Mt. Chirripo with my wife,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;While up at the ranger station base camp at 11,500 feet, I found that they had a radio-based Internet connection that I could jump onto. When I logged onto our email server, I had several messages from the plant identifying problems they were having at the CHP plant.&rdquo;
Cook was able to use his smart phone to log into the control system. &ldquo;From the middle of nowhere in Costa Rica, I could help troubleshoot their issues and provide guidance.&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Otherwise, they would have struggled with an upset condition without the additional support from me until I got off the mountain that evening and had a cell connection to speak directly with my operations staff. It is so much better to have the ability to see what they are seeing from the operator chair, and less opportunity for a miscommunication through a verbal or email.&rdquo;
While Cook benefitted from wireless technology while being offsite, many companies, such as Emerson Process Management, are tweaking already robust product lines focused on onsite efficiency. Bob Karschnia, vice president of Emerson Process Management&rsquo;s wireless business, says the bulk of this company&rsquo;s business segment is centered around wireless instrumentation and systems associated with helping customers increase visibility and provide better plant control. &ldquo;[Applications] that keep people safer, make plants more efficient, and keep equipment up and running,&rdquo; he says.&nbsp;
Since biomass power is a newer industry than the oil refinery business, many companies are able and desire to adapt the latest and greatest when they build. Some, however, are making changes to existing plants.&nbsp;
Increasing Efficiency At the Elektrownia Stalowa Wola S.A. power plant located in Poland, Emerson&rsquo;s Rosemount wireless transmitters are being used to enable thermal monitoring of biomass gasification precombustion chambers. There, new temperature data is being transmitted over a network to operators to ensure that the ceramic walls of the chamber are not damaged by stress fractures through overheating.&nbsp;
&ldquo;There, they have rotating kilns pushing the wood chips through, and that&rsquo;s something you can&rsquo;t wire very well,&rdquo; Karschnia says. &ldquo;Getting multiple measurement points along kilns is a problem&mdash;they are long, 20 to 30 feet, and the temperature varies from one end to the other and the middle. You have to be able to get a clear look at the temperature profile across the kiln and control it accordingly, so we put transmitters along it to provide a better efficiency view of what was going.&rdquo;
This provides the operator with the information needed to protect the chamber from overheating. Should temperatures go beyond 350 degrees Centigrade, an alarm is triggered and the operator can adjust the amount of air going into the chamber or reduce the heating of the biomass. If required, the fuel for the chamber can be shut down completely. Should the operator not react in time, the system can shut down automatically. A further transmitter has been installed nearby and acts as a router, strengthening the self-organizing wireless network by providing an extra route for signals to pass through. The device also measures the ambient temperatures.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s been a big thing for them, having the ability to better see what&rsquo;s going on in that kiln, and as a result has been able to increase the efficiency of the process.&rdquo; Karschnia adds.
In Faenza, Italy, the 13.7-MW Enomondo power generating plant at Caviro Distillerie is using Emerson Process Management&rsquo;s smart wireless devices to monitor a complex fuel pretreatment operation, an incineration process, and a new boiler, and has seen an estimated 5 percent increase in overall efficiency. The wireless system meets the plant's predictive maintenance requirements, and continuous data made available by the wireless network enables personnel to identify performance degradation trends that signify potential problems.&nbsp;
&ldquo;In this case, they could have done something like it with a wired solution, but the downside of wires is twofold,&rdquo; Karschnia explains. &ldquo;One is that it causes complexity when trying to do something. If you wanted a wired Ethernet connection from one end of your house to the other you to have a contractor come in, tear up the walls, put in the wire and repatch, and it takes a while, because there is a lot of complexity. If you go to Best Buy and get a wireless router, however, you&rsquo;re up and running right away. That&rsquo;s the advantage of wireless, at Enomondo it allowed them to get that data into their system much more efficiently and quicker than they could have done with a wired system.&rdquo;
Karschnia says wireless systems are usually about half the cost of a wired system, but wired systems have one advantage. &ldquo;The advantage of a wired system is that its powered all the time&hellip;wireless has batteries that have a limited life time. We have high-end, specialized batteries, and run our system to optimize transmitter energy usage such that batteries can last up to 10 years, but an operator gets measurements on a slower rate.&rdquo;
Wired systems may provide readings every half second. With wireless, one can achieve them once every two seconds, but it will cut the battery life down to about three years. &ldquo;If you do it smartly, and recognize that a boiler&rsquo;s temperature doesn&rsquo;t change very quickly, a once-per-minute-update rate isn&rsquo;t a problem. If you&rsquo;re controlling something more high-speed like a liquid flow line, which can change very rapidly, you need higher update rates.&rdquo;
For boiler monitoring specifically, Clark Reliance recently released an upgrade of its boiler-level indication system, which has been installed in over 10,000 boilers in the U.S., according to Jim Kolbus, product manager.&nbsp;
Preproblem Solving The EyeHye SmartLevel Boiler Level Indication System has been on the market since 1959, and has evolved through the years. It consists of sensors located in a vertical pipe manifold, locations of which are agreed upon by the customer or original boiler manufacturer, and is used to indicate actual water level in the boiler drum. This device is also approved for use as a limit control, Kolbus says, so it can be used for alarming or tripping the boiler to shut down for high or low water.
&ldquo;The big advancement with the smart control is that we&rsquo;re telling the operator when to conduct maintenance,&rdquo; Kolbus says. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a blue light that illuminates on the indicator to tell the control room operator that the column or probes need cleaning or a blow down. The idea with the Smart System is that we detect a contamination build up on the sensors before it&rsquo;s to the point where we&rsquo;d get an incorrect signal.&rdquo;
If a customer has a blue light come on in the control room and advises operations to conduct a blow down on the system, one of two things will happen: steam cleaning of the probes will correct it and the blue light will go off immediately, or the blue light remains on, meaning the blow down didn&rsquo;t solve the problem and that there&rsquo;s a bad sensor. &ldquo;By going to the control unit, the module related to the particular probe will have a companion blue light on it and it will identify which particular sensor the customer has to go after,&rdquo; Kolbus says.&nbsp;
With a traditional system, a contaminated sensor may identify a problem when there wasn&rsquo;t one, or indicate water where there is none. &ldquo;If they blew down a column before with regularity, one would see this&mdash;if any lights remained on, there was a dirty, shorted or contaminated probe. They would see which lights stayed on and go troubleshooting,&rdquo; Kolbus says. &ldquo;Here, you&rsquo;ve got a warning system that lets the operator know there will be a problem before it happens. In these days of everyone doing less maintenance than ever before, this is being viewed as a value-added function, and we&rsquo;re getting very good feedback for the people who learn about it.&rdquo;
The EyeHye also has a green system status light, an indicator that lets the operator know all internal communications are working correctly and turns red upon any internal component failure.&nbsp;
&ldquo;With our system and other manufactures' systems with conductivity probes, we traditionally recommend weekly blow downs,&rdquo; Kolbus says. &ldquo;We have customers who tell us when they went through boiler training they have done blown downs once a day or shift, and then there are people who do once a week, which is what we recommend, and those who say, &lsquo;we&rsquo;re short on maintenance people here, nothing&rsquo;s leaking so I&rsquo;m not touching it.&rsquo; As we get into this trend in the power industry of fewer personnel and cutbacks, having a device that smartly tells you when to do maintenance is being widely perceived as a benefit.&rdquo;
Already have an EyeHye and want the upgrade? Three field test installations were done in less than a day, according to Kolbus. &ldquo;We used existing field wiring, removed an old control box and installed a new one, and the indicators for the control room have the same physical size as earlier models so no cutouts required. People tend to get very nervous about having to enlarge openings in control room walls where there is other instrumentation, as they don&rsquo;t want tiny chips produced from cutting or sawing walls to get into instrumentation and potentially cause other failures.&rdquo;
Overall, deciding which technologies will improve a plant&rsquo;s bottom line and achieve safety, emission and other goals isn&rsquo;t a simple task. &ldquo;The challenges plant managers face are always complicated,&rdquo; Karschnia says. &ldquo;They will always have multidimension problems they&rsquo;re trying to solve&mdash;trying to reduce cost, increase efficiency, help with safety and environmental issues, and they don&rsquo;t always line up.&rdquo; &nbsp;
Sometimes, a plant has to spend a lot of money to be more efficient, and that can lead to being cost-prohibitive, he adds. &ldquo;Wireless has dramatically changed that cost-benefit curve, such that you can actually get all of this additional insight on how to run your plants safer and more efficiently at a much reduced cost. As a result, you can see notable improvements in the performance in your plant, and do that with the budgets that you have today.&rdquo;
Author: Anna Siimet Managing Editor, Biomass Magazine asimet@bbiinternational.com 701-738-4961

FASTER, SAFER, CHEAPER: Mobile and wireless technology evolution continues to optimize plant operations.

2013/12/Control-room_BMM_13873768924445_largethumb.jpg

2013/12/Control-room_BMM_13873768924445_thumb.jpg

2013/12/Control-room_BMM_13873768924445.jpg

LONG DISTANCE SUPERVISION:  Emersonâ€™s Rosemount wireless transmitters are used at the Elektrownia Stalowa to monitor the temperature of biomass gasification precombustion chambers.

2013/12/Enomondo1_13873768903464.jpg

2013/12/Enomondo2_13873768913545.jpg

Cutting-edge wireless technologies continue to increase efficiency, simplify maintenance and optimize operations at biomass power plants. 

Wireless Revolution

The new year will be a big one for biomass. As we begin 2014, I thought I would take a look ahead at the decisions that stand to affect our industry over the coming year, and important events to look out for.&nbsp;
First of all and perhaps most important, the U.S. EPA carbon accounting rule has a final deadline of July. This means that, by summer, we will know how&mdash;or whether&mdash;EPA will regulate biogenic carbon emissions from biomass under the Clean Air Act.&nbsp;
The long-awaited rule has been through many twists and turns over the course of becoming final. After an admittedly premature implementation in 2011, EPA requested more time to study the science behind the biomass carbon cycle, deferring the rule three years to allow for a proper carbon accounting by a scientific advisory board.&nbsp;
This deferral was challenged by environmental groups that wanted the original rules to go into effect immediately. The challenge set in motion a chain of legal events, a full detailing of which would make your head spin.&nbsp;
Here we are three years later, the final rule imminent within the next few months. The industry has made a thorough case that, taking into account the life cycle of carbon including carbon consumed during photosynthesis, the net carbon impact of using wood residue for fuel in a biomass facility is, in many cases, better than carbon neutral. We are confident that the science is on our side, and cautiously hopeful that the final rule will reflect this and be acceptable to the industry.&nbsp;
Another EPA activity to keep an eye on is its Section 111(d) listening tour and any resulting regulation. In September, the agency announced its first initiative in direct response to President Obama&rsquo;s Climate Action Plan unveiled last summer. To make the largest impact possible, EPA decided to first target the largest source of carbon emissions: grid-connected power.&nbsp;
The agency plans to work with state environmental regulators to &ldquo;identify innovative, pragmatic approaches that build on the leadership that many states have already shown to cut carbon pollution from the power sector.&rdquo; Biomass, especially coal cofiring and combined-heat-and-power facilities, stands to make a big impact here as an adaptable and reliable energy source that can dramatically reduce carbon emissions.&nbsp;
I encourage anyone reading this to participate as much as possible when the EPA schedules listening tour events in or around your region. We need to use this opportunity to drive home the environmental and economic benefits of biomass.&nbsp;
Finally, 2014 will bring the second National Bioenergy Day. The first one, which occurred in October, was a big success, with 25 events across the country and dozens of positive media stories. We want to make next year&rsquo;s Bioenergy Day even more successful, so I hope we can increase participation. Keep an eye out for more information on National Bioenergy Day 2014.
Happy New Year&mdash;it will be an eventful one for our industry.&nbsp;
Author: Bob Cleaves President and CEO, Biomass Power Association www.biomasspowerassociation.com&nbsp; bob@biomasspowerassociation.com

2013/12/Biomass-Cleaves_13873771394995_largethumb.jpg

2013/12/Biomass-Cleaves_13873771394995_thumb.jpg

2013/12/Biomass-Cleaves_13873771394995.jpg

The new year will be a big one for biomass, according to Biomass Power Association President Bob Cleaves. As 2014 begins, Cleaves takes a look ahead at the decisions that stand to affect the industry over the coming year.

Biomass in 2014: A Look Ahead

EDF Renewable Energy has begun operations of two biomass power plants in South Carolina, a 17.8 megawatt (MW) plant in Allendale County and a 17.8 MW facility in Dorchester County. Together, the two plants make up the Pinelands Biomass project. According to EDF Renewable Energy, the Dorchester plant achieved commercial operations Nov. 1, followed by the Allendale facility Nov. 19.&nbsp;
The plants interconnect to Santee Cooper&rsquo;s transmission system adjacent to the sites. Power generated at the facilities is being sold to the utility under 30-year power purchase agreements.&nbsp;
Each plant features a stoker boiler supplied by Factory Sales Engineering and a steam turbine generator supplied by General Electric. Bibb Engineers is the engineer of record, while Summit Industrial Construction was the general contractor.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Biomass is poised to be a key renewable base load energy resource for South Carolina and we are pleased to work with Santee Cooper on this excellent opportunity to produce economically attractive renewable energy,&rdquo; said Tristan Grimbert, president and CEO of EDF RE.

2 biomass plants commissioned in South Carolina  

WE Energies placed its 50-MW biomass cogeneration plant in Rothschild, Wis., into service in November. The plant, which has been under development the past four years, is located on the site of Domtar Corp.&rsquo;s century-old paper mill.&nbsp;
The plant will take in approximately 500,000 tons per year of biomass feedstock, including wood, waste wood and sawdust. The feedstock will come ready-to-burn from Domtar&rsquo;s fuel yard or will be shredded or chipped offsite by suppliers.&nbsp;
Steam produced at the facility is supplied to the paper mill, supporting Domtar&rsquo;s sustainable papermaking operations.&nbsp;
"The addition of the biomass plant enables us to produce renewable energy on demand," said Gale Klappa, WE Energies chairman, president and CEO. "That benefit is simply not available with solar or wind generation."
Vendors for the project include Metso, which supplied the circulating fluidize bed boiler, and General Electric, which supplied the steam and turbine generator. Appleton, Wis.-based Boldt Construction was the project manager. &nbsp;

PRODUCING POWER: WE Energiesâ€™ cogeneration plant in Wisconsin is located adjacent to Domtarâ€™s paper mill. 

2013/12/WeEnergies-Power_13873774877997_largethumb.jpg

2013/12/WeEnergies-Power_13873774877997_thumb.jpg

2013/12/WeEnergies-Power_13873774877997.jpg

Wisconsin cogeneration plant now operational  

Microvi adds chief science officer Microvi Biotech Inc. has appointed Michael Melnick as chief scientific officer. He is experienced in the biotechnology and materials science industries and has worked as an investor and executive at companies in the energy, chemicals and drug discovery industries. He most recently served as a venture partner at CMEA Capital, an early stage venture capital firm in San Francisco. Melnick joins the Microvi team as it extends applications of its platform technology, MicroNiche Engineering, to the biofuels and biobased chemicals markets.&nbsp;
Online pellet retailer appoints CEO WoodPellets.com has appointed David Nydam as CEO. Nydam previously served as president of Wellesley, Mass.-based BCC Research. Prior to BCC, he was vice president of marketing at EF Education for its Go Ahead Tours division. WoodPellets.com&rsquo;s prior CEO, Tim Loucks, will remain active as a board member and advisor.&nbsp;
Amyris announces new of CFO Amyris Inc. has announced that Paulo Diniz, president of Amyris Brasil, will become Amyris&rsquo;s interim chief financial officer. He assumed his new responsibilities effective Dec. 15. Diniz joined Amyris as president of the company&rsquo;s Brazilian subsidiary in early 2011.&nbsp;
Algenol Biofuels joins AEC Algenol Biofuels has joined the Advanced Ethanol Council. The company is focused on commercializing its patented algae technology platform for the production of ethanol and other biofuels. Algenol&rsquo;s direct-to-ethanol technology uses sunlight, algae, nonarable land and carbon dioxide to produce ethanol , and waste biomass for conversion into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.&nbsp;
The ABC adds 5 board members&nbsp; The American Biogas Council has elected one new and re-elected four directors to its board. Amanda Mott of the Wisconsin State Energy Office joined the board with veteran directors Wayne Davis of Harvest Power, Amy Kessler of Turning Earth LLC, Norma McDonald of Organic Waste Systems and Bernie Sheff of Anaergia.&nbsp;
The ABC adds 5 board members&nbsp; Maverick Biofuels was awarded three U.S. patents for producing a mixed-alcohol fuel from synthesis gas via a methanol intermediate. The inventions broaden the company&rsquo;s technology platform for producing renewable fuels and chemicals.&nbsp;
Carbo Analytics adds board member Carbo Analytics has appointed Amit Kumar to its board of advisors. He has been an investor, founder, director and CEO of several technology enterprises. As CEO of CombiMatrix Corp., he took the company public and ran it for a decade. He has also worked in venture capital with OAK Investment Partners and has been an advisor to investment funds, venture capital firms and Fortune 500 companies. Kumar served on the board of directors for Acacia Research Corp. from 2002-2008 and is currently CEO of Geo Fossil Fuels.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Biomass energy quick assessment tool now available The New York Farm Viability Institute and the New York Biomass Energy Alliance have announced the availability of the Local Impact of Woody Biomass Energy Projects: Quick Assessment Tool for Planners and Community Leaders (QAT). QAT is available in two versions, a lite version for community leaders, planners and development officials, and a full version for individuals interested in digging and looking at more detailed impacts of biomass energy projects.&nbsp;
California Ethanol &amp; Power promotes executive California Ethanol &amp; Power LLC has promoted David Rubenstein from the position of chief operating offer to president and CEO. Prior to CP&amp;E, Rubenstein was president and majority owner of Pacific Diazo Products Inc. Jeffrey Lee, who previously served as president, is assuming the role of manager of project development and general counsel. Lee previously served as senior development manager with Bechtel Enterprises Inc. and lead counsel for a Bechtel Corp. operating division.&nbsp;
Mid-South Engineering acquires D&amp;S Engineering&nbsp; Mid-South Engineering Co. has announced the acquisition of Millinocket, Maine-based D&amp;S Engineering. The acquisition brings together two established and respected names to better serve their customers in the renewable energy, pulp and paper, building products and materials handling industries. The existing operations of D&amp;S Engineering will operate as D&amp;S, a division of Mid-South Engineering Co. &nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;

2013/12/BB-BMM-Melnick_13873780700802_largethumb.jpg

2013/12/BB-BMM-Melnick_13873780700802_thumb.jpg

2013/12/BB-BMM-Melnick_13873780700802.jpg

2013/12/BB-BMM-Diniz_1387378070716.jpg

2013/12/BB-BMM-ABCMott_13873780718485.jpg

2013/12/BB-BMM-CarboKumar_13873780731569.jpg

2013/12/BB-BMM-CEPLee_13873780748084.jpg

2013/12/BB-BMM-CEPRubenstein_13873780758433.jpg

Business Briefs

Earlier this year, from Central America's Mt. Chirripo, Koda Energy plant manager (and Biomass Magazine editorial board member) Stacy Cook performed extensive troubleshooting on Koda Energy&rsquo;s Shakopee, Minn.-based combined-heat-and-power plant with a cell phone connected to a radio-based internet signal. His story, outlined in Anna Simet&rsquo;s page-17 feature &ldquo;Wireless Revolution, &rdquo; is a telling snapshot of biomass energy operations in our wireless and digital era.
This issue of Biomass Magazine digs into plant operations and maintenance, and efficient data capture and transmission emerges as a vital theme in nearly every article. Whether it be temperature monitoring in various areas of a biomass-fired kiln or the rate of slagging inside - a biomass-powered boiler, owners and operators are hungry for access to real-time operational data, and Web-enabled access is practically a must.&nbsp;
In his page 27 column &ldquo;Managing, Operating Multisubstrate Biogas Facilities, &rdquo; Anthony Leske of Himark Biogas reminds us of the critical nature in gathering real-time operational data, noting that &ldquo;more than 40 percent of biogas plant failures occur after startup and are due to monitoring and control errors.&rdquo; Of course, merely capturing and moving this operational data around, even in a wireless fashion, to the most remote corners of the world, doesn&rsquo;t assure that a digester will operate at peak efficiency, that consistent temperatures are maintained throughout a kiln, or an area of a boiler with a high rate of slagging is identified for maintenance at the right time. All of the data in the world can do nothing without a human being interpreting it.&nbsp;
As to data interpreters, staff writer Chris Hanson&rsquo;s page-28 story, &ldquo;Wanted: Digester Technicians,&rdquo; will catch you up on a trend we have been following &nbsp;intently the past three years. Hanson offers an exciting look at the ways in which colleges are pairing with digester builders to develop curriculums that will deliver qualified and well-trained professionals to the marketplace in time to operate and maintain a growing fleet of digesters.
This issue asserts that operational data is the lifeblood of any operations and maintenance program. The data itself hasn&rsquo;t necessarily changed; rather, the exciting changes are occurring in its method of capture and transmission. The one constant is that, ultimately, a human being has to make a decision about the data they&rsquo;ve gathered, no matter where they are.
Author: Tim Portz Vice President of Content &amp; Executive Editor tportz@bbiinternational.com

2013/12/Tim3_2010_13873783007344_largethumb.jpg

2013/12/Tim3_2010_13873783007344_thumb.jpg

2013/12/Tim3_2010_13873783007344.jpg

Biomass Magazine Executive Editor Tim Portz discusses the January issue of the magazine, which digs into plant operations and maintenance, and efficient data capture and transmission. 

January 2014

Business Briefs

Business Briefs

Columns

Managing, Operating Multisubstrate Biogas Facilities

EPA Picks Winners and Losers in Released RVO Rule

Wood Stoves Compete on National Mall

What the Wood Pellet Industry Needs

Biomass in 2014: A Look Ahead

Troubleshooting From Mt. Chirripo

Featured

A Lens on Efficiency

Wireless Revolution

Departments

Sourcing the Force

Wanted: Digester Technicians

Troubleshooting the Workhorse

January 2014.css-7jxktu{position:absolute;bottom:0px;left:0px;right:0px;height:3px;border-radius:3px;background-color:var(--chakra-colors-brandBlack);}

Business Briefs

Business Briefs

Columns

Managing, Operating Multisubstrate Biogas Facilities

EPA Picks Winners and Losers in Released RVO Rule

Wood Stoves Compete on National Mall

What the Wood Pellet Industry Needs

Biomass in 2014: A Look Ahead

Troubleshooting From Mt. Chirripo

Featured

A Lens on Efficiency

Wireless Revolution

Departments

Sourcing the Force

Wanted: Digester Technicians

Troubleshooting the Workhorse

January 2014