ASSESSMENT OF A BIOMASS GASIFICATION CO-GENERATION PLANT BASED ON THE UCS'S 'PRINCIPLES FOR BIOENERGY DEVELOPMENT'

摘要

An assessment of the University of South Carolina's (USC) biomass gasification plant, which produces steam and electricity, is made using the five "Guiding Principles" found in the April 2007 update of the Union of Concerned Scientists' (UCS) Principles for Bio-energy Development document [1]. The UCS's guiding principles are to... "help guide bio-energy development in a manner that maximizes opportunities and helps address the challenges associated with this renewable resource." The USC biomass plant is the first commercial biomass gasification plant producing steam and electricity in the USA. It uses bark chips from the pulp wood industry as its fuel source. Gasification of the bark produces syngas which is then oxidized and used as the heat source to generate 60,000 lb/hour (maximum) of steam at 600 psig and 740 F. The steam first passes through a turbine-generator producing 1.5 MW (maximum) of electricity and then is circulated via the campus system at 115 psig and 325 F for heating and hot water use. The plant's construction, operational conditions, and environmental and economic impacts are examined versus the five UCS guiding principles.