Coal to Biomass Conversion Using Steam Treated Wood Pellets at Thunder Bay Generating Station

摘要

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has studied and evaluated a number of approaches to repower its Thermal generating assets in order to comply with Provincial regulations that prohibit the use of coal for generating electricity. Recent strides have been made in this area via the successful testing of steam treated wood pellets to completely replace coal at the Thunder Bay Generating Station. These thermally upgraded wood pellets have been found to exhibit excellent performance in the areas of outdoor storage and safety in handling operations. These benefits enable the design of a low capital investment approach to effectively and safely generate power with this renewable fuel. Results from the storage, handling, milling and combustion test as well as observations from the commissioning of the unit will be discussed.