Develop an Alternate Energy Source Thru Use of a Poultry Litter Pelletizer and a Combustion Chamber to Heat Poultry Houses. Final Technical Project Report

摘要

Poultry litter in a pelletized form is an acceptable energy source. The machinery and mechanism to process the litter, the combustion chamber with supporting controls and equipment, is practical and marketable. The controlling factor is economic demand. With the price of fossil fuel diminishing and with the labor cost and energy cost to process the litter, it is not economically desirable to pay the equivalent of $1.50 per gallon. It would not be economically competitive with present heating power plants because of its high initial cost, the cost of labor to maintain a pellet supply and the undesirable feature of solid fuel versus liquid fuel. This system could not be fully competitive with present systems until fuel prices increased to $3.00 per gallon. In order to be competitive, this system must be more efficient in producing pellets in terms of pounds per hour, more efficient in converting this solid fuel into final desired results of heated water in the circulating system, and automation in transferring the stored solid fuel from the bin to the combustion chamber within the auxiliary furnace. When this grant was started in 1980, many experts thought that the price of heating oil would rise to about $2.00 per gallon by 1982, increasing the incentive to find alternative energy sources and powerplants. Instead, fuel prices have stabilized, and in fact, they have reduced by approximately 25% of what they were in 1980. A major curtailment in world oil supply would result in higher cost, then practical alternatives would be in demand. 4 references, 7 figures, 4 tables. (ERA citation 10:012649)