Biomass - Program 188

Transcription

1 Biomass - Program 188 Program Description Program Overview Power produced from biomass offers a renewable, low-carbon-emitting option for dispatchable energy. Additionally, biopower can provide local economic support, coproduct opportunities, and environmental benefits, including restoration. Despite the abundant benefits of biomass-based power, overall development has been somewhat hindered by two critical issues: developing a reliable, sustainable supply chain, and producing costeffective power with high efficiency. These two issues are the fulcrum of EPRI s research program, providing context to a set of very complicated, interrelated issues. Participation in this program also includes results of biomass engineering and economic evaluations as described under the Renewable Energy Economics and Technology Status program (Program 84). Research Value EPRI s biomass research program provides ongoing insight into the technical feasibility of biomass power options, details the costs of those options, and informs the public debate on environmental matters, especially the carbon footprint of biomass power. Collaboration in the Biomass Program provides value to those organizations that are Developing biomass power options and are interested in optimizing those assets over the long term; Contemplating biopower scenarios and need evaluation tools, engineering results, and cost information; Monitoring biopower developments, comparing generation costs to costs of other renewables, and examining the societal role of biopower; and In the biomass supply business as the biopower sector pushes toward lower costs and more-robust, sustainable supply chains. Through a comprehensive stakeholder roadmapping process, critical issues facing the biomass industry were identified. As noted above, this process has highlighted two critical issues: building a reliable, sustainable supply chain, and providing technology to reliably and cost-effectively convert the biomass to power. The roadmapping provides a deeper look at the details of addressing these drivers, and EPRI turns to the funders to prioritize the annual activities. In many cases, it is advantageous to engage non power-producers in crafting the R&D solution. Collaboration with organizations such as universities, timber companies, government agencies, and national laboratories is invaluable to biomass R&D. Accomplishments The EPRI biomass effort has pioneered work in cofiring with biomass, repowering coal units with biomass, and upgrading of biomass feedstocks. Information developed by EPRI has informed the public debate on the lifecycle greenhouse gas impacts of biomass power. Additionally, EPRI s ongoing efforts to qualify and estimate the cost of technical developments provide a reliable industry tool for understanding the role of biopower in the portfolio of generation options. In 2012, EPRI is providing three key R&D results. First, EPRI will host a workshop that addresses the critical issues power producers face in dealing with the carbon footprint of biopower. This workshop will include life-cycle assessments as well as presentation of tools for managing and understanding carbon neutrality issues. Second, an assessment of high-fraction cofiring will be delivered, including an update on direct injection systems and use of upgraded biomass. Finally, while there are abundant cost estimates for the nonfuel components of biomass power, they are wildly divergent. Reconciling this diverse set of capital expenditure figures will allow a truer, more reliable picture of biopower costs for both stand-alone power and cofiring to emerge. Additionally, a year-end summary is provided to funders and to the public in the form of the annual Biomass-to-Electricity Workshop, hosted in 2012 by the Tennessee Valley Authority. p. 1

2 Current Year Activities The 2013 program will continue work on major industry issues, including sustainability standards, creation of robust supply chains, and communication of sustainability/neutrality work to stakeholders and policymakers. The key technologies required to improve the economics of biomass power, including repowering options and highfraction cofiring systems, will be evaluated and developed. Additionally, high-efficiency systems such as combined heat and power plants and gasification power plants will undergo further development. Finally, investigations will provide insight into the practicality of upgraded biomass fuels and the broad deployment of waste-to-energy facilities. Estimated 2013 Program Funding 2.0M Program Manager David O'Connor, , Summary of Projects Project Number Project Title Description P Biomass Supply Management This project provides analyses of critical biomass supply issues to develop vigorous, durable fuel delivery for power stations. P Power Generation from Biomass P Biomass Environmental Issues This project develops information and technologies that can allow utilities to cost-effectively adopt biomass power within their generation and renewable energy portfolios. This project will evaluate various environmental factors with respect to their regional sensitivity and overall importance to a biomass operation. P Biomass Supply Management (069181) Key Research Question The increasing number of renewable portfolio standards will drive many organizations to deploy biomass-toelectricity plants. In the late 1980s in California, the demand for biomass supply for power stations outstripped production. The result was a significant industry restructuring, including ownership changes and plant shutdowns. Today, as the electricity sector moves into biomass-to-power, lessons such as this will be important for understanding the ever-evolving biomass fuel supply situation. Similarly, as more biomass enters the electric sector, there will internal and external pressure on utilities to ensure that supplies of biomass will last the life of the plant and beyond. A more complete understanding of the existing and future biomass supply market is necessary to make informed fuel procurement and investment decisions. Utilities have vast experience in procuring coal and natural gas, and have developed considerable understanding of the key aspects of those fuels. However, procuring biomass in large, dependable supplies places utilities in unfamiliar territory, potentially dealing with a whole array of new issues, including Large numbers of smaller suppliers, rather than a few large suppliers; Sharply defined supply seasonality; New, unproven supply chains and infrastructure developments, including the potential for aggregation and fuel upgrading; Biomass - Program 188 p. 2

3 Uncertain future resource availability due to competition from other biomass consumers and critical water/land use priorities; and Poor understanding of biomass markets, including cost structure and price risk mitigation options. Perhaps most importantly, for biomass to be considered renewable by the public, the supply must be sustainable and have a minimal carbon footprint. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently evaluating its position that biomass is carbon neutral while additional information is developed and relayed to the Agency. This window of opportunity will allow EPRI and others to provide critical information for the debate on neutrality. Because owners need to operate their biomass facilities for decades to make sound financial decisions, a sustainable, long-term supply is a paramount consideration. Considerable work remains on determining sustainability of various supplies. This project will gather information from existing sources and industries, such as the forestry and agriculture industries. Lessons will be collected from the infrastructure development of industries such as pulp and paper and food products, and existing research will be mined for insights into land use. Best practices in procurement from other bio-based industries will be surveyed. Because the utility sector's needs are somewhat different from those of existing bio-products sectors, many of the practices and analyses will need to be adapted for deployment in the utility business framework. Morespecific modeling will be undertaken to clarify biomass fuel procurement risk and risk management strategies. Impact The results of this work can be used to Build a robust fuel supply chain; Understand and communicate the important issues of sustainability and carbon neutrality; Manage supply and price risk; Understand competing uses for land, water, and biomass; Develop improved contracting methods; and Understand investment risk. How to Apply Results Members can use the results of this project to gain a deeper understanding of biomass markets from lessons learned from other industries and implications of land-use modeling. Members also can develop their biomass procurement processes through improved contracting, application of risk management techniques, and use of supply-chain hardening methods used by other industries. Finally, a deep understanding of the life-cycle implications of biomass-based electricity can provide some understanding of long-term supply security, along with valuable insights for communicating with stakeholders about the carbon footprint of biomass electricity Products Supply Chain Lessons : Large-scale procurement and delivery of biomass are new areas to most power producers, but other industries, such as pulp/paper, lumber, grain export, and pellets manufacture, have developed and refined techniques for managing the supply chain process. This report summarizes the key lessons from other industries in providing continuous, cost-controlled biomass feedstocks. Biomass - Program 188 p. 3

4 Communication Guideline for Sustainability, Carbon Neutrality, and Biopower: The issues surrounding sustainability of biomass supplies are critical to public acceptance, yet they are poorly understood by many of the stakeholders, decision makers, and influencers. Similar issues face the biopower sector as the public weighs in on the carbon neutrality of the electricity. This report will summarize the science of these critical issues in a relatively easy-to-understand format. The work will draw on the lessons from other industries, including forestry and biofuels. P Power Generation from Biomass (069182) Key Research Question Most of the research issues surrounding biomass power have their roots in the fuel itself, which has very low energy density, contains high alkali and moisture levels, and generally is fibrous. These characteristics can lead to handling issues, poor capacity or conversion efficiencies, potential deposition issues within the unit, premature denox catalyst degradation, and difficulty in drying, milling, and transport to the boiler. In noncombustion biomass systems, these same fuel properties can cause similar problems, including poor-quality syngas and difficulty in gas cleanup. For 2013, this project will conduct work in up to six key areas: technology transfer, cofiring systems, direct-firing systems, fuel upgrading, gasification systems, and waste to energy. Technology transfer will consist of webcasts and meetings to transfer experiences among funders and will include the annual Biomass-to-Electricity Workshop. The work in cofiring will investigate system design issues for high-percentage cofiring (greater than 15%) and assess ash-related issues, including corrosion, slagging, and fouling. Work on direct-firing systems will analyze the growing body of repowering projects to provide cost/performance profiles for each type. The effort in fuel upgrading will consist of expanded test burns of upgraded biomass in utility-scale power generating units. The gasification work will assess biomass syngas cleanup and upgrading technologies. The waste-toenergy focus will be on advanced technologies such as plasma gasification or pyrolysis. Impact The work in biomass power generation can allow utilities to comply with renewable standards with greater efficiency, lower costs, and higher reliability. How to Apply Results The results of this work can support utilities as they formulate the details of their renewable energy strategy, providing clarity about equipment life (in the case of cofiring) or in selecting technology options (in the case of direct-firing systems). The information about economics and performance of upgraded fuel systems can be useful as utilities evaluate fuel supply scenarios, as well as operational impacts of biomass Products Biomass-to-Electricity Workshop: This annual workshop will present research results on key issues facing the biopower sector. Fuel Impacts of Biomass Cofiring: This report will summarize recent research on the impacts of biomass fuels on power systems, including changes in slagging or fouling potential, corrosion issues, predictive technologies, and mitigation methods. Resource Biomass - Program 188 p. 4

5 Technology on Biomass Repowering Options: This report will be a state-of-the-art summary of developments in biomass repowering, including European experiences, unit reconfiguration issues, the role of upgraded fuels, and the opportunity provided by the Mercury Air Toxics Standards for power plants. Summary of Bio-Syngas Cleanup and Upgrading Technology: This report will review the key cleanup options requirements for generation options, including internal combustion engines, combustion turbines, and direct combustion options. This report will also summarize the leading technology options for upgrading syngas to pipeline-quality gas. Industry Experience with Upgraded Biomass: This report will summarize global experience with upgraded biomass, particularly at utility scales. Included will be products such as torrefied chips and/or pellets, steam-exploded pellets, washed/beneficiated biomass, or other advanced products. Advanced Waste-to-Energy Conversion Technology Summary: This work will summarize recent commercial and pilot-scale advances in combusting or converting nonspecialty wastes to steam, electricity, or other useful products. Of particular interest are likely to be pyrolysis and plasma arc gasification. P Biomass Environmental Issues (073485) Key Research Question Through technology improvements and the potential for carbon emission related legislation, biomass is increasingly being evaluated as a potential "drop-in" fuel for existing coal-fired power stations. While biomass possesses a number of beneficial characteristics, the biomass supply chain varies significantly from the way fuel for coal-fired power stations is currently sourced. Biomass requires a different selection of resources for growth, harvest, and certainty of supply. In addition, there are a multitude of potential biomass crops that could serve as fuels. The crop characteristics combined with the demand for supply for a given location can be site specific or region specific. Because of this fact, it is necessary to evaluate the regional significance of environmental factors that influence future biomass use and consideration by electric utilities. This project will evaluate the various environmental factors such as temperature, water availability, and carbon sequestration potential of the crop and of the soil with respect to their regional sensitivity and overall importance to a biomass operation. Each factor will be considered uniquely and as a component of the larger system to determine which factors are most significant and how they could influence the project. Impact This research will inform utilities about the specific carbon intensity of their plants in addition to helping determine if the region in proximity to the plant can sustain long-term biomass fuel production. Understanding these considerations is imperative, as the conversion of a conventional coal-fired power station to biomass requires significant investment. In order to determine the value of such a conversion, long-term certainty is required to help mitigate region-specific risk in relation to biomass. How to Apply Results Electric utilities will gain an understanding of the environmental considerations that must be taken into account when evaluating a future biomass-fueled power station. This understanding will help determine the potential for plant operations, certainty and accessibility of fuel supply, and the unique environmental characteristics of the plant. Biomass - Program 188 p. 5

6 This knowledge will also be applicable to the evaluation of biomass facilities with respect to renewable portfolio standards or similar legislation Products Evaluating the Regional Significance of Environmental Factors for Future Biomass Consideration: This report will evaluate the various environmental factors such as temperature, water availability, and carbon sequestration potential of the crop and of the soil to determine their regional sensitivity and overall importance to a biomass operation. Each factor will be considered uniquely and as a component of the larger system to determine which factors are most significant and how they could influence the project. 12/20/13 Report The overall evaluation will provide a relative significance for each issue in terms of crop and regional location. Torrefaction Pilot Testing (071809) Supplemental Projects Background, Objectives, and New Learnings Biomass torrefaction involves treatment of raw biomass in an oxygen-free environment at a temperature of approximately C. The resulting solid torrefied char generally contains up to 30% more energy content per unit mass than the raw feedstock. Compared with raw wood products (chips and pellets), torrefied biomass contains a far lower amount of volatiles and virtually no water. Torrefied biomass allows for higher levels of mass densification through pelleting/briquetting than regular biomass does. Torrefied pellets are hydrophobic and likely do not degrade physically. Recent EPRI tests confirm that torrefied pellets/briquettes can be produced from a wide variety of feedstock (sawdust, willow, larch, verge grass, demolition wood, and straw), yielding similar product specifications. Additionally, EPRI completed an engineering study to explore the feasibility of small torrefaction facilities (2 5 tons/hour of product capacity). This project will test a pilot torrefier to validate performance estimated in the prior EPRI study and will include extensive cofiring tests at the Boardman host plant, using pilot test produced torrefied chips and pellets from local arundo donax, hybrid poplar, agri-waste, and pine. The project objectives are to Independently assess performance of a pilot-scale 2 5 ton/hour torrefier using several woody and herbaceous feedstocks to assess quality of processed products, process energy efficiency, flexibility, mass yields, and emissions; Produce approximately 10,000 tons of torrefied product (chips and pellets) from several feedstocks to support subsequent cofiring with coal at various ratios and 100% torrefied biomass 24-hour burning tests at the host plant 600Mw Boardman (Portland General Electric); and Participate in burning tests at the Boardman host plant to extract lessons learned on the large-scale application of this engineered fuel. New learning is expected to include In-depth knowledge of torrefied biomass production and key issues affecting quality, emissions, and economics; and Results of large-scale burning tests at the host plant using this engineered fuel in cofiring with coal and 100% feed at an existing plant. Biomass - Program 188 p. 6

7 Project and Summary The torrefaction process demonstration will include a first small-scale testing step of handling, grinding, torrefaction, and densification using arundo, hybrid poplar, agri-waste, and pine previous to the pilot test of the 2 5 ton/hour torrefaction plant. The project will produce torrefied biomass from three different types of feedstock (woody, perennial grass, and agricultural waste) in sufficient quantity to support extensive burning tests at the Boardman host power plant. The pilot plant will integrate the torrefaction technology selected with decomposition, grinding, drying, and densification modules. The process will be supervised from a centralized control room and will include a chemical laboratory for sample quality control. Extensive test burns using the torrefied biomass will then be conducted at the Boardman host site. These tests will include assessment of torrefied biomass handling/grinding, combustion efficiency, emissions, and ash characterization. Benefits Reduce the technical and economic risk of adopting this new high-potential engineered fuel to existing coal burning plants Expand the use and geographic range of economic biomass to energy production Accelerate application of commercial torrefaction technology for high-ratio biomass cofiring Optimize operating performance to meet required fuel specifications from a variety of biomass feedstocks Biomass - Program 188 p. 7