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With more than 100 fluidized bed energy systems
providing over five million hours of
operating experience, Energy Products of Idaho has quietly established itself as a leader
in fluidized bed technology and renewable energy. In 1973, EPI provided the first fluid bed system in the U.S. to
convert biomass waste to energy. Since that time, the company has continued to pioneer the
disposal of difficult waste materials and provide efficient, economical and
environmentally favorable waste-to-energy solutions.
Early EPI systems utilized plant biomass waste to generate process steam and/or hot gas
for direct fired dryer applications. As the company's experience grew with each new
installation, application of this state-of-the-art technology was expanded to include
independent power production facilities and utility power boiler conversions from
antiquated stoker technology. Now considered the technology-of-choice for many
applications, EPI systems are employed in a broad range of industries to convert a wide
variety of waste products to energy.
At the heart of EPI's success and dominance of many market segments is the company's
ability to utilize a wide variety of waste fuels. EPI systems have logged significant
operating time utilizing such diverse fuels as biomass, hog fuel, refuse derived fuel,
demolition waste, urban waste, tree prunings, waste paper, paper sludge, sewage sludge,
coal (ranging from anthracite to sub-bituminous), waste plastics, paunch manure, chicken
litter, rice hulls, peat, lignite, cow manure, railroad ties, and tires. Agricultural
wastes such as cotton stalks, rice straw, wheat straw, olive pits, grape pomace, orchard
prunings, cotton hulls and almond shells have also been successfully utilized as fuel for
electrical power production.
A brief review of major accomplishments clearly
illustrates why EPI is considered the leader in its field:
- Installed the first commercial fluid bed system in the U.S. to dispose of biomass waste
and produce energy.
- Produced more than 100 fluid bed energy systems.
- Completed energy systems operating on a wider variety of waste fuels than any other
fluid bed supplier in the world.
- Installed the first fluid bed waste-to-energy system in the U.S. operating on 100% paper
sludge.
- Completed more fluid bed energy systems operating in plywood plants than any other
supplier.
- Installed more fluid bed power plant installations operating on agricultural waste fuels
than any other supplier.
- Successfully commissioned three commercial fluid bed wood gasification systems.
- Completed three successful waste disposal and energy generation systems for Grant Forest
Products, the world's largest oriented strand board (OSB) plant.
- Completed the first retrofit of a stoker fired utility boiler to a fluid bed.
- Twice received the prestigious Power Magazine "Power Plant of the
Year" award for innovative waste-to-energy projects.
- Owns and operates a fully equipped and instrumented pilot plant
facility.
KEY AREAS OF EXPERTISE
- Biomass and Urban Wood Waste Fired Projects
Six EPI systems, totaling over 135 MWe of power production, have been successfully
operating in California, with the first unit starting in 1987. The Chinese Station, Madera, El Nido, Chowchilla and Delano Units I and II
are excellent examples of the application of EPI's technology to handle a diverse range of
problematic fuels while also meeting strict air pollution limits. These facilities have
burned over 85 varieties of waste fuels in their EPI systems.
- Energy Systems for Ethanol Plants
EPI has been awarded six contracts for energy systems in the ethanol
industry. These systems are fueled on biomass and coal. In the
spring of 2006, EPI commissioned an advanced clean-coal fluidized bed system
for the Corn, LP ethanol production facility in
Goldfield, Iowa. EPI has been selected to provide the ethanol
industry's first fluidized bed energy system that converts cow manure into
usable energy for Panda Hereford Ethanol,
LP.
- Industrial Waste Fired Projects
The company's experience with the DuPont, Brevard AFB project,
completed in 1990, puts it in the industry's forefront for handling a wide variety of
industrial waste materials. The Brevard plant combusts a mixture of scrap x-ray film,
industrial plastics, shipping containers and other plant wastes to produce 60,000 LB/hr of
reliable process steam for use at the adjacent DuPont fibers plant.
- Municipal Solid Waste Fired Projects
Four operating EPI units burn municipal solid waste. The first of the units, Phase One of Northern States Power Company's French Island plant, has been
operating since 1982. Phase two of the French Island project also burns municipal solid
waste and was completed in 1987. The other two 25 MWe municipal solid waste units were
completed for the City of Tacoma in 1988.
- Boiler Retrofits
The four units referenced above for Northern States Power and
the City of Tacoma were all retrofits of existing conventional
boilers. By converting to EPI's fluidized bed technology, and designing and installing
fuel handling equipment to handle various waste materials, EPI was able to upgrade the
environmental characteristics of the units, while also converting to an economically
favorable form of fuel. EPI was awarded Power Magazine's "Energy
Conservation" award for the NSP conversion in 1983. and "Power Plant of the
Year" award for the Tacoma facility in 1991. In 2006, EPI
completed the conversion of an existing grate boiler to an advanced
technology fluidized bed staged gasifier. The system was provided to a
confidential client on the east coast.
- Paper Mill Sludge Fired Projects
EPI produced the first two operating plants fired with 100% paper mill sludge. The Inland Empire Paper Company project has operated successfully since
start-up in July of 1992. The sludge processing unit is the first of its kind to generate
hot water fueled only with paper and deinking sludge mixtures. The hot water, at 600
gallons per minute, is used in the recycled paper deinking process, substantially reducing
overall energy costs. Another 100% paper sludge fueled project was completed in 1993 for a
Virginia-based paper company. A paper sludge fired fluidized bed power
plant was completed for Cartiere Burgo in Mantova,
Italy in the spring of 1999. The EPI energy system supplies superheated
steam to power a 3.2 MWe turbine/generator set and also meets stringent air
emissions requirements established by the operating permit.
- Municipal Sludge Fired Projects
EPI completed two municipal (sewage) sludge fired projects for Allegheny
County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN) in 1993. Due to EPI's proven tramp removal
capabilities, the ALCOSAN system differs from
"typical" sludge combustion projects by burning all of the residue from the
waste treatment facility, including grit and screenings.
- Fluidized Bed Biomass Gasification
EPI's biomass gasifiers are among the few successful fluid bed gasifiers in North America.
The technology used in these systems represents the extension of EPI's combustion design
to the process of gasification. The EPI gasifiers were operated successfully
for three different process conditions; a boiler conversion, a direct fired
clay kiln and a power boiler supplying steam for a 6 MWe power plant.
- Advanced Staged Gasification
In 2002 EPI completed an
advanced staged gasification system for an engineered wood products facility
in Ontario. The system is fueled with hog fuel, sander dust and dry,
hogged board trim. In 2006, EPI completed
the conversion of an existing grate boiler to an advanced technology
fluidized bed staged gasifier. The system was provided to a
confidential client on the east coast. Converting to EPI's
state-of-the-art fluidized bed gasifier allows the host facility to be
classified as a "New Renewable Generating Unit" under Massachusetts
regulations, making it eligible to sell "Renewable Energy Certificates"
enhancing the value of the energy produced.
- Waste Tire Combustion
EPI has extensive test burn experience with waste tire combustion. In cooperation with
Garb Oil and Power, EPI designed and successfully permitted the Rialto Power Project, a 35
MWe power plant to be built in the Los Angeles air basin in California. The database and
expertise generated during the project development stages have been significant in
promoting EPI's fluid bed technology for tire combustion throughout the industry.
- Panel Board Plant Energy Systems
EPI successfully broadened its fluidized bed energy technology to meet the energy demands
of OSB plants for Grant Forest Products, Ltd., and Georgia
Pacific, Inc. MDF plant energy systems have been supplied for Boise Cascade,
MacMillan Bloedel Clarion, Proboard, Ltd. and
Langboard, Inc. The Grant Forest facility in Englehart, Ontario
is the largest OSB plant in the world. It uses three EPI fluidized bed systems for all of
its thermal energy requirements and solid waste disposal needs.
- Process Heat Recovery Veneer Dryer Systems
EPI has completed over ten energy system installations for plywood plants. A typical EPI
installation for a plywood plant such as Boise Cascade's Kettle Falls plant provides both
steam and hot air for the plant processes. The steam is used for the log conditioning vats
and board presses, and the hot air for veneer dryer operations.
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