Today, Thursday October 20, 2011, my environmental science class toured the Avista's Kettle Falls Generating Station for our lab today-- seeing how our community gets electricity. I can see the condensation from both the stack and the cooling towers from my house, and have always just considered it to be some way of making power. I never stopped to think about how it works. I gained a new respect for the people that provide the power for my community and for their environmental concern and standards. Touring this amazing engineering feat was definitely a privilege!
Copied off Avista's
Website
The plant burns wood waste to produce steam, which runs a turbine and generator that can produce a maximum output of 53 megawatts of electricity. The plant also operates a natural gas-fired combined-cycle combustion turbine that produces 8 MW, bringing the electricity output of the entire plant (including biomass and natural gas-fired operations) to 61 MW; enough electricity to power nearly 46,000 homes.
The plant was the first electric generating station of its kind constructed within the United States for the sole purpose of producing electricity from wood waste.
How the Plant and Biomass Works
- Wood waste – called “hog fuel” – is fed into a seven-story furnace/boiler and burned, creating heat. The walls of the furnace/boiler consist of pipes filled with water that are heated by the burning hog fuel. The optimal burning temperature is 2,000 degrees, resulting in a steam temperature of 950 degrees. The heated water generates stream and pressure that drives a turbine, which turns a generator, creating electricity.
- The term “biomass energy” refers to the organic matter in trees, agricultural crops and other living plant material burned to create energy. Avista’s focus has centered on wood waste of various types.
- The plant burns 70 tons (140,000 pounds) of wood waster per hour during full operations. That amount of fuel would fill two fully loaded semi trucks.
The plant removes 99.9 percent of particulates from flue gas prior to leaving the stack. (.052 pounds of particulate is released per ton of fuel burned.)(Cami inserts: That's about 3 lbs an hour- could fit in your cupped hands!)
And--- My pictures!
 |
| This picture shows the generating station in flow form |
 |
| The class going out to see the receiving hopper |
 |
| You have to admit that this is a pretty slick way to empty the trailers! |
 |
| Wood biomass behind the conveyor belt |
 |
| Cooling towers |
 |
| Inside |
 |
| The burning! | | | | | |
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment