GASIFICATION SYSTEM KEY TO COLBY COLLEGE CENTRAL HEATING PLANT EXPANSION

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Laura Clements, Project Manager

Construction is nearing completion on the Colby College Central Heating Plant Expansion project in Waterville, Maine. During the planning stages of this project, Colby College was adamant about reducing their carbon footprint. As a result, they selected a biomass boiler system provided by CHIPTEC Wood Energy Systems. They also opted for two equally sized systems to ensure complete redundancy, thereby dramatically reducing their use of fossil fuels.

The CHIPTEC gasification system produces gas from the clean wood fuel which is then oxidized in a boiler to produce high pressure steam for cogeneration of heat and power that is used on campus. The gasifiers were each coupled to a new high pressure steam boiler. The equipment was installed by The Cote Corporation, working for Johnson & Jordan, Inc., through a window opening in the south wall of the new Central Heating Plant building. Click here to see a time-lapse video of the installation.

The use of this technology allows for Colby College to:

• Reduce their carbon foot print
• Reduce their dependency on fossil fuels by roughly 90%
• Support the local economy by purchasing approximately 22,000 tons of locally produced wood fuel
• Continue to cogenerate electricity in the Central Heating Plant
• Save thousands of dollars per year: estimates suggest the facility will pay for itself in 6 to 10 years.
• Fix and reduce long term operation cost

Some of the major advantages of the Chiptec technology include:

• High turn down capacity (allows for efficient operation of low load situations)
• Ability to burn green and dry fuels
• Easy ash removal system
• High fuel efficiency
• Low emissions
• Ability to idle cleanly and efficiently in low load periods
• Soot free combustion
• Reduce green house gases
• Fix and reduce long term operation cost

Installation of the gasifiers represented a major milestone in the construction of this project. PC and Colby look forward to the 2012 heating season, when the true benefits of the new biomass expansion project begin to be recognized!