Group 11: Scott Altern, Katherine Clemente, Quentin Leitz, and Seth Ludwig

Design Statement

Feedstock: Corn stover due to low cost and abundance in the United States
Plant location: Fulton, Illinois based on abundance and proximity to consumers
Consumer: Chicago OHare International Airport 3rd largest airport in the U.S.
Upstream: Feedstock

Process Design

Plantation

Gasification
Dried corn stover was converted to conventional Aspen components based on its elemental composition
Solid carbon and sulfur are gasified with oxygen and steam according to a kinetic model in a CSTR
Volatile component reactions are simulated in an RGibbs before reacting with gasification products in a CSTR

Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis
Gasification products undergo a water gas shift to achieve a H2:CO ratio of ~2.1:1
Sulfur compounds and CO2 are removed by methanol absorption in the Rectisol process
In Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis H2 and CO are converted to hydrocarbons. Modeled by a PFR based on a kinetic
model for CO conversion and theoretical product distributions

Refining Steps
A rigorous crude fractionation column separates FT products for refining
C11+ products are sent to the hydrocracker for isomerization and conversion to lower carbon numbers
A fraction of these products are converted to aromatic compounds to meet ASTM fuel standards
C6-C10 products are oligomerized to longer hydrocarbons
C3-C5 are alkylated to the aromatics to reduce freezing point according to ASTM standards

Gasification

Transport

Milling

Shipped to
facility via
freight train

Ground up
before later
processing
steps

Downstream: Distribution

Conversion
to Jet Fuel
Gasification
& FischerTropsch
Synthesis

Jet Fuel
Distribution
Shipped via
freight train
to Chicago
OHare

Jet Fuel
Consumption
Sold to airlines
such as
American,
United & Delta

Economics
Our initial plant design was not economically feasible
High capitals costs led us to redesign the plant to eliminate electrical generation and an air separation unit
A sensitivity analysis was performed, which found that the economic feasibility is most sensitive to capital costs, followed by
product sale price and jet fuel production rate
We subsequently increased the plant throughput by a factor of 25 to take advantage of the flattening capital cost curve
Total Fixed Capital Costs of $1.2 Billion
Total Corn Stover Feedstock: 3.3 million tonnes/year

Total Operating Cost:

$358 million per year

Total ISBL Cost:

$582 million

Fischer-Tropsch

Refining (29%)
Misc. Equip. (19%)
Pretreatment (7%)
Water-Gas Shift (3%)

Feedstock (51%)
Maintenance (12%)
Prop. Tax (12%)
Steam (1%)
Water (0.18%)

Gasification (28%)
F-T (8%)
Acid-Gas (6%)
Frac Col (0.34%)

3000

Capital Cost (MM$)

Corn Stover
sourced in
Iowa from
local growers

Refining

2500
2000
1500
1000
500

y = 4.659x0.5896
R = 0.9325

0
0

10000

20000

30000

40000

Total Revenue:
$753 million per year

Kerosene (59%)
Naphtha (10%)
Natural Gas (2%)

Operators (14%)
Electricity (12%)
Catalysts (7%)
Shipping (1%)
Co-reactants (0.15%)

Cumulative Cash Flow (MM$)

Produce 9,780 bbl/day of grade A commercial jet fuel from a

renewable corn stover feedstock via gasification and F-T Synthesis.

Project Scoping

Tax Credits (24%)

Propane (5%)

$4,000.00
$3,500.00
$3,000.00
$2,500.00
$2,000.00
$1,500.00
$1,000.00
$500.00
$0.00
($500.00)
($1,000.00)
($1,500.00)

50000

NCCF

NPV

Plant Size (Tonne Biomass Fed/Day)

10

15

20

Year

Acknowledgments

Refining Stages

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

The Chemical Engineering Dept.
Professor Baysal
Professor Bequette
Professor Dalakos
Daniel Howsmon

All of our Chemical Engineering professors to this point:

Professor Belfort
Professor Chakrapani
Professor Collins
Professor Cramer

Professor Dordick
Professor Garde
Professor Karande
Professor Koffas

Professor Lee
Professor Plawsky
Professor Tessier
Professor Underhill