Rural Synergies: Combined Heat and Power Systems at Dairy Farms and Ethanol Plants

Presented at: 2010 ACEEE Forum on Energy Efficiency in Agriculture Madison, Wisconsin February 8th, 2010 Presented By: Dr. Steffen Mueller & Cliff Haefke University of Illinois at Chicago U.S. DOE Midwest Clean Energy Application Center

Topics to be Covered
Rural Electricity Delivery Issues and Concerns Concept of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) CHP on Farm and Ethanol Facility Co-location & Integration of Farm & Ethanol Facility

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U.S. DOE Midwest Clean Energy Application Center

Located at University of Illinois at Chicago Originally established in 2001 by US DOE to support DOE CHP Challenge Today the center promotes the use of CHP, District Energy, and Waste Heat Recovery Technologies Strategy: Provide a technology outreach program to end users, policy, utility, and industry stakeholders focused on: Targeted Education Midwest Unbiased Information Technical Assistance www.chpcentermw.org

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Rural Electricity Delivery Concerns

Inadequate service lines Unable to attract larger businesses Higher electricity prices to build grid infrastructure Unstable electricity delivery (momentary power interruptions) Increased chance of electric outages (lower amount of utility support due to lower population)

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What is Combined Heat and Power (CHP)?

A More Efficient Way of Delivering Energy A Form of Distributed Generation An Integrated System Located At or Near a Building/Facility Provides at Least a Portion of the Electrical Load and Recycles the Thermal Energy for
Space Heating / Cooling Process Heating / Cooling Dehumidification Domestic Hot Water
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15% Qin (fuel input) 100%

Prime Mover Prime Mover Natural Gas Propane Digester Gas Landfill Gas Others Heat Exchanger Heat Exchanger

Defining CHP Concept

Wout 35% electricity
Generator Generator

Qout

Qout
Thermal System Thermal System

50% thermal
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Prime Mover generates mechanical energy Prime Mover generates mechanical energy (reciprocating engines, turbines, fuel cells) (reciprocating engines, turbines, fuel cells) Generator converts mechanical energy into Generator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy electrical energy Waste Heat Recovery includes one or more Waste Heat Recovery includes one or more heat exchangers that capture and recycle the heat exchangers that capture and recycle the heat from the prime mover heat from the prime mover Thermal Utilization equipment converts the Thermal Utilization equipment converts the recycled heat into useful heating, cooling, recycled heat into useful heating, cooling, and/or dehumidification and/or dehumidification Operating Control Systems insure the CHP Operating Control Systems insure the CHP components function properly together components function properly together
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What are the Customer Benefits of CHP?

CHP does not make sense in all applications, but where it does make technical and economic sense, it will provide:
- Lower Energy Costs

- Reduced Energy Consumption - Increased Electric Reliability - Standby Power - Improved Environmental Quality - Public Relations Benefits

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CHP Example #1: Hunter Haven Farms

Pearl City, Illinois 800 dairy cows Plug flow anaerobic digester 260 kW CHP generating capacity 1.5 MMBtu/hr hot water heat recovery Began operation: 2005/2008

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CHP Example #2: Adkins Energy LLC

Lena, Illinois Ethanol facility 47.5 million gallons per year Natural gas-fired CHP system 5.0 MW CHP system Heat recovery: 125 psi pressure steam Began operation: 2002
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Proximity of Dairy Farm to Ethanol Plant

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Typical Farm and Ethanol Plant

Electricity Electricity

Natural Gas

Lagoon Waste Dryer 1/3 hay 1/3 corn silage 1/3 gluten + protein mix + corn Feed

DDG

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CHP on Farm
Electricity Electricity

CHP System Biogas Bedding Digester Waste Waste Heat Recovery Effluent (fertilizer) Dryer 1/3 hay 1/3 corn silage 1/3 gluten + protein mix +corn

Natural Gas

Corn/ Silage

DDG

Feed

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CHP on a Farm and in an Ethanol Plant

Electricity Electricity

CHP System Biogas Bedding Digester Waste Waste Heat Recovery Effluent (fertilizer) Dryer WDG 1/3 hay 1/3 corn silage 1/3 gluten + protein mix +corn Feed Corn/ Silage Waste Heat Recovery CHP System

Natural Gas

DDG

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Integration of Farm and Ethanol Plant

Electricity Electricity

CHP System Biogas Bedding Digester Waste Waste Heat Recovery Effluent (fertilizer) Dryer 1/3 hay 1/3 corn silage 1/3 WDG + gluten + protein mix + corn Waste Heat Recovery CHP System

Natural Gas

Corn/ Silage

WDG

DDG

Feed

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Closed Loop Energy Synergies

Electricity

Synergy #1

Electricity

CHP System Biogas Bedding Digester Waste Waste Heat Recovery Effluent (fertilizer) Dryer 1/3 hay 1/3 corn silage Feed 1/3 gluten + WDG Corn/ Silage WDG DDG Waste Heat Recovery CHP System

Natural Gas

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Closed Loop Energy Synergies

Electricity

Synergy #2

Electricity

CHP System Biogas Bedding Digester Waste Waste Heat Recovery Effluent (fertilizer) Dryer 1/3 hay 1/3 corn silage Feed 1/3 gluten + WDG Corn/ Silage WDG DDG Waste Heat Recovery CHP System

Natural Gas

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Closed Loop Energy Synergies

Electricity

Synergy #3

Electricity

CHP System Biogas Bedding Digester Waste Waste Heat Recovery Effluent (fertilizer) Dryer 1/3 hay 1/3 corn silage Feed 1/3 gluten + WDG Corn/ Silage WDG DDG Waste Heat Recovery CHP System

Natural Gas

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Closed Loop Energy Synergies

Electricity

Synergy #4

Electricity

CHP System Biogas Bedding Digester Waste Waste Heat Recovery Effluent (fertilizer) Dryer 1/3 hay 1/3 corn silage Feed 1/3 gluten + WDG Corn/ Silage WDG DDG Waste Heat Recovery CHP System

Natural Gas

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Closed Loop Energy Synergies

Electricity

Synergy #5

Electricity

CHP System Biogas Bedding Digester Waste Waste Heat Recovery Effluent (fertilizer) Dryer 1/3 hay 1/3 corn silage Feed 1/3 gluten + WDG Corn / Silage WDG DDG Waste Heat Recovery CHP System

Natural Gas

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Closed Loop Energy Synergies

Electricity

All Identified Synergies

Electricity

CHP System Biogas Bedding Digester Waste Waste Heat Recovery Effluent (fertilizer) Dryer 1/3 hay 1/3 corn silage Feed 1/3 gluten + WDG Corn / Silage WDG DDG Waste Heat Recovery CHP System

Natural Gas

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Closed Loop Synergy Descriptions

#1 (red) biogas from the digester produces electricity in the CHP system and reduces rural electric load; the heat recovered from the engine maintains the temperature of the digester #2 (yellow) the liquid effluent (high in NPK) from the digester is utilized as fertilizer to grow corn/corn silage for feed to the cows; cow waste is recovered into the digester #3 (brown) the solid effluent from the digester is used as bedding for the cows, increasing cow health.
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Closed Loop Synergy Descriptions

#4 (green) heat recovery at the ethanol plants CHP system increases energy efficiency and reduces electric load on the rural grid #5 (blue) the WDG that is not dried into DDG at the ethanol plant is shipped to the local farm for animal feed. Cows turn animal feed into more biogas for more electricity production and reduced rural electric load

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Farm Energy Savings and Optimization

Free electricity from biogas CHP system
Average generation 170 kW/hr Total 1,489,200 kWh per year

Free Heat from CHP hot water heat recovery

Maintain temperature of digester In-floor heating of barn and holding areas Farm hot water needs

Reduced animal feed cost Corn silage from digester produced fertilizer (high NPK) WDG from ethanol plant Animal bedding from digester effluent (happy cows = more milk)
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Ethanol Plant Energy Savings and Optimization

CHP provides more efficient method of delivering energy to a facility when compared to standard method of electricity from utility and thermal energy from boilers
Baseline Ethanol Plant No CHP 0.71 kWh/gal* from utility Adkins Energy CHP Self-generation <0.1 kWh/gal from utility Adkins Confirmed Reduced Power Outages
*Source: Mueller and Copenhaver An Analysis of Modern Corn Ethanol Technologies

Reduced energy consumption due to shipping WDG to area farmer (drying WDG is energy intensive operation)
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Summary
CHP provides a solution to increasing reliability of rural electric grid by reducing grid electric demand CHP provides process efficiency for both farm and ethanol plant (closed loop synergies) Ethanol plants can provide valuable feedstock for farmers more farmers = more shipping of WDG and less DDG less DDG = lower energy consumption at ethanol plant Co-locate several farms in close proximity to a single ethanol plant for synergistic benefits

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Questions / Discussions
Contact Information
Steffen Mueller 312/355-3982 muellers@uic.edu Cliff Haefke 312/355-3476 chaefk1@uic.edu

Energy Resources Center University of Illinois at Chicago www.erc.uic.edu US DOE Midwest Clean Energy Application Center www.chpcentermw.org
Promoting CHP, District Energy, and Waste Heat Recovery

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