Analysis and Design of a Wood Chip-Fired, 25,000-lb/hr Steam Boiler Facility, Colgate University

This project developed from the Energy Conservation Analysis Study performed for Colgate University by ANTARES staff. The project included the analysis and design of a 25,000-pound-steam-per-hour, wood-chip-fired boiler facility, including wood chip unloading and storage facilities, wood chip and ash handling systems, emission abatement systems, and control systems. The facility was constructed adjacent to an existing boiler plant containing three No. 6 oil-fired, high-pressure steam boilers having a total capacity of 120,000 pounds per hour. The design was configured so that the existing personnel and truck traffic patterns were maintained without service interruption. The deaeration, feedwater, and steam distribution systems of the existing boiler plant were utilized by the wood-fired boiler. The wood-fired boiler provides the base steam load for the campus.

During the three-month initial test phase, the wood-fired facility avoided the use of 325,000 gallons of oil at a cost of $219,400 (data adjusted for degree-days). During this period, 6,200 tons of wood chips were consumed at a cost of $126,000, for a net fuel cost avoidance of $93,400.