Triglycerides Used As Greenhouse Burner Fuels: …€¦ · Triglycerides Used As Greenhouse Burner Fuels: 2010 Project Update Prepared For Presentation at: Farm Energy Conference

Ralph Turner, P.E. Laughing Stock Farm

Freeport, Maine

[email protected]

www.laughingstockfarm.com

Triglycerides Used As Greenhouse Burner Fuels:

2010 Project Update

Prepared For Presentation at:

Farm Energy Conference

March 16, 2010

March 16, 2010 Farm Energy Conference 2

Production At Laughing Stock

• 2, 2500 SF Heated A-Frame Houses

• 1, 7500 SF Heated Gutter Connect House– Fall, Winter, & Spring; Greens and Roots;

– Summer; Peppers, Eggplant and Tomatoes

• 1, 1700 SF Heated Tunnel– Summer Peppers, Spring Seedlings

• 1, 3000 SF Unheated 3-Season Tunnel– Season Extension of Field Vegetable Crops

• 7 Acres of Summer Vegetables and Cut Flowers.

• 1 Acre of Peonies for Cut Flowers.

• 4 Acres of Green Manure.


Why an Update?• Single most asked question:

– Are you guys still doing that vegetable oil

heating thing?

• Answer:

– YES!!!

– Because it works.

Our farm could not exist in its current

form without this technology.


Governor’s Carbon Challenge• 2008 Laughing Stock Farm was awarded use of the

Environmental Leader logo for carbon emission reduction by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).


Triglyceride Burner Fuel (TBF)

• Made Possible By A Maine Department Of Agriculture Development Grant– Goal Was To Demonstrate New Use Of Existing

Commercially Available Technology

• Purpose:– To Reduce Heating Costs

– To Develop A More Environmentally Sound Solution Than Petroleum and Biodiesel

– To Develop A Local Community Solution That Also Helps Restaurants


Combustion of Triglycerides

• Old Technology On Industrial Scale– Used in food industry for many decades.

– Used in pulp and paper industry for many decades.

– Investigated at the University of Georgia in 2004.

• New Technology On Commercial Scale– Successful “real world” field trial in 8th year (over

15,000 hours @2.5 gph) at Laughing Stock Farm in Maine.

– Based on our work, this technology has been adopted for warehouse heating by:

• Barber Foods in Maine

• Friendly’s Restaurants in Massachusetts

• Schwann’s Frozen Foods in Minnesota

• Walmart in Colorado


What Are Triglycerides

• Animal fats and vegetable oils are triglycerides. Three fatty acids attached to a glycerin backbone.

• Oils tend to be unsaturated where fats are more saturated.

• Moisture (Hydrolysis), Cooking (High Temperature), and Oxidation result in

fatty acids breaking off the glycerin to resulting in free fatty acids,

diglycerides, monoglycerides, glycerin, and various polymers.


Important TBF Oil Properties

• TBF freeze and thaw:

– Freezes at 10 to 90 deg F.

– Melts at 30 to 110 deg F.

• Flash Points:

– Fatty acid flash point is 350 to 400 deg F.

– Glycerin flash point is ~390 deg F.

• BTU content is ~126,000 BTU/gal.

– No.2 heating oil is 143,000 BTU/gal.

– Biodiesel is 117,000 BTU/gal.


Energy Content of Various Fuels

BTU/Lb BTU/gal

Chicken Fat* 16873 125267

Yellow Grease* 16899 125460

Choice White Grease* 16893 125415

Tallow* 16920 125616

No.2* 19237 142817

Biodiesel 117093

*University of Georgia; A Demonstration of Fats and Grease as Industrial Boiler Fuel.


Combustion Air Emissions

Air

Emissions

Reductions

B100 B20 Triglyceride

Carbon

Monoxide

-43.2% -12.6% -30.0%

Hydrocarbons -56.3% -11.0% Not Reported

Particulates -55.4% -18.0% Very Low

Nitrogen

Oxides

5.8% 1.2% -5.0%

Sulfur Oxides -100%

Emissions reductions are from petroleum fueled diesel engines for B100

and B20, and from No. 2 petroleum fueled industrial boiler for triglyceride as

reported by the University of Georgia.


Update of Demonstrated Solution:

• Collection

• Winch and Forks for Drum Handling

• Storage

• Drum Warming

• Transfer

• Strain and Settle

• Store in Heated Day Tank

• Burn in Clean Burn Burner

• Field Trial Economics


Collection

• Drums with covers and locking bands are set at large volume restaurants.

• Restaurant employees empty the used oil into drums and attach the

cover to keep water and small animals out of the drums.

– I got my first opossum in 2009


Storage

• Drums with covers and locking bands are set on pallets outside for long term storage.

• Small volume restaurants hold TBF in original fry oil containers.– The small containers are processed immediately and stored in tanks or

drums.

– Cardboard and PE jugs are recycled.


Drum Warming

• Warming is done on concrete slab with PEX tubing embedded for hot water heat (200 F) from the used oil boiler.

• Drums are covered with bubble wrap insulation (Drum Cozy) to speed the warming process.


Transfer

• Warm liquid oil is sucked from drums and pumped to strain and settling tanks.

• Pump is ~15-18 gallons per minute gear pump, driven by 2 HP electric motor.


Strain and Settle

• Course strained oil is discharged to strain and settling tank.

• Relatively clean oil is discharged to settling tank.

• Oil is heated to ~120F-140 F and allowed to settle for ~24-72 hours.

• Free water and flowable sediment are drawn from the bottom valve and mixed with collected “water” and solids into manure compost pile.

• Clean oil is sucked from a standpipe ~5” above the tank invert for transfer to the day tank.


Strain and Settle Tank Diagram


Store in Heated Day Tank

• Cleaned oil is then pumped into heated storage “day tank.”

• Tank and fuel delivery piping are heat traced with PEX tubing, and insulated to keep oil at ~120-140 deg F.


Burn In Clean Burn Burner

• Warm, cleaned TBF is burned in a Clean Burn used oil burner using oil heaters and compressed air to enhance atomization and combustion.

• Ceramic cylinder in combustion chamber radiates heat back at flame to aid in combustion of high flash point fractions.


Most Recent Economics• Economic benefit from TBF during 2008/2009 heating

season:– 9,185 gallons TBF used x $0.51/gal = $4,684.

• Approximate labor to collect, handle, clean TBF, and maintain system, assuming $15.00/Hr burdened labor rate.

• Cost has NOT increased since 2003.

– No. 2 oil averaged $2.98/gal for 2008/9. Up >100% since 2003.

– Differential: (9,185*2.98)-4684=$22,687.


Summary

• The Elements Necessary For Success

– Environmental Benefit – Proved!

– Economic Benefit – Proved!

– Standard Fuel Specification – In Progress

– Fuel Burning Appliance Standard – In

Progress


American Society For Testing Materials


Fuel Prop. Units Diesel No. 2 (S500) No. 4 No. 5 Light) Biodiesel Triglyceride

Fuel Std D975 D396-05 D396-05 D396-05 D6751 AOCS/ASTM

Fuel Comp C10-C21 HC NR NR NR C12-C22 C8-C22

LHV BTU/gal 131,295 NR NR NR 117,093 125,000

Kin.Visc.@40C 1.3 to 4.1 1.9 to 3.4 5.5 to 24 5 to 8.9 1.9 to 6.0 1.9 to 6.0

@100C

Sp.Gravity @60F kg/l 0.85 NR NR NR 0.88 0.88

Water <161 ppm 0.05% Vol 0.5% Vol 1.0% Vol <0.05% <1.0%

Carbon wt % 87 NR NR NR 77 77.2

Hydrogen wt % 13 NR NR NR 123 112

Oxygen wt % 0 NR NR NR 11 10.6

Sulfur wt % <0.05 0.05% 0.10% 0.15% 0.0 to 0.0024 0.0-0.0024

Flash Point C 60 to 80 38 38 55 100 to 170 140 to 180

Cloud Point C -15 to 5 NR NR NR -3 to 12 -5 to 20

Pour Point C -35 to -15 -6 -6 NR -15 to 10 -5 to 20

Stoich.A/F Ratio wt/wt 15 NR NR NR 13.8 12.638

Ultimate CO2 NR NR NR NR NR 15.55

Comparison of Various Fuels


Underwriters Laboratories

• The UL label confirms for building

officials that the appliance has been

tested and approved by a third party

testing agency and found to operate

safely.

• The label lists each approved fuel.

• No burner manufacturer can include

TBF until ASTM first passes the

standard specification for the fuel.


Potential For Maine Agriculture

• 1.5 Million GPY of (UCO) TBF Available in Maine

• 3-6 Million GPY of YG Available from MA @~$2.00/gal

• 450 Million GPY Medium Distillate Petroleum Used in Maine for Heating

Maine Available (UCO) TBF Could:– Heat 40 Acres of Greenhouses Distributed Across Maine

– Contribute ~$6 Million in Gross Farm Revenue

– Save ~ $2.25 Million in Restaurant Used Oil Disposal Costs

– Do This With NO Haz Mats, Minimal Transportation, NO Multi-Million Dollar Process Plant, NO Legislative Support Actions


Conclusions

• TBF can be a sound local solution for some businesses.

• TBF will not solve the worlds energy problems.

• Standards are necessary for commercial acceptance.

Ralph Turner, P.E.

Freeport, Maine

207-831-2182

[email protected]

www.laughingstockfarm.com

Documents

Triglycerides Used As Greenhouse Burner Fuels: …€¦ · Triglycerides Used As Greenhouse Burner Fuels: 2010 Project Update Prepared For Presentation at: Farm Energy Conference