How to Waste Steam

On second though......

.

What fuel is currently being used to heat the boiler? I doubt it is all wood waste. I suspect it probably represents a regular expenditure in excess the cost the wood waste carries. It would make sense to simply supplement the normal fuel with all the wood waste. It is likely to save in regular fuel costs.

.

If on the other hand, this saw mill is powered exclusively by wood waste, perhaps some consideration should be given to reducing the kerf...

Drain it to steam traps

Steam Trap is a device used to discharge condensate and non condensable gases with a negligible consumption of live steam and prevent the leakage of steam. Steam trap valve also calls Resistance steam drain valve. The basic working principle is using the weight and temperature difference of steam and water to realize the Hydrophobic purpose. In the system of steam heating, Steam trap valve can resist steam and drainage. Choosing the right Resistance steam drain valve can make the steam heating device reach the highest working efficiency.

WP

No market for surplus wood pulp? No scope for power generation and export? No scope to add value to the product range? They're new ones on me, Uncle!

Wood chips are sold but unfortunately in their geographical market there is no viable market for the sawdust mounds and are therefore generally burnt away.
Power generation is not allowed by our dictator-esk government owned power utility so is out of the question.
But if you could elaborate on "add value to the product range" I would be interested.

"Add value to the product range" is exactly what it sounds like. What happens to the timber after it is cut in the saw mill? There may be a way to complete a necessary process or shorten the time for that process using the excess steam, making what is produced have more value.

.

Using steam to heat a kiln to dry what is cut comes to mind.

.

Adding additional products can also add value to the range... especially if it involves transforming a former waste product into a marketable profitable product. Using steam generated by burning part of the saw dust to power equipment to press the remaining portion of the saw dust into pellets and then further using the steam to reduce the moisture of those pellets significantly could provide a lightweight (read as low cost to ship) product that may present sufficient demand in areas within shipping distance to allow a profitable addition to the current operation.

Make hardboard, MDF, HDF, chipboard, OSB, etc.

What's the real problem here?

It's money, right?

First total up your annual energy bills to determine what you stand to gain by going off grid.

Since you've got energy to burn I would get a creative, pugnacious lawyer to interpret the law regarding energy generation being disallowed, tell him to find out exactly how it's framed in the law and the exact precise way around it.

They all know how to do that, it just depends on the free cash available, (see energy bills above.)

Tell him that his fees are contingent on him finding a way for you to generate power so he can get a percentage of the surplus cash thus generated.

Use another part of the excess cash you generate to tie up the asshole power utility in court for years while the hay rolls in.

News flash: High temperature steam can be used to even re-form sawdust into "wunderwood" bars of incredible strength and durability. By melting the lignins in the sawdust, it is possible to make a moldable product that is extrusion formed. Look it up. If I have to tell you exact details of the process, you need to find another line of work.

Another thing that comes to mind is to use a gasification reactor to make synthetic fuels from sawdust, forget the steam boiler (unless you need steam for a step somewhere in the process).

If nothing else, the sawdust can be extruded for fuel pellets as well as the wood chips. Nothing in nature is waste, there is always some creature willing to use it.

They can make wood brickets and can make additional revenue if not consumed in house. They can can dispose the same to a bricket manufacturer.

Making steam and finding use for it all add to your cost only.

Let them find wealth from waste saw dust.

They can also send it to the local communities for domestic cooking ovens , which are excellent fuel.

Use the steam and sawdust to make bullet proof bathroom doors
Del (Kris made me say it )

Yes. There's probably a market for them in South Africa.

Set up a particle board plant to add to the product line.

Instead of making more steam, buid a charcoal plant and turn the sawdust into compressed charcoal brickets or logs.Should be a good market for charcoal.

Dear Mr.Steam,

You have not indicated the quantuity of the wast to be burnt and pressure and temp. of the boiler. In simple term, we should not waste the valuable heat energy. Burning the waste, which cannot be avoided is throwing CO2 and dust to atmosphere.

If the pressure and temp. is known we can install a suitable Power Turbine and generate electricity and use for in house and balance power can be sold to a nearby/specific customer or to the grid.

First option should be to identify a buyer for the waste wood for their need.

Second option is put a suitable turbine and generate power.

Pl. provide the details for quantity of waste to be burnt and if possible the calorific value which is burnt and the Boiler Pressure and Steam Temp. and the water availability for cooling tower or spray pond to cool the water circulated for condenser.

DHAYANANDHAN.S

Did you read the part where the local despot in charge (dictator) does not want them generating electric power? I think he must be Amish (that's a joke, son).

Instead of generating electricity, they could use the steam to store energy in hydraulic accumulators that could mechanize the entire process in the sawmill, and the leftover "fuel" sawdust and chips could still be converted into particle board, or "wunderwood".

You mentioned that venting steam waste water. How about using the steam heat for distillation of raw water into a pure, safe, potable product. In many parts of the world clean and safe drinking water sells for as much as petroleum fuel, if it is available. Transportation must be available to ship the sawmill products. Why not an extra train car for a desirable product..

Der Mr.enlav,

Referring to your comment to use the steam and getpure water from raw water - the pure water will be distilled water and will not contain any minerals in the form of Totally Dissolved Solids, which is a must for good health.

DHAYANANDHAN.S

It may be free of the 'good minerals,' but it will also be free of such things as lead and infectious microorganisms.

Priorities must be considered, first remove all the Bad Stuff, then look at how to put back the Good Stuff that got taken out with the bad.

I am right now on project to use excess steam produced from solar concentrator. The idea is to pump water using a 'steam syphon' using available/excess steam. Consider if this would be helpful.

There are some good suggestions on this thread already but they are all very sensitive to geographic location and the volume of the waste. There is not likely enough waste to make another product except maybe fuel pellets but those are pretty sensitive to geographic location to be able to sell them--or even if there is a market in your area. They are doable because the capital equipment is pretty scaleable down to the very lowest volumes. I'm sure you don't have the hundreds of thousands of tons of woodwaste necessary for a MDF plant, though.

Have you done the calcs to see how much heat you have to dump to burn the waste generated? Can the boiler do it?

I've seen a heat dump installed in a hot oil energy system in a sawmill in Alberta, Canada. It was just a large radiator with a fan that blew the energy to the sky.

You could also do it by heat exchanging to water, if you have close access to a creek or river where the excess heat could be dumped.

What is the plant using the steam for now? Are they generating their own power and is the lumber kiln dried with their steam? Could you waste steam by installing electric heaters to dump power? That's assuming their generator has excess capacity. Could you put steam turbines on key machines in the mill, for example to drive the air compressors if they are buying outside power?

Can you impair the efficiency of the boiler in some way, (without impairing the clean burning of the woodwaste) for example, don't bother preheating feedwater. Bypass the economizer. Don't use the sootblower as often to clean tubes. Maximize the wetness of the woodwaste feedstock to the limit of the boiler's specifications. (if it was spec'd to handle fuel with 50% moisture content, then make sure the fuel is that wet at all times.

Going from the wild to the whimsical: Throw out any steam turbines that are generating power--get an old steam locomotive, jack it up and belt from a drive wheel to the generator. Efficiencies are guaranteed to drop by orders of magnitude!!

This sounds like a fun assignment!

Keep us posted!!

Jon.

Thanks Jon. Some great ideas there.
You are correct in assuming that most of the other suggestions, while useful, are impractical due to location.

The boilers have the capacity to handle the excess fuel.

Steam is for drying on the kilns only and nothing else. They are putting up a power plant on the site next door in 2016 and want as low a capital investment for now.

I will be keeping my eyes open for any old steam locomotives though. Not too many lying around in South Africa though.

"They are putting up a power plant on the site next door in 2016 and want as low a capital investment for now."

What sort of power plant? Would it be feasible to sell them the excess fuel? Or is the power plant a government-funded project that won't pay fair market price for their supplies?

Just burning your surplus free fuel to generate steam that won't be used.....as you said that just wastes the boiler dosing chemicals and it will shorten the life of your boiler too.

Finding something else to do with the energy or produce something with the material is the rational approach as others have suggested.

Electricity generation is the most obvious but you say your electrical energy monopoly there won't allow it.....even for use at the facility only ie not grid connected?

How about using the surplus fuel to make house bricks?

I once refurbished the sawmill of a paper making plant in the UK. Bark stripped from the trees was bagged an sold via garden centers as a mulching material and sawdust was sold as bedding material for use with horses. We had to remove old sawdust from beneath the cutting tables to access the cabling. This had composted and provided a boost for my and several of my neighbours' rose beds.

Sorry pressed submit rather than edit before I had finished my comment.

My suggestion is that rather than burning the waste wood, if it could be shredded and mixed with the sawdust it would make an excellent soil improver for local farmers. Giving it away free would be cheaper and more environmentally sound than burning and would benefit the local community.

Why is it necessary to burn the wood waste? Can't it be disposed of as wood.

Anyway, with an adequate supply of wood and steam, you could set up a plant to make activated charcoal.

Activated carbon has a big role to play in modern pollution control - the market is certainly not shrinking.

Burning the excess fuel, where is as is, is an environmental issue but using the boiler, effectively, as a bloody incinerator isn't.....something wrong here.

Let it all rot and release methane instead...how does that stack up with the "authorities"?