25 years of biomass design experience

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your partners for biomass energy projects

table of contents

your partners for biomass energy projects 1

strategic program management 2

feasibility studies and preliminary planning 4

fuel assessment and aggregation 6

environmental review and permitting 8

engineering and design services 10

construction and operations assistance 15

Barr and Cook Engineering: your partners for biomass energy projects 1

The team of Barr Engineering Co. and Cook Engineering can help take your biomass projects from conception to commissioning. Our experience with wood-waste-combustion technology dates back to the early 1980s and first-generation facilities. Our current projects include steam-turbine and boiler installations that use wood waste as the fuel source.

For over two decades weve worked in facilities of every shape and size. We provide prescreening and feasibility studies, detailed design, permitting, and civil, structural, process, mechanical, and electrical engineering; air, water, and solid-waste permitting; and project-management services that include construction management and owners engineering.

Whether you need assistance in many areas or just one, the Barr/Cook team will help you successfully meet the business, financial, and social goals for your project.

About Barr Engineering Company

Barrs nearly 500 engineers, scientists, and technical support specialists provide engineering and environmental services to clients across the continent and around the world. Incorporated as an employee-owned consulting firm in 1966, Barr has offices in Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, North Dakota, and Calgary, Alberta.

About Cook Engineering

Founded in 1962 and located in Thunder Bay, Cooks staff of 100 professionals provides engineering, architectural, environmental, and management services to clients throughout the region. Cook serves its heavy-industry clients in the Midwestern U.S. through Laurentian Engineering in Duluth, Minnesota.

your partners for biomass energy projects

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strategic program management

Our team helps clients identify viable Our team helps clients identify viable new business models and projects that add strategic and commercial value.

Our team helps clients identify viable new business models and projects that add strategic and commercial value.

Pre-feasibility analyses provide a big-picture overview of potential projects to determine whether a more detailed feasibility study is a worthwhile investment. We can assist you with:

development of a business case and sales strategiescapital-cost estimatessite layoutspermitting and siting evaluations, including fatal-flaw analysesdevelopment of options and alternativespro-forma financial analysesoperations-and-maintenance cost estimates

support for financing

Not surprisingly, financing is a crucial element in develop-ing and completing a successful project. Beyond funding for the initial studies, debt-and-equity funding must be obtained to complete the project.

Our team can assist you in obtaining funding and work with your investment advisor to produce documentation and analysis in support of financing activities. We provide investment memoranda that enable potential investors to assess the risks associated with projects.

public-relations assistance

We can also assist you in building public support for and awareness of your projects. We can prepare news releases, make public presentations, and facilitate forums for information exchange. We use language the general public can understand to accurately describe projects while acknowledging the interests of tribal/First Nation and advocacy groups, regional and local economic impacts, and local impacts related to noise, zoning, and fugitive emissions.

project-management services

Our project-management services range from permitting assistance to engineering to subcontractor scheduling, construction management, and owners engineering. We provide project-management and oversight services on

projects lasting from a few weeks to several years.

Providing appropriate and comprehensible information to stakeholders and public audiences can help build support for proposed biomass-energy projects

Barr Engineering Co. and Cook Engineering: your partners for biomass energy projects 3

financial feasibility evaluation for a confidential clients hydroelectric projects

As part of a U.S. Trade Development Association grant program that works to expand U.S. trade markets in developing countries by funding business and infrastructure projects, Browers Consulting (now part of Barr) evaluated the economic feasibility of two proposed hydroelectric projects in Rwanda. The project entailed reviewing conceptual designs for the proposed plants, developing estimates for capital and operating costs, and developing business pro-forma cases.

preliminary and financial analyses for a district heating system

The city of International Falls, Koochiching County, and the International Falls school district funded a two-phase study to investigate the feasibility of constructing and operating a new district heating system. The system would burn wood chips and/or municipal-refuse fuel. Cogeneration was also evaluated.

Barrs work included preliminary determination of the system heat loads, preliminary selection of combustion technologies, siting of the heating plant, and preliminary design of the heating plant, materials-handling systems, heat-distribution systems, and building conversions for development of a constructed-cost estimate. We also conducted a financial analysis to evaluate economic feasibility under varying scenarios.

our team for strategic program management

Bruce Browers, PE Senior Consultant, Senior Mechanical Engineer 218-529-7107 bbrowers@barr.com Bruce, who has 35 years of experience, specializes in working with the electric-power generation and process-steam industries. For more than two decades, he has worked on projects involving design, construction, and operation of combined heat-and-power plants fueled by biomass. For the past five years, he has specialized in assessing the feasibility of prospective U.S. power-industry investment in developing nations. Before that, he served in managerial roles at Minnesota Power for over 25 years.

John Lee, PE Vice President, Senior Civil Engineer 952-832-2646 jlee@barr.com John has been providing engineering services to power utilities, local and federal government, and private-industry clients since 1979. His work includes en-vironmental permitting and review, power-plant siting, landfill design and permitting, civil and geotechnical engineering, and remedial investigations and design. On many projects, John serves as the project principal and project manager, helping ensure clients satisfaction with our work. He recently served as project principal for a large energy-technology integration project in North Dakota.

Bill McLean, PE Principal, Senior Mechanical Engineer 807-625-6727 wmclean@cookeng.com Bill began his career as a boiler design engineer before gaining experience in project management on large coal-fired utility-station projects in China and India. With over 30 years of experience in the engineering-services sector, Bill has applied his steam-generation-equipment and process knowledge to a variety of steam-plant projects, including scrubber installations, a 20 MW turbine installation, and high-pressure piping and pressure-vessel modifications. Recently, Bill managed engineering design services for the upgrade of an existing biomass-fueled boiler and a 48 MW condensing turbine installation in British Columbia.A steam plant at which Cook Engineering worked on a biomass-

energy project

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feasibility studies and preliminary planning

With a pre-feasibility study completed, we can help you develop a more detailed scope of work and move into the feasibility study phase. This yields a decision grade document for obtaining a corporate funding commitment. We recently conducted such studies for a combined heat-and-power project in North Dakota and a peat-fired power plant in Uganda.

feasibility study for a peat-fired electric-generation facility

In 2007, an investment and development company proposed constructing the first privately owned power-generation facility in Uganda. Under a U.S. Trade Development Association grant, the client hired Browers Consulting (now part of Barr) to evaluate the economic feasibility of constructing and operating a plant fueled by the countrys vast peat resources.

Expanding on an earlier peat-resource survey, Browers Consulting performed fuel-assessment studies to confirm that adequate resources existed to fuel the 20 MW plant and then developed preliminary plant design concepts.

The fuel assessment revealed that the regions peat resources would support the plant, and a project site was acquired. Browers Consulting also developed a pricing index to compare the cost of electricity generated by the peat-fired plant to that from government-owned plants.

Barr prepared preliminary cost estimates and provided detailed design services for this 35 MW biomass-energy project in northern Minnesota

financial feasibility study for pipeline expansion

Browers Consulting was selected to assist the U.S. Trade Development Association in evaluating the economic feasibility of extending a refined-oil-products pipeline from Kenya to markets in Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. Historically, oil products had been trucked into those countries over poor roads.

We conducted a desktop market study to compare the economic factors associated with pipeline transport to those for truck transport. We evaluated the demand for refined products and estimated the pipeline size and route, as well as capital and operating costs associated with accommodating this demand. A business pro forma was then developed based on these calculations.

Study results showed that extending the pipeline would provide a significant economic benefit for the three countries.

Barr Engineering Co. and Cook Engineering: your partners for biomass energy projects 5

feasibility study for biomass boiler improvements

The Green Energy Project was started at the Zellstoff Celgar pulp mill to increase electricity production potential by installing a new steam turbine, upgrading a power boiler, and implementing various pinch projects.

Cook Engineering was selected to complete a feasibility study in 2007 and detailed engineering in 2008. At the time, a significant quantity of steam was being vented to the atmosphere when steam generation from the black-liquor-recovery boiler exceeded process demand.

Cook identified an additional 120,000 pph of steam that could be recovered through process-related capital projects. We also determined that a further increase in steam generation was possible with an upgrade of the power boiler to achieve its full MCR rating of 120,000 pph on biomass consisting of hogged-wood residuals.

mulch to megawatts provides a basis for preliminary planning and beyond

What does a viable biomass power project look like? The Barr/Cook team has developed general specifications for a biomass power project and compiled them in a document titled Mulch to Megawatts. The reference plant is a 25 MW project that represents the sweet spot for a practical rate of return and realistic fuel-supply logistics.

Mulch to Megawatts offers an overview of economic factors, fuel considerations, and environmental impacts as well as a base-plant equipment list, general arrangement, heat balance, and electrical diagram. This information can be useful in preliminary project discussions and can serve as the basis for more detailed planning based on your project specifications or special circumstances.

For a complimentary copy of Mulch to Megawatts, contact Bruce Browers (bbrowers@barr.com) or Bill McLean (wmclean@cookeng.com).

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$3335 per KW

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$3335perKWDirectOvernightCost

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Increasing capital Increasing fuel25 MWIncreasingcapitalcostperKW

Increasingfueltransportationcost

25MW

Size

A graph from Mulch to Megawatts demonstrates why 25 MW is an optimal size for biomass-energy projects with respect to capital and fuel-supply costs. Smaller projects will be more expensive to build (per KW) and larger projects will require a larger fuel-aggregation radius, which can result in unsustainable transportation costs.

The upgrade consisted of replacing most of the boiler waterwalls with membrane construction, a new Detroit Stoker VCG specifically designed for full biomass capacity, and a new dry-ash-handling system. The three sources yielded 309,000 pph and 87,000 pph of 900 and 600 psi steam, respectively, that could be diverted to a new 48 MW steam turbine.

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fuel assessment and aggregation

A biomass energy project is only as viable as its fuel supply. The Barr/Cook team helps clients resolve biomass supply challenges associated with identifying the local market, assessing the quantity and quality of fuel sources, and evaluating the risk of supply and price fluctuation.

Our team provides comprehensive fuel assessments to support bankable feasibility studies and project financing.

Landowners, farmer organizations, processors, loggers, and solid-waste generators make up the biomass-provider network in the Midwest. As growing interest in energy from biomass creates demand, biomass markets can be volatile and affected by factors unrelated to actual production and preparation, such as transportation-fuel prices, housing-industry demand for materials, and animal-feed markets.

We understand that your biomass project needs a fuel strategy that addresses factors ranging from the vulnerability of current material supply and price to long-term supply and feasibility risks. Our team works with clients on projects that co-fire biomass and process an expanding variety of biomass into biofuel by shredding, drying, and cubing.

We have helped clients incorporate biomass firing into an existing combustion system and designed fuel-handling-systems as well as new auxiliary systems for fuel screening, size reduction, conditioning (drying), storage, conveying, and blending. We understand that co-firing can alter boiler-system operating parameters and affect aspects such as heat rate, water demand, ash or slag quality, and emissions characteristics.

process design and cost estimating for a biomass to liquid-biofuel production plant

Flambeau River Biofuels was formed in 2007 in response to the U.S. Department of Energys request for demon-stration biofuel production projects. The project quickly escalated to a biomass production project with a daily input requirement of 1,000 bone-dry tons. It uses Thermo-Chem Recovery International (TRI) gasification technology for biomass conversion to syn gas and Fischer-Tropsch gas-to-liquid catalytic technology. When constructed, the plant will produce zero-sulphur diesel and wax products.

Cook Engineering worked with Flambeau River Biofuels to complete process design and project estimating for the biomass system from fuel-yard layout through biomass processing; all conveying; an enclosed linear reclaim-storage system; biomass drying; dry storage; and delivery to the TRI system.

Ag residues such as wheat straw can serve as biomass fuel

Barr Engineering Co. and Cook Engineering: your partners for biomass energy projects 7

our team for fuel assessment and aggregation

Dave Knutson, P. Eng. Principal, Senior Mechanical Engineer 807-625-6721 dknutson@cookeng.com Dave, who has 33 years of experience, began his career in the pulp and paper industry. He special-ized in steam-plant services, focusing on increased biomass firing to reduce production costs. His recent work includes a design-build biomass power-boiler retrofit to eliminate fossil-fuel firing, piping design for a 25 MW backpressure-turbine installation, and a 50MW condensing-turbine feasibility study.

Jacob Thompson Senior Environmental Specialist 952-832-2662 jthompson@barr.com Jacob has more than nine years of experience on projects for clients in the fuels and forest-products industries, including work on papermill-production improvements and regulatory compliance. His recent work includes assessing biomass fuel options, determining biomass-production grant-program applicability, and evaluating fuel costs and fuel-storage requirements for biomass-fired power projects.

Barry C. Brooks Materials Handling Specialist 807-625-6728 bbrooks@cookeng.com Barry has over 20 years of materials-handling experience, including work on projects involving biomass processing, sizing, pelletizing, and conveying. He has designed and installed biomass-processing and delivery systems for pulp and paper and utility clients. Barry recently completed design and installation of a biomass-processing and delivery system to eliminate fossil-fuel burning in an existing boiler.

biomass fuel assessment and test burn for an existing generating facility

The Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth (DELEG) awarded Wyandotte Municipal Services (WMS) a grant to demonstrate the feasibility of co-firing biomass fuel in its existing generating facilities. Barr assisted WMS in investigating the logistics of acquiring and handling various woody biomass fuels and conduct-ing a test burn of the proposed fuel to identify technical challenges and develop recommendations for future use.

Our work included researching biomass fuel suppliers and determining what fuels would be available within a feasible transportation range to enable WMS to secure a consistent supply of high-quality, sustainably sourced biofuel for up to 7MW of electricity production by 2025.

We also identified the infrastructure upgrade require-ments and costs for the WMS boiler proposed for biomass combustion, including the equipment and components necessary to store, handle, and feed biomass fuel into the boiler.

In addition, we completed a test burn and evaluated boiler performance to verify that the selected biomass fuel sources and handling equipment would consistently generate electricity with low emissions.

Low-value wood species can be chipped and used as part of a diversified biomass supply

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environmental review and permitting

Environmental review for biomass projects can pose challenges such as the need to adhere to a tight schedule while allowing sufficient time for permitting approvals. The process can also entail conducting negotiations with multiple agencies on multimedia environmental impacts, completing power-plant site and route permitting, and handling public relations.

We assist clients with all aspects of environmental review and permitting, including completing applications for certificates of need, facility siting, and route permitting.

In addition, we help both public and private clients develop citizen-participation and regulatory strategies that address difficult issues before they become major controversies. Well assist you with specific environmental issues associated with:

EAWs,EISs,andsitepermitpreparation

wetlandspermittingandlossmitigation

airemissionspermitting

watersupplyanddischarge

ashmanagement

noiseassessmentandmitigation

environmental site assessments and reviews

As part of a proposed biomass-fueled power plant project for Xcel Energy (formerly Northern States Power Company), was hired to conduct a fast-track environmental review of two sites.

We reviewed environmental and land-use regulations affecting the proposed project, including those related to utilities, water supply, wastewater disposal, air permitting, environmental review, and ash disposal. We performed preliminary modeling of emissions to determine if compliance with air quality standards would be a concern. Emissions issues included New Source Performance standards and Prevention of Significant Deterioration requirements, as well as acid-rain emissions limitations.

We also conducted detailed evaluations of water-supply and wastewater impacts. For one site, there would be aquifer impacts; for the other, there would be impacts on the Mississippi River from withdrawal and discharge of cooling water.

As a screening tool for overall impacts, an Environmental Assessment Worksheet was completed for both sites. The project was completed within the clients tight timeframe.

Barr Engineering Co. and Cook Engineering: your partners for biomass energy projects 9

our team for environmental review and permitting

Rich Hardegger, PE Vice President, Sr. Environmental Engineer 952-832-2629 rhardegger@barr.com Rich is a chemical engineer with over 18 years of experience managing and implementing environmental projects for utility, mining, and manufacturing facilities, with an emphasis on complex air-quality permitting and compliance. He has helped lead Barrs biomass-fueled projects, including evaluation of a biomass-fired combined heat-and-power opportunity for a paper-recycling facility, permitting and compliance for RDF-fired power plants, and comprehensive environmental assistance for biomass-fired food-waste drying facilities.

Teresa Kinder Sr. Air Quality Consultant 734-922-4418 tkinder@barr.com Teresa has more than 25 years of experience on projects involving air quality and process engi-neering. She conducts technical and economic feasibil-ity studies for pollution-control equipment; prepares air emissions inventories, mass balances, and monitoring plans; develops permitting and regulatory-compliance strategies; prepares air permit applications; and assists with regulatory negotiations for companies requiring permitting assistance for biomass production facilities and for facilities converting from traditional fuels to biomass fuels.

Rick Campbell Air Quality Consultant 573-638-5022 rcampbell@barr.com Rick joined Barr after serving with the Missouri Public Service Commission and Department of Natural Resources Air Pollution Control Program. His 14 years of regulatory experience includes developing emis-sion inventories and air-pollution-control regulations for electric utilities, natural gas pipelines, and cement kilns. Ricks work with electric utility and cement kiln regulations and emission calculations included evaluating alternative fuel sources, such as biomass, for emission reductions. He has also worked extensively with the power industry on environmental cost reviews for electric rate cases, including the feasibility of alternative fuel usage and the impacts on rate payers.

environmental support for energy conversion e

Barr was retained by Evergreen Energy to provide technical support for the environmental aspects of an energy-conversion-technology evaluation for a paper-recycling facility in St. Paul, Minn., after its steam supply was interrupted. A state-funded study was commissioned to identify energy alternatives and select an option that would sustain the facilitys operation and 500 jobs.

The study scope was developed with public participation to evaluate renewable-energy options for an anticipated on-site boiler project. Barr assisted with identification and evaluation of environmental and health-risk impacts for scenarios using wood residues, agricultural by-products, grasses, and refuse-derived fuel. These were compared with impacts from the coal-, oil- and natural-gas-fired combustion used in the past. Impacts were also compared to state, federal and European air quality standards.

Barr provided technical support and presented findings at public meetings as the study progressed. Ultimately, off-site anaerobic digestion and an equivalent natural-gas exchange at the facility were selected as the most environmentally friendly option.

biomass-fired-drying compliance assistance

Endres Processing collects and recycles expired or off-specification food products to produce a nutritious animal-feed ingredient. Its food-drying process is heated by a biomass burner that fires sawdust supplemented with shredded packaging material.

Barr has helped Endres obtain a capped air-emissions permit that allows additional biomass fuels to be tested and used in the burner. The permit also reflects emission limits made possible by the plants implementation of an emissions-reduction and energy-efficiency project. We have also conducted compliance testing and helped Endres control hydrochloric acid emissions by providing emissions testing to calibrate a sorbent-injection system.

In addition, we have worked with facility staff to address combustion- and process-related corrosion on dryer and burner equipment. We have provided recommendations for process temperature management, sacrificial and pro-tective linings, and a metal-thickness monitoring program.

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engineering and design services

fuel storage and handling

Biomass facilities rely on fuel-handling systems to unload, process, convey, and store materialssometimes under extreme weather conditions. With offices in Canada and the upper Midwest, the Barr/Cook team understands the impact of extreme cold, wind, snow, and ice on the handling and storage of biomass materials. Well work with you to analyze your existing system or design a new one from the ground up.

Stringiness, friction, and differing densities make biomass materials some of the most challenging to handle. Our team takes these factors into consideration and develops innovative design approaches that incorporate multiple drag-chain or screw conveyors, hoppers, and high-angle-of-repose chutes. We design systems that balance short-term and long-term storage needs and space constraints.

site layout and facility design

We have successfully designed biomass facilities that were constructed on sites with limited space. Our team can work with you to lay out a new plant or determine how equipment can be retrofitted into an existing one. Using flow diagrams and process requirements, we select equipment for preliminary and final layouts, then work with you to update and refine the layout as needed.

process controls e

Reliable instrumentation and control systems are a critical part of every biomass project. We can assist with component selection and application, control-system design, coordination with vendor systems, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and software development. Our project designs have included supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems for system monitoring, control, historic trending, alarming, and remote access and monitoring.

In the case of combined heat-and-power (CHP) facilities, process control must necessarily be more complex to meet the simultaneous needs of steam and electric users. Fuel-quality variability is another consideration when providing adequate process control.

minimizing impacts

Plants with neighbors must address concerns about noise, transportation-traffic volume, traffic routes, and fugitive emissions in their layout and design. We can assist in identifying possible causes for concern at a new or existing facility, enabling you to address such issues proactively.

In addition, environmental regulations require controls for particulate and NOx air emissions. Our team is familiar with combustion technologies to reduce emissions, as well as with emission-control technologies, and well help integrate the design of these systems into your overall facility design.

A biomass handling system designed by Cook Engineering

Barr Engineering Co. and Cook Engineering: your partners for biomass energy projects 11

The Barr/Cook team provides design and engineering services for the individual components and systems that comprise biomass facilities, including:

heat and material balances

We use industry-standard modeling software to develop and optimize plant thermal conditions. Modeling results provide the optimal balance between steam and electrical generation, maximizing thermal efficiencies to provide the smallest carbon footprint based on the available fuel.

boiler and turbine islands

Our engineers work with boiler manufacturers to evaluate whether stokers, bubbling-bed, or circulating-fluid-bed systems provide the best combustion technology while factoring in fuel quality, fuel preparation, reliability, and emissions. Turbine islands are designed with the demands of steam and electric users in mind. Outputs from industry-standard modeling software are used in developing designs that meet both condensing and steam-host requirements.

cooling towers

Increasing regulation of power-plant water usage com-pounds the challenges of biomass-facility design. Our engineers will model your performance and regulatory requirements and then develop the best cooling-tower design for your facility: wet, dry, or a hybrid.

power piping

We have designed ASME B31.1 power piping, including steam, condensate, and feed-water piping systems. We are familiar with ASME code requirements as well as with the requirements for protecting the piping, associated equipment, and support system.

utilities

Our team provides engineering services for systems associated with stormwater, well water, sanitary sewers, service water, and potable water. We also provide engineering for natural-gas and fuel-oil piping, and coordination for connecting to existing supply pipelines.

electrical interconnection e

Biomass projects may require substation design, utility interconnection, protective relaying, system coordination, and power distribution. We can assist in developing and responding to interconnection agreements with utilities and independent-system operators, generation step-up substations with interconnection voltages up to 138kV, and electric-generation systems ranging from small ones to large systems in excess of 50MW.

ash handling and disposal

Ash-handling and disposal systems collect bottom ash and fly ash and transfer these to load-out facilities via drag-chain conveyors, screw conveyors, pneumatic conveyors, ash-conditioning systems, bins, and silos. Our team is familiar with ash-handling and disposal systems and can integrate them into your overall plant design.

Whether youre making improvements to a coal-fired plant or considering alternative energy production, we can provide engineering and design support for:

cogeneration systemsbiomass utilization and processingenergy reductionprocess optimizationwind-turbine foundationscoal-conveying systemsdust-collection systemspower boilers and recovery furnacesretrofitting

A biomass-storage yard with wood waste and grass

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our team for engineering and design

Dennis Widdifield Materials Handling Specialist 807-625-6756 dwiddifield@cookeng.com Dennis has 30 years of materials-handling experi-ence as well as experience with design, construction, instal-lation, and commissioning of biomass conveyor and pro-cessing systems. Recently, he managed engineering design services for the biomass-handling and processing portion of a 1,000 BDTPD biofuel-production facility along with a demonstration industrial biomass pellet plant (RDF technol-ogy) in Wisconsin.

Harry Larson, PE Vice President, Sr. Mechanical Engineer 218-262-8625 hlarson@barr.com Harry has more than 30 years of experience in mechanical-system design and extensive experience with detailed system design, assessments, and feasibility studies. He also has design experience with power-plant systems, process piping, district heating, and alternative-fuels and -en-ergy systems. Harry recently served as project manager for a large energy-technology integration project in North Dakota.

William Mullinix, PE Sr. Mechanical Engineer 734-922-4423 wmullinix@barr.com William has over a decade of experience design-ing power plant and industrial systems, including analysis, calculations, research, selection, and layout. He has designed main-steam, hot-reheat, cold-reheat, and low-pressure steam systems for combined-cycle generation and cogeneration projects; designed fuel-gas systems; procured dual-fuel-burner equipment; and provided major mechanical installa-tion specifications for a generating-unit gas conversion.

Bill McLean, PE Principal, Senior Mechanical Engineer 807-625-6727 wmclean@cookeng.com Bill, who began his career as a boiler design engineer, has over 30 years of experience. He has applied his steam-generation-equipment and process knowledge to projects including scrubber installations, a 20 MW turbine installation, and high-pressure piping and pressure-vessel modifications. Recently, Bill managed engineering design services for upgrade of an existing biomass-fueled boiler and installation of a 48 MW condensing turbine.

preliminary design and environmental assistance for wood-burning cogeneration facility

Barr was selected by NRG Thermal Corporation for its team to complete the preliminary design for a wood-burning cogeneration project adjacent to the Andersen Windows plant in Bayport, Minnesota. Using waste wood and sawdust as a primary fuel source, the project will supply steam and electricity to the plant and steam to a nearby correctional facility.

During the preliminary engineering phase, we assisted NRG in evaluating and optimizing the basic design for electricity and steam production. In addition, we:

identified major equipment and components with preliminary sizing developed process-flow diagrams for all major systems and subsystems drafted a preliminary site plan and plant general-arrangement drawings prepared design specs for a wide range of engineering components

Barr also provided environmental services that included developing an air emissions inventory, conducting a regulatory review and applicability analysis, and conduct-ing modeling to determine stack and emission-control-equipment design parameters.

We then helped NRG develop a preliminary permitting strategy to establish a workable permitting timeline, determined a conventional emission-control strategy, modeled compliance with the ambient-air-quality standards, and outlined a permitting schedule and costs.

Barr Engineering Co. and Cook Engineering: your partners for biomass energy projects 13

preliminary design of a wood-handling system for a biomass-power facility

The Laurentian Energy Authority was created by the public utilities in Hibbing and Virginia, Minnesota, to provide 35 MW of biomass power for Xcel Energy as part of that utilitys mandated requirement for renewable energy.

Current fuel requirements call for renewable energy to be produced with a minimum of 50% closed-loop biomass; the Authority began planting hybrid poplars in 2004.

The project includes a new biomass-fired boiler at each utility with a central wood yard that meets fuel-storage and processing needs. Barr completed preliminary design of the wood-handling system and prepared budgetary cost estimates. Detailed mechanical, electrical, structural, and civil design of the wood-handling system was com-pleted in late 2006.

detailed design services for upgrade of an existing biomass-fired power boiler

Cook Engineering teamed with a contractor and a boiler manufacturer to provide conceptual and detailed design engineering for upgrades to an existing 400,000-pound-per-hour power boiler. The client wanted to minimize or eliminate fossil-fuel firing by automating grate-ash removal and providing a level of combustion-control functionally equal to that achieved by firing responsive fossil fuels. The Cook team provided design engineering services for biofuel feed- and ash-handling systems, grate foundations, combustion-air ducting-system supports, and electrical-controls wiring.

The woody-biofuel reclaim and processing facility included a reclaimer, an innovative screen, and a hog to reduce the size of larger fuel material. Existing conveyors were reused, the lower panels and waterwall headers of the boiler were replaced by a grate, and an independent foundation was designed to support the grate and permit installation while the boiler was in operation to reduce downtime. Boiler modifications also included a revised interlacing overfire-air system and upgraded controls. A new flue-gas ash-handling system removes and conditions fly ash prior to disposal.

The project met its goal of minimizing fossil-fuel con-sumption by improving the biomass-combustion control to such an extent that the high-pressure process-steam-header demand swings were matched by firing biomass fuel alone. The reduced fuel costs paid for the system modifications in approximately one year.

Barr completed the preliminary design, budgetary cost estimates, and detailed design for the wood-handling system at a biomass-processing facility in Hibbing, Minnesota, above and at right

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facility design for an RDF transfer station

Barr designed NRG Energys Mankato (Minnesota) transfer station to handle two kinds of wastemunicipal solid waste and refuse-derived fuel (RDF). One side of the transfer station has storage space and load-out facilities for municipal solid waste that is hauled to a compost facility, where it is processed and used primarily for soil augmentation and land reclamation. The waste rejected during compost processing is burned at the utilitys Wilmarth generating plant as RDF.

The other side of the transfer station, used for RDF storage, connects to the Wilmarth generating plants fuel-receiving building. RDF is shipped to the transfer station from resource-recovery facilities and burned as combustor fuel. By providing temporary storage, the transfer station smooths out differences between RDF production rates and the fuel-demand rate at Wilmarth, maximizing utilization of RDF.

The dual-purpose facility is a 28,000-square-foot structure, measuring 140 feet by 200 feet and standing 35 feet tall, with no interior columns. The station also has 800 square feet of office space. Barrs facility-design tasks encompassed all aspects of the project, from conceptual layout to detailed design and preparation of construction drawings and specifications. Our design work covered site development and structural, electrical, mechanical, and architectural features.

design services for backpressure turbine installations

In the early 1990s, Cook Engineering was part of a con- sulting team that provided design services for the installa-tion of a 20 MW backpressure steam-turbine generator. We provided engineering project management, structural, electrical, and mechanical design services.

Subsequently, alternatives to increase power generation at the facility were considered, ranging from the addition of a backpressure turbine exhausting to the low-pressure process-steam system to the addition of an extraction and condensing unit to maximize on-site power generation.

Cook led the preparation of a feasibility study assessing a 40 MW extraction and condensing turbine as part of these investigations. We then provided detailed mechanical and piping design services associated with the installation of an 875 psig to 60 psig backpressure turbine generating up to 25MW. The unit went into service in late 2008.

design of modifications for a biomass materials-handling system at a power plant

Minnesota Powers Hibbard Station is a two-boiler facility generating electricity and steam for Newpage Papers Duluth Division. The existing biomass receiving, processing, and boiler delivery system required constant manual assistance, resulting in fuel delivery disruptions.

Cook Engineering was commissioned to improve system operations and reduce downtime. We modified the truck dumper and reclaim hoppers to prevent biomass plugging, and the transfer points on the conveyors to reduce dusting.

Trials were completed on different metering-screw and bin configurations for the boiler infeed. The results were a series of biomass storage bins with metering screws that directly deliver the prepared biomass to the boilers. The system has now been in use for many years with a proven reliability and maintenance record.

Biomass handling equipment at one of Cook Engineerings biomass-energy project sites (steam plant in background)

Barr Engineering Co. and Cook Engineering: your partners for biomass energy projects 15

construction and operations assistance

construction services

Which construction approach will work best for your biomass facility? It might be an engineer-procure-construct (EPC) approach, in which the EPC contractor provides a firm price and schedule along with liquidated damages related to cost, schedule and, in some cases, plant performance. A variation of this is the design-build approach, with the engineer teaming with a contractor to provide a complete engineering and construction package.

Another alternative is an engineer-procure-construction management approach, in which the owner bears more responsibility and assumes more risk.

Yet another option is a time-and-materials contract, often used when the timeframe is compressed, with the owner acting as general contractor and taking full responsibility for cost and schedule.

Our team can help you identify an approach that best balances cost, schedule, and risk factors for your facility.

startup, commissioning, and operations services

Startup activities typically begin at mechanical completion and involve functional testing of valves, conveyors, piping systems, fan, pumps, blowers, and other components to verify that they operate individually and as part of the complete system.

Performance testing for capacity, reliability, and environ-mental emissions may also need to be conducted. Addi-tional fine-tuning of controls and systems continues until commercial operation can begin.

Our team can help you plan, schedule, and conduct startup activities and performance testing, as well as assist with the fine-tuning your facility needs to get it up and running successfully.

our team for construction and operations assistance

Jamie LePage, PE Sr. Mechanical Engineer 218-529-8218 jlepage@barr.com Jamie specializes in managing complex construc-tion and maintenance projects for mechanical systems. He has recently worked on a 4.5 MM Lbm/day black-liquor-solids kraft-chemical recovery boiler using wood-waste-pulp chemical residue for a fuel source; multiple power-plant boilers that use biomass for co- generation; biomass-handling fuel systems; a detailed thermal analysis and engineering assessment of a paper-mill power and biomass-fuel operation; and upgrades, overhauls and inspections of boilers, incinerators, and process heat-ers that use fuels ranging from wood waste and sawdust to paper packaging and animal refuse.

Roy Summers, P. Eng. Boiler Design and Commissioning Engineer 807-625-6786 rsummers@cookeng.com Roy has over seven years of field experience, including conducting nondestructive testing and coordinating boiler-condition assessments and inspections for clients in the pulp and paper industry. He also has significant experience with boiler commissioning, QA/QC, construction supervision, and coordination. Recently, Roy was responsible for design services associated with the upgrade of a biomass-fueled boiler in British Columbia.

16 2010 Barr Engineering Co. and Cook Engineering

engineering and startup services for a prototype industrial biomass-pellet plant

In 2007 Johnson Timber Corporation obtained the intellectual rights to a new, larger industrial densified biomass pellet that can easily replace or supplement coal in an industrial boiler. A new company, Renewable Densified Fuels (RDF) was formed to market and manufacture the proprietary-pellet-process equipment. The first commercial-sized demonstration plant was built in Park Falls, Wisconsin, and biomass pellets were sold to the adjacent Flambeau River Papers Complex to replace the constant supplemental coal fuel.

Cook Engineering provided development equipment and process engineering, followed by detailed construction engineering for installation of the required biomass processing and conveying systems in an existing building.

We subsequently provided start-up commissioning services on the plant pellet equipment including process optimization. A second system is operating now at Wood Residuals Solutions in Montello, Wisconsin, with additional client systems in progress.

Our teams experience with biomass includes use of corn stover, switchgrass, oat hulls, and other alternative fuel sources, as well as the conversion of existing boilers to biomass fuel.

startup engineering services for an industrial and home-heating pellet plant

Formed in 2008, Atikokan Renewable Fuels has purchased the former Fibratech MDF-board manufacturing plant in Atikokan, Ontario. The plant retained its wood-resource allotment of aspen and birch logs and is being modified and updated to reach 32 tons an hour of RDF-pellet production by 2012.

Members of the Cook team are providing all required design, construction, and startup engineering services for the plant, including procuring environmental permits.

The first phase of the project entailed installation of a four-line home-heating clean-wood pellet system. The biomass will be processed from whole, debarked logs or loose purchased wood chips, and will be dried before its processed and pressed.

The second phase includes installation of four lines producing RDF-technology one-inch industrial pellets that will be loaded into rail cars and sold to the Ontario Power Corporation coal-fired generation plant in Atikokan. The utility must reduce or replace coal at four of its plants with a densified biomass alternative by 2012.

Phase 3 of the project is planned to include installation of four additional lines for a total of 32 tons per hour of RDF pellet-production capacity. Future plans for the site also include a biomass cogeneration facility for electrical power generation.

for more information contact:

Bruce Browers

phone: 218-529-7107

e-mail: bbrowers@barr.com

Bill McLean

phone: 807-625-6727

e-mail: wmclean@cookeng.com

resourceful. naturally.

www.barr.com and www.cookeng.com