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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAlekanagik, bethal, fairbanks, ketchikan Summary of Final Reports 2012 Pre-Feasibility Assessment for Integration of Wood-Fired Heating Systems Summary of Final Reports July 13, 2012 Aleknagik Cluster Bethel Cluster Fairbanks Cluster Ketchikan-Craig Cluster Presented by CTA Architects Engineers Jesse Vigil, Nick Salmon & Nathan Ratz Lars Construction Management Services Rex Goolsby In partnership with Fairbanks Economic Development Corporation Alaska Wood Energy Development Task Group Funded by Alaska Energy Authority and U.S. Forest Service 306 W. Railroad, Suite 104 Missoula, MT 59802 406.728.9522 www.ctagroup.com CTA Project: FEDC Pre-Feasibility Assessment for Geographic Clusters Integration of Wood-Fired Heating Systems Summary CTA Architects Engineers i July 13, 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 Executive Summary ................................................................................................... 1 2.0 Goals and Objectives ................................................................................................ 2 3.0 Evaluation Criteria ..................................................................................................... 3 4.0 Wood Resources ....................................................................................................... 3 5.0 Air Quality .................................................................................................................. 4 6.0 Recommended Action ............................................................................................... 5 Pre-Feasibility Assessment for Geographic Clusters Integration of Wood-Fired Heating Systems Summary CTA Architects Engineers Page 1 of 8 July 13, 2012 1.0 Executive Summary The potential for wood fired heating systems was evaluated in 4 geographic clusters. The qualifying facilities were selected by the Alaska Wood Energy Development Task Group (AWEDTG). Organizations were asked to submit a Statement of Interest (SOI) to AWEDTG to qualify. CTA representatives visited the facilities listed in the geographic clusters to confirm and gather additional information. Preliminary feasibility studies were completed identifying the recommended course of action and identify the economic feasibility of integration wood-fired heating systems. The geographic clusters and corresponding communities and buildings that were reviewed are as follows: Bethel Cluster AVCP Tugkar Building and Lomack Building AVCP-RHA Housing Authority Complex Lulu Heron Assisted Living Facility Office/Bunkhouse Building A-E 12-Unit Housing Addition Warehouse 1 Warehouse 2 New Regional Headquarters Office Fairbanks Cluster Manley Village Council Village Express Maintenance Shop MVC Office Health Clinic/Washateria Generator Building Tribal Hall Minto Village Council Lakeview Lodge Health Clinic Community Center Future Fire Hall Nenana Nenana School School Administration Building School Warehouse Student Living Center Nenana Native Council Day Care City of Nenana Water Plant Nenana Fire Department Meda Lord Senior Center Pre-Feasibility Assessment for Aleknagik City Hall Integration of Wood-Fired Heating Systems Aleknagik, Alaska CTA Architects Engineers Page 2 of 8 July 13, 2012 Ketchikan-Craig Cluster Ketchikan High School Ketchikan Indian Community KIC Health Clinic KIC SSEA Technology Education Center KIC Old Administration Building Craig Tribal Association Building City of Craig City Hall Fire Hall Library Police Department City Gym Child Care Center Youth Center Old Clinic POWER Building Shaan Seet, Inc. Shaan Seet Office Trailer (Rental) Shaan Seet Hotel Heated Storage Aleknagik Cluster City of Aleknagik City Hall Health Clinic Fire Department Garage Future Washateria Each of the following projects had a 20 year B/C ratio of 1.0 or greater and were found to be potentially good candidates for integrating in a wood fired heating system: 1. Bethel AVCP-RHA Housing Authority Complex. 2. Minto Village Council, Lakeview Lodge and Health Clinic 3. Nenana, district system including school buildings and City water plant. 4. Ketchikan High School. 5. Craig Tribal Association Building. 2.0 Goals and Objectives a. Review Statements of Interest (SOI) provided by organizations b. Initial Facility Review c. Preliminary Site Investigation d. Preliminary Report and Size of Suitable Wood-Fired heating system e. Preliminary Cost Estimate f. Economic Analysis g. Final Report Pre-Feasibility Assessment for Aleknagik City Hall Integration of Wood-Fired Heating Systems Aleknagik, Alaska CTA Architects Engineers Page 3 of 8 July 13, 2012 3.0 Evaluation Criteria a. All projects must meet the objectives for fuel displacement, use of forest residues for public benefit, use of local residues, sustainability of wood supply, project implementation and operations and maintenance. b. Local availability of wood resources. c. Air quality and emissions requirements. d. Existing systems and wood-fired heating system integration. e. A 20 year benefit to cost (B/C) ratio of 1.0 or greater. 4.0 Wood Resources Bethel Cluster There is no wood harvesting or wood products industry in the area. Cord wood comes from up river. Since there is a large enough potential demand of pellets, it is viable to purchase pellets from plants in British Columbia, W ashington, or Oregon and barge them up to Bethel. There is potential to use wood pallets and shipping material as a secondary fuel in conjunction with cord wood. Additional research would need to be completed to document the bulk availability, reliability, and heat output of this resource. Fairbanks Cluster Manley The tribe and village corporation own over 69,000 acres of land, of which approximately 90% is forested. The tribe and village corporation do not currently have any active logging operations, but hire out local independent contractors to provide cord wood for the MVC firewood program. There appears to be a sufficient supply to support a wood fired boiler for this campus. Minto The tribe and village corporation own over 80,000 acres of land, of which most of it is forested. There would be a sufficient supply to support a wood fired boiler for this campus. The tribe and village corporation do not currently have any active logging operations, but there are several local independent contractors that harvest firewood. Wood pellets are available from Superior Pellet Fuels out of North Pole and can be trucked own the Elliot Highway. Nenana Toghotthele Corporation owns 138,000 acres of land, of which most of it is forested. There are also State lands around Nenana. With some recent wild fires, there is some desire in the area to thin some of the forests around the city to create fire breaks. The agricultural area to the west is also planned to be opened up in the next few years, and there will be significant amount of wood to be removed as this land is developed. Toghotthele is actively managing their land and is currently logging some of it. They are looking into purchasing more logging equipment and even a chipper. If a biomass project was to develop, Toghotthele would likely be the entity to provide the wood. Wood pellets are also available from Superior Pellet Fuels out of North Pole and can be trucked down the Parks Highway. There appears to be a sufficient supply of wood fuel to support a wood fired boiler for this campus. Pre-Feasibility Assessment for Aleknagik City Hall Integration of Wood-Fired Heating Systems Aleknagik, Alaska CTA Architects Engineers Page 4 of 8 July 13, 2012 Ketchikan-Craig Cluster There are sawmills and active logging operations in the region. Tongass Forest Enterprises has stared up a pellet plant in Ketchikan and is providing pellets to Sealaska. Pellets are also available from plants in British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. There appears to be a sufficient available supply to service the boiler plant. Aleknagik Cluster The fuel available in the area consists entirely of seasoned cord wood cut and gathered locally. There are 14 C3, Aleknagik Native Limited lands, and Native Allotments located near Aleknagik that have significant timber coverage. In the near term there are additional construction projects planned in the area, including the Wood River Bridge and the Float Plane Road. These construction activities will generate an additional source of both seasoned and green wood for use. At the time of this report there is no infrastructure to transport wood pellets or chipped/ground wood fuel. 5.0 Air Quality Bethel Cluster Bethel has favorable meteorology for dispersion of emissions. Prevailing winds would likely blow emissions towards the southeast. In addition, the proposed wood boilers will be small emission sources, whose sizes likely preclude them from state permitting requirements. Therefore, we do not suggest advanced emission control such as an ESP or baghouse. However, other design criteria have been suggested to minimize emissions and maximize dispersion. These projects are subject to federal requirements. Fairbanks Cluster Interior Alaska is prone to meteorological conditions that create thermal inversions, which are unfavorable for the dispersion of emissions. For Manley and Minto, the small size of the boilers will likely preclude them from state permitting requirements or other advanced emission control devices. However, other design criteria have been suggested to minimize emissions and maximize dispersion. The projects would be subject to federal requirements. Since the plant in Nenana will be located at a school and is also located in a populated area, the air quality will likely be scrutinized and modeling of emissions, the stack height, and of air pollution control devices is recommended. Due to the high percentage of “calms” during the winter in interior Alaska, it is likely that advanced emission control systems, such as an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) or baghouse, would be required. The proposed boiler size at this location is small enough, that the boiler is not likely to require any state permits but will be subject to federal requirements. Ketchikan-Craig Cluster Southeast Alaska is has meteorological conditions that can create thermal inversions, which are unfavorable for the dispersion of emissions. The proposed boiler sizes at these locations are small enough, that the boilers will not likely to require any State permits, but will be subject to Federal requirements. The boiler sizes are small enough, that advanced emission control devices are likely not needed. At Ketchikan High School, since this plant will be located at a school and is also located in the populated area, the air quality will likely be scrutinized and modeling of emissions, the Pre-Feasibility Assessment for Aleknagik City Hall Integration of Wood-Fired Heating Systems Aleknagik, Alaska CTA Architects Engineers Page 5 of 8 July 13, 2012 stack height, and of air pollution control devices is recommended. RSG also recommends pellet systems over chip systems for the ability of pellets to burn cleaner than chip systems. Aleknagik Cluster The meteorological conditions of Aleknagik do not create thermal inversions very often. It is not anticipated that advanced emission control systems would be required. The small size of the boilers will likely preclude them from state permitting requirements or other advanced emission control devices. However, other design criteria have been suggested to minimize emissions and maximize dispersion. The projects would be subject to federal requirements. 6.0 Recommended Actions Bethel Cluster AVCP The Tugkar and Lomack buildings appear to be poor candidates for the use of wood biomass heating systems. With the current economic assumptions, the economic viability of all the options is poor and none of the options meet the minimum requirement of the 20 year B/C ratio exceeding 1.0. Even with the high cost of fuel oil, each building individually does not spend enough on heating fuel to be able to pay for a project through potential savings. Because of the availability of wood pallets at low or no cost, further investigation into specialized wood stoves or boilers that can burn pallets would be recommended. Additional analysis would be required to determine the quantity and quality of wood pallets in Bethel, as well as the cost. Additional investigation should also be completed on increasing the cord wood production volume and infrastructure. If the cost per cord could be reduced the project would become more viable. AVCP-RHA The AVCP-RHA campus appears to be a good candidate for the use of a district wood biomass heating system. With the current economic assumptions and the current fuel use the wood pellet boiler option has a B/C ratio of 1.02, which indicates an economically favorable project. Most grant programs will likely require a full feasibility assessment. A full assessment would provide more detail on the air quality issues, wood fuel resources, and a schematic design of the boiler systems and system integration to obtain more accurate costs. Fairbanks Cluster Manley The Manley Village Tribal Council appears to be a poor candidate for the use of a wood biomass heating system. With the current economic assumptions, the economic viability of all the options is poor and none of the options meet the minimum requirement of the 20 year B/C ratio exceeding 1.0. Each building individually does not spend enough on heating fuel to be able to pay for a project through potential savings. Combining multiple buildings increases the project costs without substantially increasing the annual fossil fuel use. Pursuing the installation of a waste oil heater in the maintenance shop is recommended. Another project to investigate further would be the upgrading and/or replacement of the generator plant. A more thorough analysis is recommended including temporarily installing a data logger to develop a good electrical load profile of the campus. Pre-Feasibility Assessment for Aleknagik City Hall Integration of Wood-Fired Heating Systems Aleknagik, Alaska CTA Architects Engineers Page 6 of 8 July 13, 2012 If the generators are replaced, consideration should be given to capturing the heat from the generators and using that to heat the maintenance shop and/or the health clinic. Minto The Lakeview Lodge combined with the Health Center appears to be a good candidate for the use of a wood biomass heating system. With the current economic assumptions, the estimated fuel use, and the reported fuel oil prices, this option has a very strong 20 year B/C ratio of 2.1. It is an increased benefit to add the health center to the lodge project even with the additional piping and pumping costs. Most grant programs will likely require a full feasibility assessment. A full assessment would provide more detail on the air quality issues, wood fuel resources, and a schematic design of the boiler systems and system integration to obtain more accurate costs. It is also recommended to measure and track the amount of fuel oil used by the lodge and health center to validate the usage assumptions of this report. A detailed energy analysis could also be performed to better estimate the usage, however, actual measured fuel oil use is the best since it is actual usage. Nenana Connecting the school with several nearby buildings with a wood fired district heating system appears to be an economically viable project. With the current economic assumptions, the school alone and the school combined with the administration building and the school warehouse don’t quite meet the minimum 20 year B/C ratio of 1.0 However, when adding in the daycare, the water plant, and fire department, all these incremental options have 20 year B/C ratios greater than 1.0. The additional energy saved by connecting several buildings together offsets the significant additional cost of underground piping and pumping costs. The best option was A.6 which connected the school with the administration building, the school warehouse, and the student living center. Even with the significant piping costs, the extra pumping energy, and the extra wood fuel needed to offset the heat loss of the long pipe runs, this option remains the strongest relative to the other options. The analysis also shows that a central plant with a pellet boiler is not viable, nor is a stand-alone cord wood boiler system for the Meda Lord Senior Center. A full assessment would provide more detail on the air quality issues, wood fuel resources, review the pipe routing and potential underground conflicts, and develop a schematic design of the boiler plant including wood storage size, and schematic design of the heating systems integration. These schematic designs will also help obtain more accurate costs. Since several options appear to be viable, more investigation should be engaged to determine the best project to proceed with. Ketchikan-Craig Cluster Ketchikan High School Ketchikan High School appears to be a good candidate for the use of a wood biomass heating systems. With the current economic assumptions and the current fuel use this wood chip boiler option has a very strong 20 year B/C ratio of 3.9, and the wood pellet boiler a strong 20 year B/C ratio of 2.3. Because of the site constraints and air quality issues, the pellet boiler system would be recommended over the chip system. Most grant programs will likely require a full feasibility assessment. A full assessment would provide more detail on the air quality issues, wood fuel resources, and a schematic design of the boiler systems and system integration to obtain more accurate costs. It is recommended that the best location for a boiler plant be reviewed in more detail. A boiler plant located further east than shown on the drawing may be avoid taking up parking spots, but a Pre-Feasibility Assessment for Aleknagik City Hall Integration of Wood-Fired Heating Systems Aleknagik, Alaska CTA Architects Engineers Page 7 of 8 July 13, 2012 portion of the tennis court may be lost to accommodate the plant. The route and method of delivering pellets needs to be investigated further as this will affect the best location for the boiler plant as well. Ketchikan Indian Community The Ketchikan Indian Community Health Clinic appears to be a poor candidate for the use of a wood biomass heating system. With the current economic assumptions, the economic viability of all the options is poor and none of the options meet the minimum requirement of the 20 year B/C ratio exceeding 1.0. The building does not spend enough on heating fuel to be able to pay for a project through potential savings. Additional sensitivity analysis was performed on the wood pellet option for the Medical Clinic. The inflation rate of the fuel oil cost, unit cost of the fuel oil, and the total project cost was varied. In order to exceed a 20 year B/C ratio of 1.0, fuel oil must increase at a minimum of 9% annually, or fuel oil must reach $6.30 per gallon, or the overall project cost must reduce to a maximum of $290,000. Revisit viability of project if fuel oil escalates at 9% or greater annually and/or if fuel oil reaches $6.00/gallon. City Tribal Association A cord wood boiler serving the Craig Tribal Association appears to be a marginal candidate for a wood heating system. With the current economic assumptions and the reported fuel use, the economic viability of the cord wood option is right at the minimum requirement of the 20 year B/C ratio of 1.0. The annual fuel oil amount used in the analysis is 9,000 gallons. If this usage dropped to 8,000 gallons, then the 20 year B/C ratio would be 0.86. A full assessment would provide more detail on the air quality issues, wood fuel resources, and a schematic design of the boiler systems and system integration to obtain more accurate costs City of Craig A small district heating system connecting City buildings appears to be a poor candidate for the use of a wood biomass heating system. With the current economic assumptions, the economic viability of all the options is poor and none of the options meet the minimum requirement of the 20 year B/C ratio exceeding 1.0. Each building individually does not spend enough on heating fuel to be able to pay for a project through potential savings. Combining multiple buildings increases the project costs without substantially increasing the annual fossil fuel use. If pellets or bio bricks begin are available for $300/ton or less, consider replacing the Toyo stoves with pellet stoves. Shaan Sheet, Inc. The Shaan Seet buildings appear to be a poor candidate for the use of a wood biomass heating system. With the current economic assumptions, the economic viability of all the options is poor and none of the options meet the minimum requirement of the 20 year B/C ratio exceeding 1.0. Each building individually does not spend enough on heating fuel to be able to pay for a project through potential savings. Combining multiple buildings increases the project costs without substantially increasing the annual fossil fuel use. If pellets or bio bricks begin are available for $300/ton or less, consider replacing the Toyo stoves with pellet stoves. The electric generation plant for the area is located next to the Shaan Seet hotel. Investigate if APT would be willing to sell heat from the generators to heat the hotel. Pre-Feasibility Assessment for Aleknagik City Hall Integration of Wood-Fired Heating Systems Aleknagik, Alaska CTA Architects Engineers Page 8 of 8 July 13, 2012 Aleknagik Cluster A small district heating system connecting city buildings appears to be a poor candidate for the use of a wood biomass heating system. With the current economic assumptions, the economic viability of all the options is poor and none of the options meet the minimum requirement of the 20 year B/C ratio exceeding 1.0. Each building individually does not spend enough on heating fuel to be able to pay for a project through potential savings. Combining multiple buildings increases the project costs without substantially increasing the annual fossil fuel use. Revisit viability of project if the campus uses over 10,000 gallons of fuel oil for heating after washateria and/or other buildings are constructed.