CX-020776: Achieving High Operating Reliability for Continuous Feeding of Biomass into a High-pressure Reactor

The proposed action addresses technical risks and improves understanding of how biomass properties influence preprocessing and conversion technolog…

Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance

September 23, 2019
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The proposed action addresses technical risks and improves understanding of how biomass properties influence preprocessing and conversion technologies in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Red Rock Biofuels, LLC (RRB), and Forest Concepts, LLC (FC).
The purpose of the proposed action is improving operational reliability of continuously fed reactors via the following:
1. Reducing size of fuel grade wood feedstock (i.e., lodgepole pine, white (grand) fir, Douglas fir, and ponderosa pine)
2. Implementing a 5-inch screw feeder to minimize plugging and lessen wear at the compression zone
3. Improving data scalability between national laboratory process development units (PDUs) in Feedstock Conversion Interface Consortium (FCIC) and industrial applications using a 5-inch screw feeder.