British Columbia – Vancouver – Vancouver
Corporation
www.heuristicengineering.com
British Columbia
Vancouver
Vancouver
Corporation
active
Heuristic Engineering is a privately owned, BC company, founded in 1978 by Dr. Malcolm Lefcort. The company specializes in both the two-stage gasification and the two-stage combustion of wet, solid waste.
Two-Stage Gasifier: Heuristic's two-stage gasifier - a first stage of gentle updraft gasification followed by a second stage of downdraft char gasification was developed by Dr. Lefcort during the 1980's with support from the Science Council of BC and Natural Resources Canada. Additional development is needed to bring this gasifier to market. Enquiries are welcome.
Two-Stage Combustor: The Heuristic EnvirOcycler is a two-stage combustor, the precursor to which was developed by Dr. Lefcort in the late 1970's. The EnvirOcycler gasifies wet wood waste (or any other biomass) in a very large first stage of gentle updraft gasification. The "producer gas", so formed, is vigorously burned in the EnvirOcycler's second stage, cyclonic, double vortex, combustion chamber located immediately above its first stage.
Particulate levels in the EnvirOcycler's discharge - the temperature of which is typically about 2000°F (1100°C) - do not exceed 120 mg/Nm 3 (0.052 grains/dry standard cubic foot) at 12% CO 2 by volume. These particulate levels are also well within the US EPA guidelines.
The EnvirOcycler forms the heart of a variety of waste-disposal/energy-recovery systems. Typical systems are described below.
Wood Waste / Sawmills: In larger sawmills (> 100 Million board feet per year) heat recovered from EnvirOcycler used to dispose of the sawmill's wood waste, can be used to dry the sawmill's lumber (40 ± 10 Million Btu/h or 11.7 ± 2.9 MWt) and to generate its power (3 to 5 MWe). In smaller sawmills (< 100 Million board feet per year) the EnvirOcycler's products of combustion can be used to direct fire the sawmill's dry kilns.
Because of strict Boiler Branch staffing rules, Canadian sawmillers shy away from generating power with steam. Heuristic Engineering is actively promoting using an indirectly heated gas turbine generator set to produce between 3 and 5 MWe.
Wood Waste / Board Plants: Earlier versions of the EnvirOcycler have been in continuous service in the forest products industry for over 18 years. Two 45 Million Btu/h (13.2 MWt) units have each been direct firing rotary dryers in a waferboard plant in the US Midwest. A 27.5 Million Btu/h (8 MWt) unit direct fired two dry kilns in a pole treating plant in the US Southeast for 14 years before being shut down because the low cost of natural gas made the wood waste operation uneconomic. After 15 years of continuous service, a steam plant in a hospital in Newfoundland shut down its 10 Million Btu/h (2.9 MWt) unit when its long time, whole tree, chip supplier retired.
Wood Waste / Pulp Mill Lime Kilns: In the early 1980's the Canadian government sponsored a demonstration project in a pulp mill on Vancouver Island in which a 60 Million Btu/h (17.6 MWt) unit direct fired a lime kiln with the 2200°F (1204°C) products of combustion of 55% moisture content (wet basis) wood waste. The project demonstrated that it was possible to replace at least 85% of the lime kiln's fossil fuel with wood waste products of combustion. The project ended before it was able to demonstrate that burning hot first stage producer gas in the firing hood of the lime kiln could replace 95% "plus" of the fossil fuel.
Wood Waste / Utility and Pulp Mill Power Boilers: A better way is to burn wood waste is in an EnvirOcycler and to duct the up to 2200°F (1204°C) products of combustion, in a breeching into the existing boiler's furnace section. In this "external co-firing" mode 99% + of the wood ash stays in the EnvirOcycler's first stage and only hot "flue gas" enters the boiler.
In response to a Request For Proposal from a large utility in the USA, Heuristic proposed installing three 75 Million Btu/h (22 MWt) EnvirOcyclers on a 270 MWe pulverized coal boiler. The three EnvirOcyclers produce enough products of combustion to raise sufficient steam to generate 10% of the power plant rating. The installed cost of the system is estimated to be under US $370/kWe.
Agricultural waste: With the EnvirOcycler's large grate and low grate temperature, potassium or sodium in agricultural waste ash do not vapourize and enter whatever heat exchanger the EnvirOcycler fires. Rather, these alkalies stay in the EnvirOcycler's first stage as potash and soda and are removed by the first stage's built-in ash removal system. Therefore, the EnvirOcycler is suitable for the disposal of all forms of agricultural waste.
One such waste is rice husks. One unit operated in a parboil rice plant in the US Southeast for about 13 years. It direct fired a waste heat boiler as well as a parboil rice dryer. A major problem with rice husk combustors is the very high silica content of its ash (about 22%). When the grate temperature exceeds 1600°F (870°C), the naturally very porous, absorbent silica in the rice husk converts to the crystalline form known as tridymite. If inhaled for prolonged periods, tridymite can lead to silicosis. Since the temperature of the EnvirOcycler's grate is only about 1200°F (650°C), the porous form of silica in the ash does not convert to the crystalline tridymite form. The porous form, in addition to not being a health hazard, also has economic uses - such as absorbing oil in automobile repair shops, etc.
Poultry Litter: Another use of the EnvirOcycler is the waste disposal of, and the energy recovery from, poultry litter.
Using EnvirOcyclers to externally co-fire boilers in the Delmarva region's many poultry processing plants will dispose of the litter and displace some, or all, of the fuel oil used to fire the boilers. Furthermore, the ash can be sold as fertilizer to farmers.
Garbage / Landfill Reduction: The amount of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) cities can landfill is being restricted in many jurisdictions. In California by the end of 2000, cities will have to reduce the amount of waste they landfill to 50% of the amount they landfilled in 1990. A solution is to install a combination "dirty" Material Recycling Facility (dirty MRF) and a Waste to Energy (WTE) plant featuring the EnvirOcycler, on landfills. Dr. Lefcort showed that a dirty MRF/WTE installed on a California landfill processing MSW has a return on investment of 25% over 10 years.
Other Wastes: Finally, in addition to the above, the EnvirOcycler is also suitable for the disposal of other solid wastes such as: mixtures of RDF and municipal sewage sludge; shredded tires; mixtures of shredded tires and municipal sewage sludge; shredded industrial waste such as carpet waste, auto fluff, etc.; and recovering process heat/power from the sensible heat in their products of combustion.
The EnvirOcycler is manufactured by select manufacturers licensed by Heuristic Engineering. Heuristic Engineering personnel supervise the installations and commission the EnvirOcyclers.
SNC-Lavalin Inc, Canada's largest EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction Company), and Heuristic Engineering Inc are developing a 3.5 MWe Wood Waste to Energy plant featuring a 50 Million Btu/h EnvirOcycler near Squamish, BC. The plant will be owned and operated by SNC-Lavalin. The plant is expected to be operational early in 2003. An agreement is in place to sell the power produced to the British Columbia Power Authority.
The plant will charge a tipping fee to dispose of land clearing debris, construction and demolition debris, dry land sort debris, river debris, etc.
Country of Ownership: Canada
Exporting: Yes
Primary Industry (NAICS): 541330 - Engineering Services
Primary Business Activity: Services
Products:
Environmental products and services, Sawmill energy displacement plant., Envirocycler two-stage wood waste combustor., Combined veneer plant voc afterburner energy recovery system fired by products of combustion from a wood waste burning heuristic envirocycler.
No associations
LandOfFree
Heuristic Engineering Inc. does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this company.
If you have personal experience with Heuristic Engineering Inc., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Heuristic Engineering Inc. will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFCA-COD-O-37795