February 1, 2010 Vol. XIV, No. 3
- Heat recovery project at Irving Paper is worth $2.3 million in annual energy savings
- Making forest bioeconomy work
- Cenovus Energy pilots direct-to-air solar heaters at Saskatchewan operation
- Refrigeration at the Lally Farms facility – a model of energy efficiency
- What's New
- Dollars to $ense energy management workshops – Schedule for February and March 2010
- Call for story ideas
Articles
Heat recovery project at Irving Paper is worth $2.3 million in annual energy savings
“Our customers are looking for companies that are at the leading edge of environmental practices,” says John Cummings, Project Manager at the J.D. Irving, Limited paper mill in Saint John, New Brunswick. “This project allows us to stay ahead.” Cummings is referring to the mill's $4.1-million heat recovery project that represents Phase I of a long-term, multifold strategy to reduce fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Saint John mill is a division of J.D. Irving Limited and a CIPEC Leader in the Pulp and Paper Sector.
The project, completed in 2008, reduces energy consumption by maximizing use of recovered heat for water and air heating, utilizing low-pressure steam for process heating and consuming fossil-fuel generated heat only where necessary. The project resulted in annual savings of about $2.3 million, which is equivalent to a 13 percent reduction in fossil fuel use with a payback period of fewer than two years.
A key factor in the project’s success was the support provided by corporate and management personnel. “The vice-president wanted me to find out what we could do about reducing energy and our carbon footprint,” says Farshad Piroozmand, Process Engineer with Irving Paper. As a participant in the Efficiency New Brunswick (Efficiency NB) Large Industrial Program, the company took advantage of the Business Case Incentive to address detailed feasibility issues such as project costs, savings and implementation. Irving Paper also used Efficiency NB's Measurement & Verification Incentive to prepare their measuring and tracking savings plan and to fund 50 percent of the cost for the new meters and instruments required to measure energy savings after project implementation. “Once we came up with the details, the capital for the project got rolling very quickly,” adds Piroozmand.
Installation of new equipment started in April 2008 with a new tank that collects heated effluent. After solids are removed, the wastewater is pumped to two new heat exchangers that heat the filtered water, which is returned to the hot water tanks at the paper machines. A thermocompressor was installed to mix unused low-pressure steam and high-pressure steam generated from fossil fuels into medium pressure steam that can be used for the paper machine dryers. With the addition of the new equipment, Irving Paper is able to shut down one of its two boilers during regular maintenance without affecting the mill’s output.
The issue of solids in the effluent, that would otherwise clog the heat exchangers, was addressed with the installation of a new recovery tank where solids in the effluent are screened out and transferred to a biomass boiler for incineration. “Now that we're collecting the solids, it's free fuel for our biomass boiler and there's less waste,” says Cummings.
Cummings and Piroozmand note that much of the work for the project was done in-house. For example, in collaboration with the mill process team, Piroozmand selected the effluent to be captured and targeted the processes that would benefit from the recovered energy. Local contractors were involved at the engineering and installation levels while programming, start-up and training were carried out by mill personnel.
With Phase I completed, Phase II is currently being planned and will involve recovering even more waste heat from the effluent and stacks, with even greater potential for energy reduction. “Once all of the planned energy reduction initiatives are in place, we expect that fossil fuel use will be cut by up to 40 to 45 percent,” concludes Piroozmand.
Source: Case Study entitled, Capturing waste heat proves profitable for Irving Paper, published on Efficiency NB Web site: www.efficiencynb.ca/cms/uploaded_files/9WITQ45EOB/73/
docs/large_industry_case_study_irving_en.pdf
Making forest bioeconomy work
In one of a series of webinars presented by the Consortium Dedicated to the Sustainable Development of the Bioeconomy, the December 4, 2009, webinar, hosted by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), focused on the role of forests as a source of bio-energy. Presenters tackled such issues as environmentally sustainable forest feedstocks for bio-energy, the potential of afforestation/agroforestry in the bioeconomy, and a participatory framework for sustainability assessment. The forest bio-economy has significant growth potential in Canada and could be based on increased use of forest residues as well as on afforestation/agroforestry systems.
“Building a bioeconomy is not just a warm woolly feeling but a true commitment to environmental sustainability that pervades the entire bio-economy supply chain,” said Dr. Brian Titus, Research Scientist, NRCan, Pacific Forestry Centre, British Columbia.
Canada has significant quantities of forest biomass that could be available for energy including sawmill and pulp mill waste, the salvage of dead trees, and logging residue. The latter alone represents about 45 million available tonnes (t), which would supply roughly 8 percent of Canada’s total energy use (9 exajoules in 2007).
Sustainability challenges of increased use of forest biomass for energy include impacts on biodiversity, habitat, soil fertility, hydrology and water quality. Potential forest feedstocks may have reliability and predictability issues as well. Salvage wood, for example, offers an attractive source but availability is unpredictable and represents a short-term solution. Careful planning would be required to mitigate hydrological and ecosystem impacts. More information on impacts is necessary, as is sustainability research and “a whole picture approach.”
“Afforestation and agroforestry systems represent sustainable development opportunities especially on marginal farmland,” indicated Sylvain Masse, Forest Economic Analyst, NRCan, Laurentian Forestry Centre, Québec. Systems currently under development include short rotation intensive culture of willow or hybrid poplar, block plantations of hybrid poplar, and willow-based riparian buffer systems. Masse and his team have been surveying landowners (mainly farmers) and experts to identify implementation issues associated with afforestation and agroforestry systems, and research and development needs.
By incorporating the input of local stakeholders in sustainability assessments, bio-energy systems can be both sustainable and successful, said Dr. Thomas Buchholz, Research Scientist, State University of New York. Buchholz illustrated the importance of integrating social indicators and criteria into assessments with case studies from the Tuscarora Iroquois Nation in New York State and Uganda. He noted that while the role of scientific knowledge is central in the design of assessments, so is the participation of local stakeholders. An approach that includes both components will allow for broad support in the later stages of a bio-energy project and its probable success.
For information on upcoming webinars presented by the Consortium Dedicated to the Sustainable Development of the Bioeconomy, contact Maria Wellisch, CanmetENERGY, NRCan, by e-mail at maria.wellisch@nrcan.gc.ca.
Cenovus Energy pilots direct-to-air solar heaters at Saskatchewan operation
Always looking for different ways to make operations more energy efficient, Cenovus Energy Inc. (formerly EnCana Corporation but now a separate, integrated oil company) is piloting direct-to-air solar heating for its maintenance shop and water injection building located at the plant facilities near Weyburn, Saskatchewan. Twila Walkeden, Cenovus Community Relations Advisor for Weyburn, explains that six solar panels have been installed on the outside walls of the 930 square metre (m2) maintenance shop and the nearby water injection building.
The solar heaters, installed in November 2009, will supplement the natural gas and electricity that are currently used to heat both buildings. The maintenance shop, the major user of energy, has 6-m-high walls with ceiling fans to blow the heat back down. The facility is heated to about 15°C to 17°C during most months except summer and uses about 3 kilowatt-hour (kWh) in electricity and approximately 17 m3 of natural gas per day.
Allan Finney, President of Heatwave Solar, the company that supplied and installed the direct-to-air heaters, explains that this type of equipment heats air directly just like a forced-air furnace, is simple to install, and once installed, operates automatically. Each unit draws air past a collector plate inside the solar heater. This collector plate is heated directly by the sun and the air travelling behind the plate pre-heats the air that moves over the front of the plate allowing for more air-heater contact time (i.e. more heat transfer). Finally, the heated air is pushed back into the building.
Finney says that one unit, when it receives full sunlight at high noon, can heat a building to the equivalent of a 2000-W baseboard heater. With six of these units installed, Cenovus Energy, a CIPEC Leader in the Upstream oil and Gas Sector, will also divert nearly 5 t of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually, according to Finney. Finney predicts increasing marketplace acceptance of direct-to-air heaters because of their practicality and affordability.
While Cenovus Energy uses 3300 solar panels to provide electricity to small field operations, solar has not traditionally been used for heat, making the Weyburn installation a unique pilot project. As the company continues on its mission to reduce emissions and energy use, Walkeden notes that this project “is a win-win for the environment and our business.”
Refrigeration at the Lally Farms facility – a model of energy efficiency
“Our refrigeration project is saving us significant energy costs and is helping us go green,” says Rajinder Lally, owner of Lally Farms Inc. Lally is referring to a series of energy efficiency measures undertaken at their 1400-m2 refrigeration facility near Abbotsford, British Columbia, in 2008.
It all started with an energy audit fully funded by BC Hydro’s Power Smart New Plant Design Program. The New Plant Design Program is designed for all industrial customers who are planning a new greenfield facility or expanding an existing facility and have the potential to increase the power load by at least 5 percent or stand to gain energy savings of more than $9,000 annually.
The audit generated a number of projects leading to total annual electricity savings of about $41,000.
Lally explains that the condensing unit – one component of the refrigeration system – was kept from freezing with electrical heaters. “Those heaters consume a lot of energy, and they defrost slowly.” Now the hot air generated by the refrigeration compressors is used for this purpose, which means that defrosting the condensing unit takes only 10 minutes and saves about 200 000 kWh or $10,000 annually.
New computer controls have eliminated the simultaneous use of all 12 of the facility’s 50-horsepower compressors. Lally explains that now, computer sensors in four strategic locations in the facility turn on compressors only when necessary, and the compressors shut off automatically after a preset temperature is reached. This change saved his company approximately 400 000 kWh, equivalent to approximately $24,000 a year in energy savings.
Noting the importance of keeping the floor of the refrigeration facility warm, Lally indicates that cement floor slabs are usually electrically heated. However, by using glycol in the embedded piping system, the facility has reduced its energy consumption by approximately 70 000 kWh, nearly $3,700 a year. The glycol is heated by hot air coming from three of the facility's compressor units. “Rather than using new energy, we use what we already generate,” notes Lally.
In the past, the old 400-W metal halide fixtures were on continually because cold temperatures affected their performance. The lights were replaced with high-efficiency T-8 fluorescent lamps that can be individually controlled. “We now have eight lights mounted on one fixture, with only two on at all times, sufficient to keep the whole fixture warm,” says Lally. Newly installed motion sensors ensure that the remaining lights turn on only when people are present. The lighting retrofit has resulted in energy savings of about 40 000 kWh, or $2,000 a year.
Lally did not stop there. The installation of a “fast-acting” freezer loading/unloading door completed the suite of energy efficiency measures undertaken at Lally Farms. While regular doors require electricity to stay warm, the new door is heated by a small metal strip because it opens and closes quickly. “We are saving around 29 000 kWh or $1,500 a year as a result of this upgrade,” says Lally.
In all, Lally Farms benefitted from a substantial incentive from BC Hydro’s Power Smart program for industry. “BC Hydro contributed $110,000 to the $157,320 total cost of the project,” notes Lally. That translates into a payback of about one year or estimated accumulated energy savings of $1.2 million over the expected life span of the building.
Source: Success Story entitled, Berry farmer big on the benefits of sustainable building design, published on the BC Hydro Power Smart Web site www.bchydro.com/powersmart/success_stories/
industrial_process_facilities/Lally_farms.html.
What’s New
ecoENERGY Retrofit Incentive for Industry Application Guide now available
The Application Guide accompanies the Application Form and provides a detailed outline of the information required for the application to be considered complete for assessment purposes.
This will help you and/or your clients complete the required information and reduce the processing time for your application(s).
To request a copy of the Application Guide and Application Form, visit /industrial/financial-assistance/retrofit/request.cfm. Or call 613-996-6780.
RETScreen® International combined heat and power (Cogeneration) Web portal launched
The RETScreen Software Combined Heat & Power (Cogeneration) Model can be used to evaluate the energy production and savings, costs, emission reductions, financial viability and risk for central-grid, isolated-grid and off-grid cogeneration (CHP) projects. The software can model a wide variety of projects ranging in size from large scale coal-fired steam turbine central plants or natural gas-fired gas turbine (combined cycle central plants connected to district energy networks) to biomass-fired distributed energy systems providing cooling, heating and power to institutional and commercial buildings and industrial facilities, to stand-alone energy supplies for commercial and institutional buildings, to small-scale remote reciprocating engine CHP systems.
For more information, visit www.retscreen.net/ang/g_combine.php.
Dollars to $ense energy management workshops – Schedule for February and March 2010
Legend
SPOT: Spot the Energy Savings Opportunities
EM: Energy Monitoring
EMP: Energy Management Planning
EEF: Energy Efficiency Financing
Kelowna, BC
SPOT – March 22
EM – March 23
Edmonton, AB
EMP – March 3
EEF – March 4
Toronto, ON
SPOT – March 31
Thunder Bay, ON
EMP – March 10
EEF – March 11
Montreal, QC
SPOT – February 17 – French
EM – February 18 – French
EMP – March 17 – English
EEF – March 18 – English
Quebec, QC
SPOT – March 10
EM – March 11
To register, visit oeeforms.nrcan.gc.ca/index-eng.cfm?event=dollars-sense-registration.
Workshop winter/spring 2010 schedule
Call for story ideas
Has your company implemented successful energy efficiency measures that you would like to share with Heads Up CIPEC readers? Please send your story ideas for consideration to Jocelyne Rouleau by e-mail at jocelyne.rouleau@nrcan.gc.ca.
If you require more information on an article or a program, contact Jocelyne Rouleau at the above e-mail address.