Enhancement of Central Heating Plant Economic Evaluation Program for Retrofit to Coal

Authors: John J. Kinast; Richard Biederman; Christopher F. Blazek; Mike C. Lin; Ralph E. Moshagge; CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING RESEARCH LAB (ARMY) CHAMPAIGN IL ENERGY AND UTILITI ES SYSTEMS DIV

Abstract:

Public Law 99-190 requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to increase the use of coal for steam generation. However, DOD also has an obligation to use the most economical fuel. Supporting the coal conversion effort, the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories (USACERL) has developed a computer program for engineering personnel at Major Army Commands, installations, the Defense Logistics Agency, and other DOD facilities to analyze the technical and economic feasibility of specific coal-combustion technologies at central heating plant facilities on military bases. The program, Central Heating Plant Economic Evaluation (CHPECON), can model plants that have a capacity of 50,000 to 600,000 MBtu/hr of steam, with individual boiler sizes from 25,000 to 200,000 MBtu/hr. The technologies examined include coal-fired stoker and fluidized-bed boilers, oil/natural gas boilers, and coal-slurry boilers. This report documents enhancements to existing CHPECON procedures for analyzing the retrofit or reconversion of a central heating plant to coal firing. They include: improving the screening and scoring process for boiler facilities considered for retrofit; adding options for converting a facility back to coal firing; detailing retrofit costs; upgrading economic analysis of a retrofit from an operating cost evaluation to a life-cycle cost analysis; and expanding the economic analysis to include examination of the condition of existing equipment.

Limitations:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE