Description of Waste to Energy Facility - Facility Highlights

General:

Area served: Greater Spokane Area/418,000 people
Type of contract: Full service/Operate
Ownership: City of Spokane
Financing: Revenue Bonds/Department of Ecology Grant
Start-up: 1991

Refuse Combustion:

Operation: 24-hours per day, 7 days per week
Process Lines: 2 @ 400 tons-per-day
Plant daily capacity: 800 tons
Average thuroput: 680 tons per day (365 days per year)
Feed system: 2 overhead refuse cranes with ram feeder
Grate design: Von Roll reciprocating
Combustion temperature: 2500° F
Auxiliary fuel: Natural gas
Waste volume reduction: 95%
Ash handling system: Semi-dry, vibrating pan conveyor
Materials recovery: 10" metals, aggregate, ferrous

Air Quality Control:
Type of equipment: Dry scrubbers-Fabric filters-deNOxNumber of units: 2

Energy Production:
Type of energy: Electric power
Steam flow to turbine: 188,000 pounds per hour @ 830 psig/825° F
Electric power capacity: 26 megawatts
Cooling system: Air cooled condenser
Customer: Puget Sound Power and Light Inc.

Facts & Figures:
Plant Capacity: Equals 800 Tons/day, using two 400/ton per day boilers.
Guaranteed capacity of at least 248,200 Tons/yr.
Electrical output: 26 megawatts gross - 22 megawatts net enough to light 13,000 homes
Turbine Speed: 3600 rpm producing 60 Hertz (60 cycles/sec)
Pit Dimensions & capacity: 140’ x 50’ x 40'; 40’ back wall; 4800 tons
Receiving floor: 62,000 square ft. or 1.4 acres
Stack: 175’ tall, preformed concrete sections, contains three flues
Fire Temperature: 2500 degrees F
Temp/Velocity of exiting stack gases: 250 degrees F, 4000 ft per minute

Construction involved:
16,415 cubic yards of concrete
198,692 cubic yards soil imported
45,251 feet of pipe
3,248 Tons of structural steel
350,829 feet/66.445 miles of cable
10,740 feet/2.3 miles of cable tray
2,396 field welds
Time to construct: 22 months
First refuse fire: September 6, 1991
Refuse crane: capacity = 9 tons or 6.5 cubic yards; Typical load = 2-3 tons
Computer System: Bailey Network 90
Cost: 110 Million dollars, largest capital project for City of Spokane.
Ownership: City of Spokane.
Service Area: City of Spokane & Spokane County & all municipalities within

Wheelabrator involvement:
Design, construct, operate and maintain for 20 years

Technology:
Ash Quantity: 90% reduction by volume; 68% reduction by weight of original MSW weight.
Ash Disposal: Rabanco Regional Landfill, Klickitat County (near Roosevelt, WA).
Ash Transport: Container capacity 15 tons. Configuration: two containers per load, 30 tons per truck, 8-10 truckloads/day. Intermodal train container, 25-28 ton capacity.
Metals recovery: 2.5% of original weight of MSW. Metal is not recovered with traditional landfilling.
Built for expansion: Extended Conveyors; Big pit; Extra flue in stack; Boiler APC turbine needed
Air Cooled Condenser: Totally dry cooling-6 cells, 150 HP motors
Boiler tube length: Approximately 100 feet, suspended from roof structural steel

Bag Houses:
Bag houses contain 3420 bags (1710 per boiler line).
Filtering bags are made of Gore-Tex fabric.
Continuous Emission Monitors: Read every 15 seconds-02, S02, Nox, Opacity, CO, Temperature
Property Area: 52 Acres

Similar technology:
Wheelabrator operates 13 other similar facilities in the U.S. There are over 500 plants in the world, approximately 136 using the same basic technology. More than 20 equal to or larger than 800 TPD.

Regulatory Agencies:
Spokane Air Pollution Control Authority (SCAPCA)
Washington Department of Ecology (WDOE)
Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD).

BTU values:
Garbage = 4,800/pound
Coal = 12,000/pound
Plastic = 14,000/pound
Tires = 16,000/pound