Process Water Heating - Boilers

East Harbour Energy was commissioned by Fonterra to carry out an assessment of the feasibility of converting the energy supply at their Tuamarina, Kaikoura, and Culverden milk processing plants from diesel or LFO to wood fuel.

This report investigates the site requirements, the regional wood fuel supply, suitable boiler plant, consenting issues, risks, benefits, and provides a financial assessment of conversion.

This study looks at the feasibility of replacing light fuel oil boilers with wood fuel boilers at ENZAFOODS site in Nelson.  It found that the due to the variable steam demand at the site and the high cost of wood fired boilers per kilowatt, the most cost effective approach to steam supply at the Nelson site would involve utilising a relatively small woodfired boiler as a "Base Load" boiler.

Prior to 2008 Cashmere High School was heated by two coal fired boilers. These boilers had reached the end of their economic life and the schools discharge consent for coal firing was soon to expire. Cashmere High School needed to seek a clean heating alternative. Wood pellet boilers were selected by the school as being the best alternative to coal and a pair of wood pellet boilers were installed in 2008. This monitoring report contains data collected from the first year of the boilers operation.

This study assesses the suitability of various-sized wood-fired boilers for providing some or all of the Brewery's process steam needs.

It also assesses the possibility of using an absorption chiller to provide some or all of the sites cooling requirements using wood energy. Three boiler scenarios are considered. The two most attractive scenarios are described in detail, both delivering an IRR of 7 - 8%.