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The UMM Biomass Gasification Facility

The UMM Biomass Gasification Facility is an addition to the existing district heating plant at the southeastern corner of the UMM campus. It has been constructed and is currently undergoing initial system tests. It is anticipated to be running at full capacity in the spring/summer of 2009.

Below is our online virtual tour of the UMM Biomass Gasification Facility. Hover the mouse/click over areas of the image to get more information about that section of the plant.

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To view the interactive Biomass Gasification Facility Virtual Tour, a recent version of Flash player (external link) must be installed.

The following image outlines the location of components within the facility and the flow of materials:

UMM Biomass Gasification Facility
  1. Delivery: Bales are delivered to a processing unit. Bulk materials can be directly added to the walking floor feed hopper.
  2. Processing: Bales are currently resized in a tub grinder. This may also occur off-site.
  3. Storage/In-Feed: Material is conveyed toward the gasifier as needed from a walking floor storage bunker.
  4. Loading: Material is forced into the gasifier by a hydraulic ram.
  5. Gasification Biomass is gasified into energy-rich vapors (syngas) in the entrained flow atmospheric pressure inclined grate gasifier.
  6. Combustion Oxygen is added to the syngas stream, causing it to combust.
  7. Steam Production Heat from combustion turns water into steam in the boiler.
  8. Pollutant Removal Pollutants are removed from the emissions stream by a wet scrubbing unit.
  9. Ash Collection Ash is collected in a wagon or hopper, with the goal of using it as a fertilizer.

If you prefer, download our Printed Brochure (PDF, 898K) (large version (PDF, 6.4M)).