First, a little background...
1.) My family has a hazelnut/walnut farm in Oregon, and we have our own dehydrator facility (process about 1000 tons/yr) We currently provide dehydration heat with Airstream brand propane burners (exhaust blown into plenum and used for dehydration) Peak output is about 4 million btu/hr. These burners are continually problematic for a number of reasons.
2.) Because it is a nut farm, we have access to significant tonnage of dry waste biomass (read: nut shells)
3.) Last year, I built a hot water boiler that burns these shells for heating my house and shop (I estimate peak boiler output @ approx. 200k btu/hr. Worked well last season, and with some changes I made this summer, working near perfectly this season. (by the way, many thanks from a lurker who learned a great deal from the many posters here) I'll try to get some pictures, and post some details about my boiler in the next few weeks.
4.) I'd like to scale up my design to provide the full 4mbtu to the plant, but as with any experimental tech, there are bound to be hiccups, and in this application, downtime is 100% unacceptable. Thus the need for a propane backup boiler.
5.) Which leads me to my question... (sorry for the long-windedness.) I have access to a 150 hp propane steam boiler (which I calculate to be about 5 million btu output). Can a steam boiler be "detuned" to provide hot (~200F) water? (would be closed system @ about 12-15 psi)
Many thanks!
-Jeff
1.) My family has a hazelnut/walnut farm in Oregon, and we have our own dehydrator facility (process about 1000 tons/yr) We currently provide dehydration heat with Airstream brand propane burners (exhaust blown into plenum and used for dehydration) Peak output is about 4 million btu/hr. These burners are continually problematic for a number of reasons.
2.) Because it is a nut farm, we have access to significant tonnage of dry waste biomass (read: nut shells)
3.) Last year, I built a hot water boiler that burns these shells for heating my house and shop (I estimate peak boiler output @ approx. 200k btu/hr. Worked well last season, and with some changes I made this summer, working near perfectly this season. (by the way, many thanks from a lurker who learned a great deal from the many posters here) I'll try to get some pictures, and post some details about my boiler in the next few weeks.
4.) I'd like to scale up my design to provide the full 4mbtu to the plant, but as with any experimental tech, there are bound to be hiccups, and in this application, downtime is 100% unacceptable. Thus the need for a propane backup boiler.
5.) Which leads me to my question... (sorry for the long-windedness.) I have access to a 150 hp propane steam boiler (which I calculate to be about 5 million btu output). Can a steam boiler be "detuned" to provide hot (~200F) water? (would be closed system @ about 12-15 psi)
Many thanks!
-Jeff
