Archive for Energy
Energy Resources
Heating with Biofuel
Heating New York City Apartment Buildings with Biofuel
Cornell University Cooperative Extension, working with NYC Technical College and Brookhaven National Lab is engaged in demonstrating the use of B20, or #2 heating oil with a 20% blend of plant product (soybean oil) to heat apartment buildings this season (Fall ’05 through Spring ’06). B20, has already been successfully used for several heating seasons in 100+ homes in Newburgh, NY with positive results and reduced maintenance calls by the dealer’s repair and service crews. Many fleets (UPS, DHL, US General Services Admin (GSA) also use B20 in their vehicles- in 2003, Harvard University changed its entire diesel fleet to B20 fuel.
Advantages of B20 use include: [1] cleaner operation with no conversions (changes in burners or equipment), leading to reduced maintenance; [2] reduction in pollution, incl. particulates, sulphur and other indicators; [3] use of domestically grown fuel inputs in place of imported oil. There is real potential for a home-grown Northeast industry, linking Hudson Valley growers as well as the use of waste vegetable oil (WVO) generated from area restaurants and food processors: a Cornell study during the Summer of 2005 found between 1.65 and 1.8 million gallons of waste oil generated just in Brooklyn by restaurants! Soybeans used by area dealers are coming from as far away as Brazil and the American Midwest, and as close as Virginia and North Carolina, with Dutchess County producers will be planting trial crops during 2006.
We’re presently seeking 3 or 4 apartment buildings for the pilot phase. Interested building owners, managers and coop boards can contact either Dick Koral of the Superintendents Technical Association, 718-552-1161 (rkoral@citytech.cuny.edu) or John Nettleton at Cornell at 212-340-2937 (email jsn10@cornell.edu). Each building will establish its own account with those NYC and area fuel dealers handling B20 biofuel. We will do site visits prior to beginning use of B20, with technical aspects overseen by Dr. C.R. Krishna of Brookhaven National Laboratory, who has extensive experience and has run a successful biofuel demonstration with the National Park Service at President ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt’s Sagamore Hill home in Oyster Bay, Long Island for several years.
Some technical notes on Biodiesel
Biodiesel is renewable fuel made from virgin vegetable oil (mostly soy oil in the US, but rapeseed (canola), mustard seed and flaxseed are used as well and from recycled oil, animal fats etc.
B 100 designates the neat biodiesel
BX designates X% biodiesel in diesel, heating oil etc, so B20 is a 20% blend: heating oil blends are sometimes called ‘bioheat’ or ‘biofuel’
Biodiesel has properties more or less similar to diesel
Biodiesel has an ASTM specification D 6751
Biodiesel has almost no sulfur
Biodiesel has ‘poorer’ cold flow features than petrol diesel- it can ‘gel’ at higher temps than diesel or heating oil, so storing B100 requires care
Biodiesel blends have been tested in residential and small commercial boilers
Brookhaven (BNL) and others have proven that B20 can be burned in residential equipments with no changes to equipment or tuning of system
Abbott and Mills in Newburgh, NY has tested for 3 years in about a 100 homes with no adverse reports (See Ralph Mills presentation at http://intranet.bnl.gov/video/colloquia.asp, click on Biodiesel workshop
Results show that NOx levels are lower as well with Biodiesel blends, and lower sulfur levels should make for longer intervals between maintenance
Buying biodiesel
Buy from reputable dealers (Check NBB.org) made to ASTM specifications
Ensure cloud point and pour point values are acceptable from storage, transport points of view
Operation with Biodiesel blends (B2 to B20)
Inform service providers about switching
Identify equipment (tanks, boilers/furnaces, piping etc.)
as using biodiesel blend
Maintain log of operation and note any fuel related deviations
Inspect tanks, pumps, filters, gaskets etc at increased frequency to detect any potential for leaks
For additional information, go to the website(s) for the National Biodiesel Board (www.nbb.org), or contact John Nettleton or Dick Koral at the addresses cited above.
Energy Conversion Information
Conversion Factors
Average Energy Content of Various Fuels
| 1 kilowatt hour of electricity | 3,413 Btu |
| 1 cubic foot of natural gas | 1,008 to 1,034 Btu |
| 1 therm of natural gas | 100,000 Btu |
| 1 gallon of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) | 95,475 Btu |
| 1 gallon of crude oil | 138,095 Btu |
| 1 barrel of crude oil | 5,800,000 Btu |
| 1 gallon of kerosene or light distillate oil | 135,000 Btu |
| 1 gallon of middle distillate or diesel fuel oil | 138,690 Btu |
| 1 gallon of residual fuel oil | 149,690 Btu |
| 1 gallon of gasoline | 125,000 Btu |
| 1 gallon of ethanol | 84,400 Btu |
| 1 gallon of methanol | 62,800 Btu |
| 1 gallon of gasohol (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline) | 120,000 Btu |
| 1 pound of coal | 8,100 to 13,000 Btu |
| 1 ton of coal | 16,200,000 to 26,000,000 Btu |
| 1 ton of coke | 26,000,000 Btu |
| 1 ton of wood | 9,000,000 to 17,000,000 Btu |
| 1 standard chord of wood | 18,000,000 to 24,000,000 Btu |
| 1 face cord of wood | 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 Btu |
| 1 pound of low pressure steam (recoverable heat) | 1,000 Btu |
Measurement Conversions
1 short ton (ton) = 2,000 pounds = 6.65 barrels (crude oil)
1 metric ton (tonn) = 2,200 pounds
1 barrel (bbl) = 42 gallons= 5.615 cubic feet = 159.0 liters
1 Mcf = 1,000 cubic feet
1 therm = 105 Btu = 1,000,000 Btu
1 thousand Btu (Mbtu) = 1,000 Btu
1 million Btu (MMBtu) = 1,000,000 Btu
1 quad = 1015 (quadrillion) Btu or 1,000,000,000 MMBtu
1 kilowatt-hour (kWh) = 1,000 watt hours
1 megawatt-hour (MWh) = 1,000 kwh or 1,000,000 watt-hours
1 gigawatt-hour (GWh) = 1,000 MWh or 1,000,000,000 watt-hours
1 gallon = 4.524 pounds liquefied petroleum gas
1 standard cord of wood = 8 feet x 4 feet x feet = 128 cubic feet= approx. 4,000 lbs.
1 face cord of wood = 8 feet x 4 feet x 16 inches = 42.7 cubic feet = approx. 1,333 lbs.
Energy Comparisons
Compare Natural Gas – sold in therms (100,000 BTU/therm)1
Multiply the oil heat price per gallon by 0.72 to give the equivalent price per therm of natural gas
Multiply the propane price per gallon by 1.087 to give the equivalent price per therm of natural gas
Multiply the electricity price per kWh by 29.3 to give the equivalent price per therm of natural gas
Compare Propane – sold in gallons (92,000 BTU/gallon)
Multiply the oil heat price per gallon by 0.663 to give the equivalent price per gallon of propane
Multiply the natural gas delivered price per therm by 0.92 to give the equivalent price per gallon of propane
Multiply the electricity price per kWh by 27.0 to give the equivalent price per gallon of propane
Compare Heating Oil – sold in gallons (138,700 BTU/gallon)
Multiply the propane price per gallon by 1.507 to give the equivalent price per gallon of heating oil
Multiply the natural gas delivered price per therm by 1.387 to give the equivalent price per gallon of heating oil
Multiply the electricity price per kWh by 40.6 to give the equivalent price per gallon of heating oil
Compare Electricity – sold in kilowatt hours (3,413 BTU/kilowatt hour)2
Multiply the propane price per gallon by 0.037 to give the equivalent price per kilowatt hour of electricity
Multiply the natural gas delivered price per therm by 0.034 to give the equivalent price per kilowatt hour of electricity
Multiply the heating oil price per gallon by 0.024 to give the equivalent price per kilowatt hour of electricity
1. Figure out your price per therm by dividing your total fuel bill by the total therms of natural gas consumed. This is your price per therm.
2. Figure out your price per kWh by dividing your total fuel bill by the total kWh of electricity consumed. This is your price per kWh.
