Demonstration Facility:
Replacing Natural Gas For Industry
CASE STUDY:
Aries’ patented downdraft gasification systems were first deployed for Boral Brick in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee to offset natural gas costs that were topping $10/decatherm.
PROBLEM:
Natural gas prices skyrocketed in the mid-2000s. Aries downdraft gasification systems were deployed to convert waste into a syngas to offset the high natural gas costs of Boral Brick Manufacturing.
APPROACH:
Twelve of the Aries DDSF-1000 (an 8-ton/day) gasifiers were installed between 2007 and 2009 and successfully fired large-scale brick kiln operations with the following specifications:
- Input materials: Locally sourced wood diverted from landfills
- Process: Computer controlled pneumatic and mechanical systems assured consistent feedstock delivery to gasifiers
- Process: Producer gas (syngas) direct fired to heat brick kilns
- Output: Gasifiers output fuels a full MW Caterpillar electric generator after processing syngas through a proprietary system and sold energy back to the grid via TVA
RESULTS:
The footprint of the gasification plant was less than one acre.
When the national building industry was battered by the recession, all three Boral Brick installations were closed and remain so.
