The Bio-Mass Project

The new cogeneration plant at USC will provide a significant portion of the heat and electricity needed to run the campus using low-cost, renewable wood fuel instead of natural gas. This will make it more energy self-sufficient using locally supplied renewable energy. It will also enable USC to shut down two of its three existing fossil fuel boilers. At peak capacity, the cogeneration plant will produce 60,000 lbs/hr of steam and 1.38 MW of electricity.

The gasification system will convert wood fuel into syngas (“synthetic gas is the name given to gases of varying composition that are generated in the steam reforming of natural gas or liquid hydrocarbons to produce hydrogen”), which is fully combusted to deliver useable heat to the cogeneration plant in order to make electricity.

Gasification is a process that converts carbonaceous materials, such as coal, petroleum, petroleum coke or biomass, into carbon monoxide and hydrogen.