Field Feeding

Waste to Energy Conversion

Don Pickard

Team Leader, Equipment & Energy Technology

DoD Combat Feeding Directorate
don.pickard@us.army.mil
DSN 256-5036 / COM 508 233 5036

Natick Soldier RD&E Center

Mission Areas
Individual Protection
DOD Combat Feeding
Collective Protection
Airdrop/Aerial Delivery
Supporting Science and
Technology
Warrior Systems
Technology Integration

DoD Combat Feeding

Combat Rations
Field Food Service Equipment
Combat Feeding Systems
S&T Thrusts Areas:
Energy & Equipment
Food Safety/Biosensors
Novel Preservation &
Stabilization
Novel Nutrient Delivery
Revolutionary Packaging
M&S/Logistics

Life Cycle Management

6.2
Concept
Refinement Phase

6.3

6.4 / 6.5

Technology
Development
Phase

S&T Team

OPA

OMA

System Development
Production &
& Demonstration
Deployment Phase
Phase
Tech
Trans

PM-DEV Team

Material
Trans

Sustainment

Disposal

Sustainment Team

PM Force Sustainment Systems

Life Cycle Management Team
Organization
Director
CFD

NCD

TACOM
ILSC
Soldier PSID

PM -FSS

Working Group

EET
CFD

SEET
CFD

Contract FSET APM, LOG

CASCOM ILSC
DA G8
Officer PM-FSS &ACQ
ACES Field Feed

Customers

DLA

PM Force Sustainment Systems

Subject: Establishing a FP Zero-footprint IPT ( or environmental

technology WG)
All,
I am proposing that we immediately establish an integrated IPT (or
working group) to begin to collaborate on the future path of FP
specifically in the area of working toward reducing the logistics footprint
of the system, with the lofty goal being a "zero footprint operation"..
LTC Craig Rettie
PM, Force Sustainment Systems
Natick, MA

Current Field Kitchens

Assault Kitchen 150-250 meals

Mobile Kitchen Trailer 250-350 meals

Containerized Kitchen 550-800 meals

Force Provider 550+ meals

Rations
1 frozen

2 semiperishable

Meal, Ready to Eat

Unitized Group Ration, A

Heat & Serve Polytray

Unitized Group Ration, Heat & Serve

Food Sanitation Center

Issued 1 per CK and 1 per 2 MKTs

3 sinks: total of 60 gal fresh water
Grease separator
1 change x 2 meals /day = 240 gal /day grey water /battalion

Force Provider Overview

FP supports 550 personnel (+50 operators) with:
Climate Controlled Billeting
Quality Food Service (1800 meals/day A rations)
Laundry Service (200 lbs hour)
Showers & Latrines (one 10 minute shower/day)
Morale, Welfare and Recreation Facilities
Power, 24- 60 kW TQGs (1.1 MW Continuous)
Water Storage & Distribution (80K gals/3 days)
Fuel Storage & Distribution (20K gals/3 days)
Waste Water Collection (30K gals/day)
System Support Packages-- 30 days repair parts
Transportable--air, rail, land, sea (containerized)
81 TRICONs, 10 ISOs and rolling stock

Power Generation/Distribution
24-60kW Tactical Quiet Generators (TQGs)
16 running at all times
39 100A DISE boxes distribute power to camp
Prime Power Connection kits
Ability to connect w/ host nation power.
Power requirements: 1.1 MegaWatts continuous power
Size: 7x3x6 (generator)
Weight: 4,240 lbs.
PDISEs

100-AMP CABLES

FUEL LINES
100-AMP CABLES

200-AMP
CABLE

GENERATORS

Force Provider Daily Usage Data

System

Capacity

Power

Fuel
(gal/day)

Water
Supply
(gal/day)

Gray Water
Produced
(gal/day)

Black Water
Produced
(gal/day)

Containerized Latrine
System (CLS)

Four CLS's per Module each with 6

38 kW
Commodes, one urinal and a two
bay sink

N/A

2700

N/A

3465

Containerized Batch
Laundry (CBL)

200 Pounds/Hour

100 kW

25

5200

5200

N/A

55 kW

12

11000

11000

N/A

120 kW

25

1925

1375

N/A

N/A

2186

N/A

N/A

N/A

313

2248

20825

17575

3465

Containerized Shower
System (CSS)
Food Service Facility
Power Generation

Two CSS's per module each with

12 Shower Stalls, avg 10
minutes/shower per person per
day
1800 A meals per day
27 Each 60kW TQG's, 18
operating at all times. 1,080 kW
TOTAL

Solid Waste: Approx. 2500 lbs per day

Waste Energy Potential

35 pounds of
plastic waste

90 pounds of
todays waste

or

has the same

energy content as
Waste generated
feeding 300 troops
a single UGR dinner

5 gallons of JP-8

Current State of Affairs

The unfortunate reality at base camps

ASG EAGLE BASE

(BOSNIA)
Mounds of leftover
partially burned trash

Open burn box with

no emissions control
Energy wasted!

Waste Stream Data Comparison

Army Field
Feeding System
(Fort Campbell,
April 1995)

Force Provider
Training Module
(Fort Polk,
June 2000)

AF Bare Base*
(Derived from
PSAB data)

ASG Eagle Base

Camp
(excluding
wood)

ASG Eagle Base

Camp
(including wood)

Study Population

210

164

1182

3700

3700

Paper &
Cardboard

45%

38%

53%

49%

12%

Plastic

8%

12%

26%

34%

8%

Food

14%

40%

2%

4%

1%

Misc

12%

7%

10%

8%

2%

Metal & Glass

21%

3%

6%

5%

1%

3%

76%

3.2

4.1

13.2

3.0

12.6

79%

97%

94%

95%

99%

Wood
Per Capita
(lbs/person/day)
Fuel Potential

* This data is estimated, and the methodology used was not specified.

MRE and UGR H&S Packaging

Fiberboard
43.8%
Corrugated
Fiberboard
8.3%
Unspecified
7.7%
FRH
Inorganics
5.0%
Foil
3.0%

Polyolefin
13.9%
PE
5.0%
Other Plastic PS
PET
1.9%
1.3% 1.4%

PA
3.9%

MRE Packaging
(0.61 lb/man-meal)
Using available data to provide best
estimate of component materials
Many materials are bound in
laminates and therefore inseparable
Corrugated
Fiberboard
59.2%

PP
4.8%

UGR H&S Packaging

(0.49 lb/man-meal)
Data represents an average of Dinner
Menu 2 and Menu 7, and may not be
representative of all UGR menus
Data omits pallet and related materials because
they will not be transported to food-service
areas.

Other Paper
5.1%

Miscellaneous
0.7%
Foil
0.9%
Glass
2.2%
Metal Cans
12.4%

Other Plastic
1.4%

PS
0.0%

PP
13.0%
PE
3.9%
PET
1.3%

WEC Vision Paradigm Shift

TODAY:
Waste is a Liability
Waste disposal costs time & money
Expensive and logistical burden

VISION:
Waste is Power
Paradigm shift
Waste not a liability, but a
resource

Reliance on host nation support is

problematic
Overwhelm local capabilities
Human health and environment

Convert field waste into useful power

and heat for field-feeding and
organizational equipment

Waste footprint usable by the enemy

Signature
Force protection

Positive Impact
Reduced military waste footprint
More self-sufficient forces
Improved force protection

Objective

Objective:
Develop and demonstrate technologies that treat
solid waste as a resource, producing useful energy
while minimizing field waste
Capability Provided:
Onsite conversion of solid waste into electricity
and high-quality heat for field-feeding and
organizational equipment
Reduced logistics tail in terms of fuel consumed
and trash backhauled

System Concept

1. SHREDDER

4. FEED CONVEYOR

5. GASIFIER
2. PRE-PROCESSOR
(pelletizer)

6. HEAT EXCHANGER
& GAS CLEANUP

3. HOPPER

Containerized for rapid

deployment

7. GENERATOR

Provides electrical power

and heat

WEC concept with

cogeneration field kitchen

Automated control and

operation

Process Concept

The process can be broken down into three general areas

Pre-Processing. Solid waste is sized, homogenized, dried, and pelletized or

briquetted.

Conversion. The prepared feedstock is gasified (or similarly processed). The fuel
product is filtered, cooled, and cleaned.

Power Generation. The fuel produced is used in a generator to make electricity and
heat.

Pre-Processing

Conversion

Generic Gasification Process

Power
Generation

Leveraging SBIR & DARPA

SBIROnsite Field-feeding Waste to Energy Converter

$920K in FY0507 + $750K from DARPA in FY06FY07
Convert mixed waste into electricity and heat
Process 1500 lbs/day field-feeding solid waste
Package in ISO container for compatibility with Force Provider
Two Phase II efforts in progress

SBIRSolid Waste Preprocessor for Field WEC

$920K in FY0608
Size, dry, mix, and densify feedstock into homogeneous product
One Phase II effort in progress

DARPAMobile Integrated Sustainable Energy Recovery

$7.7M in FY0408
Convert packaging wastes into fuel/electricity
Retain 70% of the waste energy content, 10% residual waste
One Phase IA effort in progress
$10.3M

Research Partners

Community Power Corporation

Solid Waste Pre-processor

Stratified Downdraft Gasifier

Supercritical Water Depolymerization

Green Liquid &

Gas Technologies

Auger-driven
Pyrolyzer/Gasifier

Downdraft Gasifier
Community Power Corporation, Littleton CO
Approach: Stratified Downdraft Gasifier
an innovative design with electronic instrumentation and active air
controls to optimize the process
Reduces wastes to char/ash and gas
a clean producer gas that can be used in
an internal combustion engine with
minimal cleanup
BioMax commercial system converts
woody biomass into electricity
applications include forest thinning and
rural electrification
BioMax 25 gasifier system
SBIR Phase I awarded in December 2004
SBIR Phase II awarded in January 2006

WEC Design & Components

WEC Flow Diagram

HOT EXHAUST GASES

SHREDDER

PRIMARY AIR
SECONDARY
AIR

STORAGE
AND
CONVEYER
SYSTEM

GASIFIER

HOT WATER

60 kW TQG

HOT AIR

HEAT
EXCHANGER

AMBIENT AIR

FILTER

AIR/FUEL
CONTROL
MODULE

CHAR FINES
COMBUSTION
AIR

ELECTRICITY

Bi-fuel Power Generation

Diesel Engine Fumigation with Producer Gas

O2 Sensor
Air

Producer Gas

Flow
Valves

Flow
Sensors

Combustion air flow valve operates via PID control

Producer gas valve adjusts flow according to demand
20% pilot fuel (JP8) / 80% producer gas demonstrated

Mass and Energy Balance

Energy In
Trash in, LHV
Diesel Fuel in, LHV
Total Energy In, LHV

Btu/hr
595,331
87,893
683,225

kW % of total energy input

174
87.1
26
12.9
200

Energy Out
Useful output energy
PG Heat Exchanger
Engine Coolant
Exhaust Gases
Electricity
Engine Rad + Conv
Total Useful energy out

Btu/hr
56,756
123,769
118,828
170,650
81,671
551,674

Energy Losses
Moisture Evaporation
Gasifier, TLX, etc
Char
Engine Coolant
Exhaust Gases
Total energy lost, LHV
Total energy out, LHV

Btu/hr
10,805
55,831
14,125
50,790
131,550
683,225

kW % of
16.6
36.3
34.8
50.0
23.9
161.2

energy input
8.3
18.1
17.4
25.0
12.0
80.7

kW % of energy input
3.2
1.6
16.4
8.2
4.1
2.1
0.0
0.0
14.9
7.4
38.5
19.3

200

20

180

18

160

16

140

14

120

12

100

10

80

60

40

20

-20

-2
0

Time, Hours of Continuous Operation

Total Net Electric Output w/ 50 kWe

Gross, kWeh

Total OFWEC Parasitics, kWe

JP-8, gal

Electrical Output, kWeh

Initial Electrical and JP-8 History

Standard JP-8 Operation, gal

JP-8 saved by OFWEC, gal

Total OFWEC JP-8 use, gal

Weekly Electrical and JP-8 History

700

6000

600

5000

500

4000

400

3000

300

2000

200

1000

100

0
0

20

40
60
80
100
120
140
Time, hours of Continuous Operation per Week

0
160

Total Net Electric Output

w/ 50 kWe Gross, kWeh

Total OFWEC Parasitics, kWe

JP-8, gal

Total Electrical Output, kWeh

7000

Standard JP-8 Operation, gal

JP-8 saved by OFWEC, gal

Total OFWEC JP-8 use, gal

Projected OFWEC Operation with the 60 kW TQG

Delivering 50 kWe
parasitic load of 8.5 kWe at startup, 2.5 kWe while operating, and an extra 6 kWe while shredding

Solid Waste Pre-processor

, Waltham MA
Approach: Waste Pelletizer
integrates a shredder, mixer, dryer, and pelletizer to
produce a homogeneous product with minimal
parasitic losses
Converts solid waste into a fuel feedstock for
WEC gasifier
pellets appropriate for short-term storage and
automatic feeding with suitable physical properties
for gasification
Proof-of-principle demonstrated with Unitized Group
Ration (UGR) and Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) materials
SBIR Phase I awarded Nov 2005 (1 of 2)
SBIR Phase II awarded Sep 2006

Sizing

Mixing

Drying

Densifying

Waste Pellets

Supercritical Water Depolymerization

, San Diego CA
Approach: Supercritical Water (SCW) Depolymerization
hydrothermal process than uses a high-pressure,
high-temperature reactor to break down
polymeric and cellulosic materials
Reduces wastes to oils and gases
SCW has desirable properties
behaves like an organic solvent, ionized
species nearly insoluble, high Reynolds
number
Waste
Converter
SCW processes previously proven for
hazardous waste destruction and biomass gasification
DARPA Phase I awarded August 2004
DARPA Phase IA awarded March 2007

Engine
Generator

Supercritical Water Depolymerization

Economic Analysis
Starting with the DARPA MISER modelTweaked some assumptions:
Parameter

MISER Original

Tweaked for Field-feeding

Size

Company-level (1-2 per)

w/ 5kw generator

Battalion-level (1 per)
w/ field kitchen

Mission

365 days/year

78 days/year
(peacetime operational mission)

Fuel Cost

$13/gal + $.03/mile

$1.50/gal + $.03/mile

Distance

124-186 miles
(from base of operations)

System Cost

$28K

Other costs

ROI of 2.6:1
Return $500K+
per system

37 miles (BSA to FLOT, aligned

with food-service operations)
$200K
(practical maximum)
Army R&D Investment
Operation and Maintenance Costs

The fleet would have a

10-year payback and save
$1.5B over 30 years

Schedule
Milestone / Task

FY05

FY06

FY07

FY08

FY09

DARPA MISER
SBIR Gasifiers
Integrate, Test With Generator
Integrate Heat Transfer
SBIR Preprocessor
System Integration
Demonstrations
Transition to PM-FSS
TRL

The milestones are driven in large part by the schedules

of the leveraged DARPA and SBIR efforts

QinetiQ Integrated Battlefield

Support System
500 personnel camp
Integrated Battlefield Support System
17 - 20 ISO containers
Processes solid and liquid wastes
4400 lb of mixed solid waste per day
20,000 gal liquid waste per day
600 kW Generator, incinerator,
condenser, bioreactor, RO
1000 gal fuel per day