1 / 30

Teleconference May 4, 2010

Teleconference May 4, 2010. John S. Cundiff, Professor Biological Systems Engineering Virginia Tech. Big square bale system: 1. Used for commercial hay industry 2. Much development already completed and more in process (DOE Feedstock Logistics Projects)

cheng
Download Presentation

Teleconference May 4, 2010

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. TeleconferenceMay 4, 2010 John S. Cundiff, Professor Biological Systems Engineering Virginia Tech

  2. Big square bale system: 1. Used for commercial hay industry 2. Much development already completed and more in process (DOE Feedstock Logistics Projects) 3. Not appropriate for many areas in the Southeast

  3. Truckload of big square bales: 25 ton @ 15% MC = 21.2 dry ton Truckload of round bales: 12.5 ton @ 15% MC = 10.6 dry ton

  4. Bioenergy Industry Why the SE? Why the round bale?

  5. Why the round bale? • It allows the uncoupling of the baling and in-field hauling operations • The round bale (net wrapped) protects itself in uncovered storage • Round balers are used for existing cattle operations and the energy crop harvest occurs at a different time. The additional annual operating hours benefits both enterprises.

  6. Do we want the “plantation” model? or Do we want a bioenergy industry where the smallest farmgate contract is 100 ac?

  7. Farmgate Contract If my contract is to grow, harvest in net-wrapped round bales, and place in a Satellite Storage Location, then the 100 ac minimum is viable. If my contract is to grow, harvest as big square bales, store in covered storage, and deliver x loads per week to the bioenergy plant, then the 100 ac minimum is not viable.

  8. Why not sell herbaceous biomass standing in the field---like woody biomass? Works for crop residues (corn stover and wheat straw) in some locations. Does not work for switchgrass. Why?

  9. If my profit depends on the productivity of my switchgrass stand over the 10-y life of my contract, I do not want a contractor coming into my field and damaging the stand. Very important issue for a winter harvest in the SE!

  10. Which is preferable? 200 round balers under the control of 200 farmgate contract holders seeking winter harvest opportunities across the entire 30-mi radius feedstock supply area… OR 20 big square balers under the control of 20 contractors

  11. How much is the “robustness” of the round bale system worth to the bioenergy industry? (Think about a winter harvest in the Southeast---there are a lot of days when the fields are too wet for baling.) At what point will the industry be ready to pay for robustness?

  12. Ideal Conditions Is baling cost ($/ton) higher for the round bale? yes Is hauling cost ($/ton) higher for the round bale? Maybe not!

  13. Big Square Bale • 25 ton load • 40 min to load • 25 mi haul, average speed 45 mph • 10 min to unload • 10 h workday

  14. Big Square Bale 125 ton/d/truck

  15. Round Bale • 12.5 ton load • 10 min to load • 25 mi haul, average speed 45 mph • 10 min to unload • 24 h workday

  16. Round Bale 207.5 ton/d/truck or 66% more than the big square bale

  17. Is there a cost-effective way to load in 10 min? Is there a cost-effective way to haul 24 h?

  18. Do you need a large forklift at unload 16-bale racks at the Receiving Facility? yes Do you need a large forklift to load 16-bale racks at the SSL? Yes

  19. Is the forklift at the Receiving Facility a disadvantage? no Is the forklift at the SSL a disadvantage? yes

  20. Summary Is the harvest cost (baling and in-field hauling) higher for the 5x4 round bale? yes (neglecting the robustness factor) Is the storage cost higher? no Is the hauling cost higher? ??? Is the Receiving Facility cost higher? NO

  21. Summary Will “seamless” logistics ever be important?

More Related