Technical Evaluation Study: Solid Waste as a Fuel at Ft. Bragg, N. C.

This study investigated the technical and economic feasibility of using refuse as an energy resource at Ft. Bragg, NC. The technically proven system found to be most cost-effective uses mixed solid waste generated at both military Ft. Bragg, Pope AFB and civilian City of Fayetteville sources in the region. Refuse is delivered to an energy-recovery plant near the 82nd Airborne Division Heating Plant at Ft. Bragg, where it is processed into a refuse-derived fuel RDF by shredding and magnetic removal of ferrous materials. RDF is temporarily stored in a hopper until fed by screw conveyor to the incinerator feed hopper, from which it is ram-fed into the furnace. The stoking mechanism is a three-flight double reciprocating grate. Saturated steam at 160 psig is produced in the boiler section after furnance and fed to the main header of the nearby steam plant for distribution. Nearly 65,000 tons of refuse is processed annually. Review of alternative system reveals that if the civilian sector chooses not to participate in the plan, energy recovery from the military refuse alone is still economically attractive.