ISU power plant

**cycopath25** · 11-09-2009, 01:24 PM

Doesn't the ISU power plant run off of garbage?
Anyone have a good source or video?

**Clonehomer** · 11-09-2009, 01:30 PM

I believe that you are referring to the Ames power plant. The city sorts the garbage and burns whatever it can in the power plant. As far as I know the ISU power plant uses only coal to produce power, chilled water, and steam for the university.

**cmoore_23** · 11-09-2009, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by Clonehomer

I believe that you are referring to the Ames power plant. The city sorts the garbage and burns whatever it can in the power plant. As far as I know the ISU power plant uses only coal to produce power, chilled water, and steam for the university.

this is true i knew someone that worked at both

**pyrocyz** · 11-09-2009, 01:33 PM

You are correct, it is the city of ames that burns trash for power. It is referred to as Municipal Solid Waste.

Their Website has more information I think.

**agrabes** · 11-09-2009, 01:44 PM

I don't mean to be an *** here, but actually they call it "Refuse Derived Fuel." or RDF. I took a tour of the plant for class 2 years ago, and that's what we were told out there. And it can also burn coal because the trash doesn't give off that much energy.

That's also the reason why you should never put any glass in your trash in Ames. It melts and coats the inside of the boilers, blocking them up.

**abcguyks** · 11-09-2009, 01:45 PM

They mix garbage (they call it RDF - Refuse Derived Fuel) with coal and burn it in the boiler. I am not certain, but I believe that the RDF constitutes only about 10 to 20% of the plant's heat input.

**brianhos** · 11-09-2009, 01:46 PM

Originally Posted by cycopath25

Doesn't the ISU power plant run off of garbage?
Anyone have a good source or video?

Coal.

**brianhos** · 11-09-2009, 01:47 PM

Originally Posted by pyrocyz

You are correct, it is the city of ames that burns trash for power. It is referred to as Municipal Solid Waste.

Their Website has more information I think.

They use garbage and massive amounts of coal.

**cycopath25** · 11-09-2009, 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by pyrocyz

You are correct, it is the city of ames that burns trash for power. It is referred to as Municipal Solid Waste.

Their Website has more information I think.

link?

**agrabes** · 11-09-2009, 02:04 PM

Resource Recovery - Public Works

I know they also have some videos of what goes on inside there, I was shown one of them when I visited the plant. Maybe if you call them at the number on that page they could give you a copy.

**htownclone** · 11-09-2009, 02:05 PM

I thought if you burned garbage into dust it floated up into space where it becomes stars?

**MidwestZest** · 11-09-2009, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by abcguyks

They mix garbage (they call it RDF - Refuse Derived Fuel) with coal and burn it in the boiler. I am not certain, but I believe that the RDF constitutes only about 10 to 20% of the plant's heat input.

This is what I remember - for the Ames power plant. Only about 10% of what they can burn is RDF. It's usually mostly paper-ish waste, so the BTU output is really not even close to enough. It just doesn't burn hot enough.

Interesting fact about the two plants though - both are coal plants obviously. But, depending on how their scrubbers and such and set up, they can't necessarily burn the same coal, or handle the same amounts of sulfur. Ames power plant uses coal from wyoming, brought in via railcar. These are the trains you see coming through town all the time. Wyoming coal is very low in sulfur (along with other differences.)

ISU power plant coal is from west virginia, and isn't railed at all. It is barged from WV down the ohio river and up the mississippi to Ft. Madison I believe. From their it is off-loaded to semi trailers, which truck up to ames daily to keep the supply.