ASTM_E_1344_-_90_1997e1.pdf

Designation:E 1344 90(Reapproved 1997)e1Standard Guide forEvaluation of Fuel Ethanol Manufacturing Facilities1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 1344;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon(e)indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.e1NOTESection 11 was added editorially in April 1997.INTRODUCTIONThe purpose of this guide is to provide guidelines and evaluation criteria to enable a prospectivepurchaser,or lender,or both,to effectively review the plans,specifications,and plant operatingconcept of a mass produced fuel ethanol manufacturing facility(FEMF)and to determine whether itsdesign,as proposed,meets the requirements of ASTM design practice standards.ASTM PracticeE 1117 is a recognized standard for the evaluation of performance and design practices for fuel alcoholmanufacturing facilities.1.Scope1.1 This guide shall apply to FEMF as defined in Terminol-ogy E 1126.The guide is primarily intended for,but notexclusively limited to the evaluation of fermentation ethanol(ethyl alcohol)processes.This guide is primarily intended for,but not exclusively limited to,fermentation ethanol processesfor small scale(less than 1 000 gal/day capacity)plants.1.2 This guide applies to both batch process and continuousprocess FEMF systems.Since a wide variety of equipmentconfigurations can exist,this guide will describe the necessarygeneral requirements common to all FEMF facilities.1.3 This guide is to be used in conjunction with applicablelocal,state,and Federal codes for designing,constructing,andoperating FEMF facilities.1.4 This guide is limited to use with plants possessing thefollowing operational characteristics,which are fairly typicalof small scale ethanol plants and are as follows:1.4.1 Capacity:Up to 500 000-proof gal/year of 190-proofethanol,1.4.2 Normal Feedstocks:No.2 yellow corn,or othersuitable sample grade corn,barley,or grain sorghum(alsoreferred to as milo).There are other starch grains such aswheat,rye,or oats,and starch tubers such as potatoes that canbe used as feedstocks.Sugar crops(sugar cane,sugar beets,and molasses,that is a by-product of sugar plants)andcellulose crops(wood chips,straw,etc.)are also potentialfeedstock sources.However,since much of the interest inproposed ethanol plants in recent years has centered on the useof corn,barley,and milo as feedstocks for ethanol production,it is expected that the majority of plants proposed in the nearfuture will be largely based on these abundant feedstocks.Thisguide concentrates on the use of corn,milo,and barley asfeedstocks,1.4.3 Normal Process Fuels:Natural gas,propane,fuel oil,wood,or coal,1.4.4 Products:Ethanol at 190-proof or less.Distillersgrains at 60 to 75%moisture by weight and thin stillage,foruse as animal grade feed and not human grade food,1.4.5 Process:The ethanol production process referred to inthis guide involves dry milling of grain,batch or continuouscooking,enzyme hydrolysis,batch fermentation,continuousdistillation,and pressing or centrifuging for dewatering ofstillage(for example,separating suspended solids from thestillage),and1.4.6 Variations:One variation in the ethanol productionprocess is addressed in this guide.This variation allows for thecooking,hydrolysis,and fermentation processes to be com-pleted either as a batch in the same process vessel or in separatevessels.1.4.6.1 With limitations,this guide can be used to evaluatefacilities with operating characteristics that differ from thosejust listed.However,variations from those characteristics listedwill tend to lessen the reliability of the guide.1.4.6.2 An example of a fairly minor variation would be thesubstitution of wheat as a feedstock.Wheat processing char-acteristics are reasonably similar to those of corn,barley ormilo.However,wheat tends to foam considerably more thancorn,so vessels need to be sized at least 10%greater than ifcorn is used,or the use of an antifoam agent would beadvisable.1.4.6.3 An example of a significant variation from theprocess characteristics utilized in this guide would be thesubstitution of potatoes as a starch feedstock.Processingrequirements for use of potatoes vary significantly fromprocessing requirements of corn,barley,and milo.Therefore,use of this guide is not recommended for evaluation of a potato1This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E-48 on Biotechnolo-gyand is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E48.05 on Biomass Conversion.Current edition approved March 30,1990.Published May 1990.1Copyright ASTM,100 Barr Harbor Drive,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959,United States.feedstock ethanol facility.1.5 Use of Guide as Checklist This guide should be used asa checklist for evaluation of proposed small scale manufac-tured fuel ethanol facilities.It is intended to be used byinvestors,bankers