Conversion of a recovery boiler to bark burning

Georgia-Pacific (GP) operates a large integrated pulp and paper mill in Crossett, Ark., which produces in excess of 1400 dry tons/day of various grades of bleached kraft paper. Steam generation in the mill is approximately 1.2 million lb/h, which is supplied by a 1500-ton recovery boiler, a 400,000-lb/h wood-waste boiler, and two power boilers. Because GP wanted to minimize its use of natural gas as a boiler fuel and because it had a retired recovery boiler which could be converted, the decision was made to proceed with this fuel conversion product as a means of reducing energy costs per ton of product. This paper also discusses the biomass fuel handling system.