Gas Turbine Handbook : Principles and Practices

272 Gas Turbine Handbook: Principles and Practices
within the eastern boundary of the Village of Antioch in northeastern
Illinois. The closed 51-acre municipal and industrial solid waste
disposal facility was active from 1963 to 1984. During that time, the
landfill accepted approximately two million tons of municipal waste.
On September 28, 1998, the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (USEPA) issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for
the site, with concurrence from the Illinois EPA, which required that
specific landfill closure activities be performed. The final Remedial
Design (RD), including a landfill gas and leachate management
system and final cover, was approved by the USEPA on August 9,
2000.
The final RD included 35 dual gas extraction wells that were
located to allow for athletic fields as an end use option. Construction
activities for the RD were essentially completed in April of 2001.
At that time, the landfill gas and leachate collection systems began
operating.
Initial operation of the gas management system indicated that
approximately 300 cubic feet per minute (cfm) of landfill gas (LFG) was
available for potential use as an energy source. Local businesses and
industries were identified as potential users of this LFG. Ultimately,
the ACHS was identified as the only user that was able to use the
energy from 300 cfm of LFG.
During the fall of 2002, the ACHS and RMT began to explore
options for using the LFG being collected and flared at HOD Landfill
approximately 1/2 mile from the school. Potential options evaluated
included using the LFG to produce electricity, for use in the school’s
existing boilers, and for use in a combined heat and power system.
Through these evaluations, it was determined that the only
economically viable option was to produce electricity and heat for the
school.
In 2002, ACHS applied for, and received, a $550,000 grant from
the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs to
be used for the development of the LFG combined heat and power
project. Shortly after this, RMT and ACHS entered into an agreement
to turn the landfill gas into the primary energy source for the high
school. The overall cost of this project, including design, permits, and
construction, was approximately $1.9 million.
RMT was the designer and general contractor on the project.
Specifically, RMT’s team was responsible for: