Energy Cogeneration and Waste Heat Recovery in a Rice Mill of Peru a Case Study

The inspiration for this study originated in 1979 when the author worked as a methods analyst in Ingenio Guadalupe Rice Mill, Peru. In a report to the management of the company, Mr. Ramon Yep, the plant manager, and the author recommended consideration of burning of rice husk to generate energy. Since the oil embargo in the mid 1970s, the utilization of refuse derived fuels has received increased emphasis in industry, government and academia. The rice husk, considered for years an agricultural waste and a nuisance, arises as a renewable and economical alternative to traditional fuels. This study e xamines questions of the rice husk combustion, the potential for cogeneration, the power requirements, the steam required for paraboiling and solvent extraction milling in a rice mill of Peru. It focuses on developi ng suitabl e technologies for waste heat recovery a nd cogeneration in a rice mill. Also, it considers the economic evaluation of some alternative projects likely to be simple mented as a source of power and h eat for the mill plant. Portions of this study were developed while the author was on a research trip in the northwestern region of Peru in 1982