A single utility connection serves both plants, and multiple meters are in place to allow Buchanan to verify savings being realized by the cogeneration operation. One of several saws and milling machines connected to a plant-wide industrial vacuum system that collects saw dust and deposits it in a silo, which feeds the boiler. The plant operation at Buchanan is relatively simple. The saws and milling machines in the plant are connected to a vacuum system that collects dust and carries it to a storage silo. Larger pieces of wood that are not handled by the vacuum system are fed through a hog that grinds them into pieces small enough for the boiler's fuel feed system to handle.
Conveyors feed the wood dust to the boiler.
Steam from the boiler drives the turbine generator. Low pressure steam from the turbine generator is fed to the kilns, with excess steam piped to condensers which reduce it to water that is then re-circulated to the boiler's feedwater system. Buchanan's two kilns use low pressure steam from the output of the turbine to dry hardwood boards prior to processing them into strip flooring. Buchanan is certain enough of the system's value that they have indicated they will expand the system whenever their manufacturing operation grows to the point that they need to add a second shift, which would greatly increase the amount of waste being generated. 2240 Rocky Ridge Rd.