How should the logistic system for a bioenergy plant be organized? It is appropriate to apply all that has been learned about the operation of existing biomass systems and develop a plan for a logistic system that can supply herbaceous biomass to a bioenergy plant operating 24/7, 47 weeks per year. A woody biomass system, the fuel chip system, is a commercial reality and has already been described.

For the sample calculations we assume that the bioenergy plant will process 25t/hour. Weekly demand is then

25 t/hours x 24 hours/day x 7 day/week = 42001.

Annual demand is

42001 week x 47 week/year = 197,4001

A truckload of fuel chips at 45% moisture content is about 12.4 dry t, thus it will require

4200 dryt week

= 339 trucks week

12.4 dry t/truck

If the receiving facility is open 5 days per week for 12 hours/day, the average operation will be 60 hours per week:

339 trucks week, ,

= 5 to 6 trucks hour

60 hours week

Average unload time will need to be around 10 minutes.

A truckload of sugarcane at 80% moisture content is about 4.9 dry t, thus it will require

4200 dry t week = 857 „ucks week

4.9 dry t/truck

If the receiving facility is open seven days per week for 12 hours/day, the average opera­tion will be

857 trucks week ^ , ,

= 10 trucks hour

84 hours week

Average unload time will need to be about 6 minutes if the plant operates with only one unload station. Note that this comparison does not use the four-bin-load with two bins on the truck trailer and two on a second trailer.