Design Basis and Conventions

2.1 Plant Size:

Feedstock Logistics and Cost Similar to the recently-released algal HTL design
report [11], the scope of this analysis begins with dewatered algal biomass feedstock delivered at 20
wt% solids, thus does not include upstream biomass production and dewatering, but instead assumes
a rolled-up feedstock cost that accounts for all upstream activities. As noted above and discussed at
length in recent harmonization publications [8, 10], regardless of conversion method, all integrated
systems based on algal biomass processing are constrained by high cultivation variability, which is
both location- and season-dependent [18, 19]. This variability must be considered in TEA and LCA
analysis, as it carries non-trivial impacts on results given the requirements for systems engineering to
accommodate this variability. Specifically, PNNLs resource assessment modeling under recent
harmonization efforts identified suitable candidate locations that are envisioned to provide an
optimum between high cultivation productivity and low net water consumption (after considering
evaporation and precipitation at a given location), based on algal biomass cultivation in large open
raceway ponds. For both generic and specific strains (namely a Chlorella strain titled NAABB 2412
or DOE 1412 [10, 20]), the RA model predicted swings in cultivation productivity up to 10:1
between summer and winter seasons, with the most recent models averaging out slightly more than
5:1 between these peak and minimum seasons as an average across all selected sites across the U.S.
Gulf Coast. While it is possible, and in fact preferential, for a particular site and algal strain to
fluctuate over a lower range of extremes across the course of a year, the same degree of variability
near 5:1 was assumed in this analysis, to maintain consistency with the HTL design report [11].