2003 TECHNOLOGY VIDEOTAPES |
| |
Tape Title | Record ID | Date Produced | TRT: |
Synopsis |
| NASA WARMS UP TO MARYLAND'S TRASH | G03-032 | 05/8/03 | 00:16:00 | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is steamed about trash. The space agency harnesses methane gas from a nearby landfill and uses it to fire boilers that produce steam for the Center. Using landfill gas reduces emissions equivalent to taking 35, 000 cars off the road per year. NASA will save taxpayers more than $3.5 million over the next decade in fuel costs. Goddard is the first federal facility to heat its buildings with landfill gas. |
TAPE CONTENTS: |
| ITEM (1): Trash to Gas Process
- Landfill gas provides all of the center's heating needs 95 percent of the time, with natural gas serving as the back up. Methane is a natural product of trash. In this animation, wells draw methane out of the landfill and feed it to an on site purification plant. Before Goddard started using the gas, all of it was burned off in a flare. Now, the gas is intercepted from the flare and directed to a purification plant where the gas is cleaned and sent to Goddard.
Courtesy: NASA
|
| ITEM (2): Gas Purification Process - Most of the landfill gas purification process involves removing water. This animation shows four major steps to purifying the landfill gas for Goddard. First, placed throughout the landfill purification plant, filters sift out tiny trash particles and water. Second, a compressor squeezes out more water. Third, pipes cool gas drooling out even more water. Finally, the gas is reheated and transported to Goddard. Warm gas reduces moisture. Courtesy: NASA
|
| ITEM (3): Sandy Hill Landfill - Prince George's County Sandy Hill Landfill has collected trash for 22 years. Collection stopped in June 2000. The landfill contains 5.2 million tons of trash. Courtesy: NASA |
| ITEM (4): Landfill Purification Plant - Toro Energy constructed the gas treatment facility at the Sandy Hill landfill, in Bowie, Maryland. The facility collects landfill gas and removes impurities like water and particulates then transports the gas in five-mile pipeline to Goddard. Excess gas is combusted in the flare. Courtesy: NASA
|
| ITEM (5): NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Power Plant - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center power plant heats 31 buildings with landfill gas on the center's 1270-acre campus located at Greenbelt MD. Toro Energy modified two Goddard boilers in the Center's central heating plant.
Courtesy: NASA
|
| ITEM (6): NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland is a national leader in Earth and Space. Goddard manages the Hubble Space Telescope and a fleet of Earth Science satellites that study our planet's changing climates. Approximately 11,870 persons work at the Goddard Space Flight. There are 32 major buildings, providing approximately 3,200,000 square feet of space, situated on approximately 1,270 acres.
Courtesy: NASA
|
| ITEM (7): Landfill Trash - Over half of the solid waste generated in the United States is disposed in landfills, where it naturally decomposes and produces landfill gas. By volume, landfill gas is about 50 percent methane (a potent greenhouse gas) and 50 percent carbon dioxide. It also contains trace amounts of non-methane organic compounds, which contribute to odors and smog if left uncontrolled. Recovering landfill gas and using it to produce energy significantly reduces emissions of these compounds.
Courtesy: NASA
|
| ITEM (8): Interview With Barry Green - Goddard's Energy Manager
|
Technology Gallery