Table 9 Ethanol and biomass worksheet input parameters

Plant capacity

Input in MLY or MWe

Design period (years)

A service life of 20 years should be adequate for low-volume pavements.

Yearly growth factor (%)

This is capacity growth associated with the plant alone. It is not expected that a plant at full capacity will increase its capacity with time; thus, this value is set at 0%.

Ethanol plants only

 Percentage of corn used that is trucked to the plant (%)

The model assumes all corn is supplied to the plant by trucks.

 Ethanol leaving the plant by truck (%)

The model assumes 20% ethanol is hauled from the plant in trucks.

 Dried distillers grain leaving the plant by truck (%)

The model assumes most of the dried distiller grains leave the plant by rail.

 Biomass plants only

 Capacity factor (%)

The average capacity factor of biomass plants across the USA is 66.6%.

Fuel type for biomass

 Corn stover (%)

Each plant uses different raw materials with different densities. This, in turn, affects the number of trucks supplying the materials. Currently, there is no dominant material in Indiana, thus the equal division.

 Wood chips (%)

 Sawdust (%)

 Baled straw (%)

Structural parameters

 California bear ratio

CBR is then converted to resilient modulus (M_R) using Equation 4; a value of 3 or less can be used for conservative results.

 Standard normal deviate (based on percent reliability), Z_R

The designer should choose the level of reliability of the design. For local county roads, the reliability is typically lower than high-volume roads.

 Terminal serviceability, P_t

This is the value that reflects the condition of the pavement at the end of its service life. The AASHTO design guide recommends a value of 2 for county roads.

 Standard deviation, S_o

This number reflects the variability within the pavements' materials. A value of 0.5 is recommended by AASHTO design guide.