Biomass

Wood Chips

With relatively high capital costs, the financial viability of wood chip heating systems depends very strongly on annual heat use and the cost of alternative fuels. The financial support available through the Renewable Heat Incentive has lowered the bar substantially, making many installations above 200kW viable on economic grounds alone. Of course, the drive to reduce carbon emissions from heating installations provides additional motivation.

The choice of boiler type is entirely dependent on the quality of fuel available and on the required power. This choice has to be right from the beginning; compromises are not possible. We differentiate between three types of grate in automatically-stoked wood-chip boilers:

• Underfed grate for dry material
• Stepped grate for wet material
• Fluidised bed combustion for systems above 1MW

Wood chips (like pellets) are stored in fuel silos adjacent to the boiler and are transported automatically to the boiler via a feed system. The feed systems delivers the correct quantity of fuel to the combustion chamber, based on current energy needs. Systems can run at between 20 and 100% of their nominal power output through the controlled supply of fuel.

We have long-standing experience in the design and operation of biomass heating systems, including arranging long-term wood fuel contracts, fuel storage and transport, planning issues, and of course all types of boilers (both biomass and fossil fuel), heat transport, heat emitters, flues and control systems.

We would be delighted to help you ensure that your system is well engineered, fit for purpose, and cost effective throughout its lifetime.

Related Case Studies

• Energy from cherry stones
• Automatic transport of shavings to wood fuel silo
• Biomass system fulfils range of heat uses
• 3MW wood chip heating plant
• French village switches to biomass heating
• District heating system with remote supervision
• Wood chip heating system in container form
• Wood chip heating for greenhouses