Commercial Wood Energy Technologies
Commercial / Industrial wood fired boilers and CHP
Wood fired heat, steam and electricity generation is becoming an increasingly attractive option within the commercial and industrial sectors. Buildings or processes requiring large and often constant demand for heat allow biomass boilers to operate efficiently and cost effectively.
Modern boilers burn high quality wood fuels such as wood chips, pellets or uniform agricultural and industrial residues, automatically, free of any sign of smoke and with emissions comparable to modern oil fired systems. By pelleting residues from wood and crop processing, a possible disposal problem is turned into a high quality fuel. High energy content and easy handling make trade over longer distances economically feasible.
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Wood Fired Boiler | Wood Chip Fuel Store and Stirrer | Modular Energy Cabin |
Modern woodchip and pellet boilers retrieve the wood fuel automatically from the storage area and burn it, meeting high environmental standards. Modern wood boilers use up to 90% of the energy contained in the wood for heating, similar to good oil and gas boilers. State of the art models include automatic ignition and heat exchanger cleaning, automatic ash removal and ash compression (wood has a very low ash content, so ashes only have to be removed a few times a year). Some manufacturers even offer remote monitoring and boiler control.
Small scale
Heat only boilers with capacities up to 1MW are available "off the shelf" from a number of manufacturers based throughout Europe. The most commonly used boilers are in the range of 100kW to 600kW although domestic sized boilers are available for smaller commercial applications. Typical applications include:
- Hotels
- Leisure Centres
- Offices
- Hospitals
- Schools
- Universities
Selecting the right capacity for the boiler is very important if its operation is to be economical and trouble-free. If wood heating is to replace a system, the previous fuel consumption is the best basis for calculating the future requirements and the heat load. When replacing an existing heating system, it is strongly advised to consider improving the building's insulation as the new system could then be designed to the lower requirements following renovation. If a system is installed in a new building, an accurate calculation of the heat load is highly recommended.
It often makes sense to use the biomass boiler as a base load system by under sizing the boilers and using a fossil fuel boiler as a peak load / backup system. In this way it is normally possible to provide 90%-95% of annual heat demand using a much smaller biomass boiler thus reducing capital investment costs considerably and reducing economic payback.
Fuel supply infrastructures have developed considerably in recent years. Pellets are available nationwide through Balcas based in Northern Ireland and a number of importers. Wood chips are often available locally and equipment suppliers are often able to offer a wood chip supply contract if required ensuring security of supply.
Medium and large scale
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Grainger Sawmill Biomass CHP Plant, Co. Cork |
Larger scale biomass boilers are suitable for heat, steam or electricity production.
Designs are normally bespoke with boilers ranging in size from 1 MW upwards. Larger scale plants can be of the order 50-100 MW but these larger systems are mainly confined to the electricity power generation industry.
Heat is used within industry in a variety of ways. The simplest systems use boilers to produce heat as with smaller commercial and domestic boilers. The heat might be used within the process or more commonly for space heating purposes.
Boilers are often used to produce steam which is extensively used within industry processes. Examples include kiln drying of wood and provision of heat dairy produce processing.
The final category is that of CHP. This involves the production of high pressure steam. A proportion of the steam is used in a turbine to produce electricity. The remaining steam and low temperature steam exiting the turbine can then be used for process or space heating. For CHP systems the proportions will vary depending on the requirements of the industrial site and practical considerations with regard to technical feasibility.
High efficiency makes economic sense
Wood boilers use the latest technology to control the amount of fuel and air released to the burner. The standard size and quality of pellets ensure an extremely efficient and clean heating system. The lower cost of the fuel competes well with similar oil systems.
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Wood chips/pellets boiler at Coillte Office, Wicklow |
Your checklist for selecting a wood boiler
- Efficiency of 85% or higher
- CO2 Emissions less than 200 mg/m3
- After sales service contract
- Automatic cleaning
- Good quality burn-back protection
Funding
SEAI introduced the ReHeat Deployment Programme in 2007. This programme provides assistance for the deployment of renewable heating systems in industrial, commercial, public and community premises in Ireland (including biomass, heat pumps & solar thermal). Funding is available for feasibility studies and capital investment.
Publications
Wood Heating Procurement Guidelines
List of known Wood Fuel Suppliers
Financial Support for Ireland's Sustainable Heat Markets - Bioenergy 2007 Presentation - Pearse Buckley SEAI
Benefits of Bioenergy - Overview of the benefits of bioenergy including wood fuels - (IEA Bioenergy)
Development of Ireland's First Biomass CHP Plant - Grainger Sawmills
Warming to Bioenergy with Ireland's First Carbon Neutral Hotel - Bioenergy 2007 Presentation - Ian McGuinness - Roganstown Hotel & Country Club
Abbey Vocational School Case Study - Presentation from Alternative Heat Roadshow 2007
RDS Dublin Case Study - Presentation from Alternative Heat Roadshow 2007
Fairfield Nursing Home Case Study
Gartan Outdoor Education Centre Case Study - Presentation from Alternative Heat Roadshow 2007
Westport Woods Hotel Case Study - Presentation from Alternative Heat Roadshow 2007
3.5 MW Woodchips heating plant in Sweden - White Coal Green Energy Conference 2003
Affordable Energy Solutions for Local Authorities (Overview of ESCo possibilities including examples of installations) - Presentation from Bioenergy 2007 - Manfred Nestlebacher - CONNESS.
Wood as a Renewable Energy Source - COFORD Connects Publication 2002
Small and Medium-Scale Wood heating applications In Sweden - from White Coal Green Energy Conference 2003
Wood-fuelled Mini District Heating System at Camphill Jerpoint
Coillte Headquarters Case Study
Kelly's Resort Hotel Case Study
Wärtsilä Biopower - from White Coal Green Energy Conference 2003
The Use of Biomass CHP in the Finnish Forest Industry
Dundalk 2020 - Leading Ireland Towards a Sustainable Energy Future - Presentation from Bioenergy 2007 - SEAI
