Biomass Heating

With over 20 years Renewable Energy experience within Glevum heating we are now able to offer complete domestic and commercial biomass solutions on all wood types. Advanced wood heating systems are an environmentally responsible and economical alternative (or addition) to conventional heating systems for fossil fuels.  With rising costs of heating with these tradition fossil fuels, and growing environmental awareness, it has resulting in a large demand for renewable types of energy. This natural fuel has a lot to recommend it, and not only because it is environmentally responsible. Wood as an indigenous fuel is also very affordable and not subject to wide price fluctuations. With the introduction of the RHI it is not only possible to create fuel and CO2 savings it is now possible to create an income from burning wood fuel for heating purposes.

• When wood is “harvested” from sustainable forestry, it is a renewable and environmentally friendly source of energy. With of sustainable resource management new trees can be planted and grown for further fuel in the future.
• When wood is burned is it effectively carbon neutral, as the CO2 released when burnt is the same amount as the tree absorbed during the course of its life. That’s why heating with wood is CO2 neutral.
• Wood can be a locally or home-grown product, which can result in a minimum amount of energy used it is harvesting and distribution which contributes to regional economies.
• Advanced biomass systems operate fully automatically and are equipped with high tech controls and safety devices for reliable, efficient and safe operation.

See our Fuel Auto-Ignition Diagram > What does the inside of a Biomass Boiler look like?

Types of Fuel Wood Pellets

Wood pellets are commonly made from sawdust residues from the wood-processing industry, as well as waste off-cuts. They are then processed and compressed into pellets or small ‘bales’, which are naturally held together by the lignin contained within the wood itself. When burnt, only 0.5-0.7% of residue remains in the form of ash. Wood pellet systems have lower capital costs than wood chip systems, but the cost to run is typically 30-50% higher. This makes them more effective in the smaller range, from 15kW upwards. The similar nature of the fuel results in very even burning and a very high efficiency. Pellets are evenly sized and also tend to be free from foreign bodies, which largely prevent any issues with the feed system to the boiler. In our planning work, we aim to dimension/measure pellet silos such that they only need stocking up once a year. The delivery of wood pellets can, thus, be compared to the delivery of heating oil to oil-fired heating systems.

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. 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.

Logs

Logs are easily available, especially in rural locations or from your own woodland or wood supply. They can now also be obtained from many suppliers in towns and cities. The moisture content of the timber should be below 25% (air dried); otherwise your boiler will produce steam. A fully-loaded burn chamber, when the system is in low demand, can burn for as long as 15 hours and in effect ‘tick over’ feeding the buffer tank so everything is fully charged and ready when you need it. Although the loading of logs into the boiler is a manual process, the system is controlled automatically by motorised valves called primary and secondary air actuators, which are used for the primary and secondary air flow. They close off to reduce air intake to the fire so decreasing the ferocity of the burn and making the fuel last longer. So far, we have been responsible for over 35 wood pellet, wood chip and log heating systems, the majority with district heating networks. Biomass Storage There are many different storage solutions for storing Biomass, below is a selection.