Directory of Industrial Biomass Boilers and Combined Heat and Power Equipment This directory was published in partnership with: Section 1 03 Foreword 04 Introduction 06 Boilers and combustion 07 Combustion technology 10 Combined heat and power 12 Advanced conversion technologies Envirolink Northwest Section 2 14 At-a-glance manufacturer information Spencer House 16 Company summary table 91 Dewhurst Road Birchwood 18 Summary table Warrington Section 3 20 Detailed manufacturer information WA3 7PG 22 UK map T +44 (0) 1925 813 200 24 Directory F +44 (0) 1925 819 031 77 List of UK suppliers www.envirolinknorthwest.co.uk [email protected] Combustion Engineering Association 1A Clarke Street Ely Bridge Cardiff CF5 5AL T +44 (0) 29 2040 0670 F +44 (0) 29 2055 5542 www.cea.org.uk [email protected] CO2Sense Yorkshire Victoria House 2 Victoria Place Leeds LS11 5AE T +44 (0) 113 237 8400 www.co2sense.org.uk [email protected] This directory was commissioned by Envirolink Northwest. North Energy Associates Limited compiled the bulk of the information as supplied by the listed manufacturers. Reproduction of content needs the written permission of manufacturers, Envirolink Northwest and/or North Energy Associates Limited. Using this directory Foreword The entries in the directory are listed in order of manufacturer. The European Union is committed to renewable energy Other useful organisations such as UK agents, suppliers deployment and the UK is playing a major role. or installers are listed under that manufacturer’s entry as appropriate. Where appropriate, a UK example of an installation of that manufacturer’s equipment is given. Some manufacturers have many UK installations of their equipment, others have a number of examples in Europe and few in the UK, while others have many examples in Europe but none in the UK. The specifications and claims made in each listing are those of the manufacturer or agent. We have no way of validating these and they may be based on using a specific fuel. Validation In the Renewable Energy Strategy, non-domestic biomass has the third greatest contribution to make in the lead scenario technology mix to meeting the 2020 against the specific circumstances you are considering is vital. targets, after wind and transport fuels. In the lead scenario for heat alone, where 12% of heat should come from renewables, the largest contribution is from the The inclusion of a manufacturer in the directory does not imply industrial sector. that their equipment complies with relevant UK regulations. This is also the case for manufacturers that have installations This publication originated in Northern England where a strong industrial sector in the UK. The specific regulatory requirements of any proposed continues to provide a vital contribution to our national economy. These industries consume a large amount of power and heat. Some have already switched to installation must be examined with the manufacturer of the sustainable energy sources helped by a particularly well developed wood and solid equipment. Many UK suppliers of European equipment can assist recovered fuel supply chain in the North West of England. with ensuring that any system designs achieve compliance with DECC is confident that energy generation from sustainable fuels will continue UK regulations. its rapid growth in the industrial sector, and that companies across the UK will reap the rewards. We welcome the initiative taken by Envirolink Northwest and the other Northern England agencies in producing this publication. Andrew Perrins Department of Energy and Climate Change 2 3 Introduction 4 5 Boilers and combustion Combustion technology Solid combustible biomass material can be used directly as fuel Primary combustion air is usually introduced to the fuel bed, for boilers, giving a range of outputs. The boilers can be used to or in the case of pulverised fuel, it is mixed with the fuel. heat thermal oil or steam as required. The type of combustion This allows the processes of fuel drying, gasification and charcoal technology employed by these boilers is largely dependent on the combustion to take place. The addition of secondary air then form of the fuel used and the scale of the system. Different fuels enables the combustible gasses to be burned, usually in a separate have different physical properties, requiring a variety of equipment combustion zone. and technologies to handle them. For example, some biomass fuels flow easily and others need mechanical transfer to move them around. Boiler output types: If only dry biomass fuel is to be used, combustion chambers with steel walls can be used. However, if wet biomass fuel is to be used, combustion chambers Thermal oil with insulating bricks should be used to act as thermal accumulators to buffer Higher temperatures can be achieved with thermal oil boilers than hot water variations in moisture content and combustion temperature. Biomass boiler systems, up to 300ºC. This makes thermal oil boilers suitable for process heat types are largely determined by which type of combustion system is required demands. Unlike steam, thermal oil boilers do not require a specially trained and for the fuel. licensed steam boiler operator. Steam Combustion systems can be divided in to three main types: Biomass boilers are available for raising steam. Saturated steam boilers are often Pulverised fuel combustion2 used for heat transfer applications, although there are generator prime movers1 Fixed bed that can make use of saturated steam. Fluidised bed Super heated steam boilers that utilise biomass fuel are available and may be used for electrical power generation. Pulverised fuel combustion Pulverised fuel such as sawdust and fine shavings can be used by injecting them pneumatically into the combustion system. The primary air is used as the transport air. This type of system usually requires an auxiliary burner to achieve the necessary temperature before the biomass fuel is introduced and the auxiliary burner shut down. It is necessary to maintain the moisture content and maximum James Proctor boiler particle size of the fuel to ensure optimum performance and minimum emissions. The explosion risk which exists with fine biomass particles requires careful control of the fuel feed. The fuel/air mixture is often injected tangentially into a cylindrical furnace muffle to give a rotational flow, which can be enhanced by recirculation of flue gas to the combustion chamber. Muffle furnaces are well suited to the use of dust and fine wood wastes such as those arising from the chipboard industry. 1 Primary movers generally refer to the engine or plant that provides the motive force to drive a generator. 2 Sjaak van Loo and Jaap Koppejan (2008) The Handbook of Biomass Combustion and Co-firing ISBN 9781844072491 6 7 Fixed bed combustion Fluidised bed combustion Fixed bed combustion systems can be further sub-divided into the various grate In fluidised bed combustion systems, fuels are burned in a suspension of hot bed furnace technologies which are available, as well as underfed stokers. The main types material consisting of sand, ash and additives or similar inert material. The hot are fixed grate, travelling grate, moving grate, rotating grate and vibrating grate. sand/inert material effectively dries and ignites even demanding fuels with low heating value and/or high ash content. Fixed grate systems are not well suited to modern, well-controlled biomass combustion systems. Fuel transport through the combustion zone is achieved by Fluidised bed combustion systems have been used widely for large-scale schemes the mechanism of feeding fuel to the boiler and moving the fuel through it. or combustion of municipal and industrial wastes. There are two main fluidised bed This makes it difficult to achieve high levels of control of the distribution of fuel technologies: bubbling fluidised bed and circulating fluidised bed. over the grate. It is usually only applied to small-scale equipment. It should be noted that fluidised bed combustion systems generally require long A travelling grate consists of grate bars that form a continuous band moving start times of a few hours. Good combustion efficiency can be achieved due to through the combustion chamber. The fuel bed does not move, but rather it is mixing, which minimises the requirement for excess air. The capital investment transported through the combustion chamber on the grate. The speed of travelling and the operating cost are high compared to fixed bed systems and fluidised bed grate systems can be varied to ensure complete burn out of the fuel. The grate is combustion plants are usually only found in large-scale developments. automatically cleaned of ash and dirt at the end of the combustion chamber, before With bubbling fluidised bed technology, the sand bed bubbles in the lower part of returning to the start. The grate bars may be cooled by primary air on the way back the furnace. The bed is fluidised by the primary air, which is supplied from below at to prevent overheating and to reduce wear. However, as there is no stoking of the around 1 to 2m/s. The secondary air is introduced through groups of nozzles higher embers, a longer burn out time is required than with other types of grate and it is up the sides of the furnace. The combustion zone retains all fuel heat, thus making not well suited to non-homogenous fuel as no mixing occurs. bubbling fluidised bed combustion well suited to biomass and recycled fuels. A moving grate consists of alternate fixed and movable rows of inclined grate bars. With circulating fluidised bed technology, the fluidising velocity is between The movable sections are moved forwards and backwards, usually by hydraulic 5 and 10m/s, and smaller sand particles are used. The bed material flows together actuators, transporting the fuel along the grate. This leads to good mixing of with the flue gas through the furnace, after which it is separated from the gas burned and un-burned fuel.