Monday, January 25, 2016: 9:45 AM-10:45 AM
Modern Residential Systems
Chair:
Benjamin Bell-Walker, Biomass Thermal Energy Council
Technical Committee: 06.01 Hydronic and Steam Equipment and Systems
CoSponsor: 06.10 Fuels and Combustion
In recent years, the fastest-growing fuel source for residential heating has been biomass, especially wood systems. However, many system designers and specifiers are unfamiliar with biomass heating technologies and are often unable to provide guidance for someone pursuing biomass hydronic heating. This workshop is intended to introduce young engineers to specific challenges and design considerations in the use of biomass as heat source for hydronic systems. The first part of the workshop provides an overview of common biomass feedstocks. The second part discusses system design issues such as thermal storage, boiler sizing and fuel storage.
1 Biomass Feedstocks: Properties and Principles
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Bede Wellford, Viessmann Manufacturing Company (U.S.), Inc. |
This presentation will begin by eliciting audience feedback about their experience with and impressions of biomass hydronic heating systems. After this, a quick survey of the most common biomass feedstocks and system types will familiarize the audience with those they are likely to encounter. Then we lead in to a discussion of the essential differences between biomass and fossil fuels in terms of performance, especially turn down ratios, ash and moisture content, advances in emissions control, and storage and supply issues.
2 Biomass Hydronic System Design Considerations
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John Karakash, Resource Professionals Group |
This presentation will provide a look at some of the most important design issues that come to the fore when implementing a hydronic biomass boiler system. Segueing from fuel supply and storage considerations (the topic of the first part of the workshop), we will proceed to discuss boiler sizing and thermal storage in biomass systems. Advantages of multiple-boiler systems for varying load profiles will also be discussed. When these issues are understood, biomass hydronic systems are at their most efficient and provide an excellent alternative to fossil fuels or other renewable energy sources such as solar thermal for heating purposes.