25/05/2009 by admin.

In Illinois farmers are experimenting with growing various different types of energy grasses to be produced locally into pellets to be used as home heating fuels. Switchgrass and Miscanthus are their current main focus for energy crops. They currently feel Miscanthus has the edge on productivity, however Switchgrass has other advantages including providing a habitat for local wildlife.

The farmers and University understand the benefits of local energy loops, as we do at PelHeat. Locally producing crops and pellets for local use has multiple advantages. It supports the local economy on several levels. And reducing transportation of raw material and pellets is better for the environment and means a cheaper fuel for the end user.

In the video the furnace that burns the pellets is shown, however very little detail is provided on the furnace its self. From our own experience here at PelHeat, we know what its like to burn energy crops, and which pellet stoves and boilers can burn the pellets efficiently. Therefore we have created a guide detailing what to look out for when buying a pellet stove or boiler to make sure it has the most features for the money, and which can burn other biomass pellets such as grass pellets. Please visit www.woodpelletstovesboilers.com to find out more.

The PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer can process biomass including wood into fuel pellets. If you would be interested in registering your interest in the PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer and receiving updates on our progress and informed when the pelletizer is on sale please send us an email to:

Contact @ PelHeat . Com

For more information please visit:

www.PelHeat.com

Thank you for your interest

Posted in Pellet Stoves, Pellet Boilers | No Comments »

11/03/2009 by admin.

Ben from Victory Gasworks has finished development of their first small-scale gasifier to go on sale. The product is called the Woody ESP, which stands for emergency and secondary power. In the video below Ben gives a summary of the features on the Woody ESP, and shows the unit in operation.

To begin with Ben shows the lid to the hopper where the fuel is loaded. The hopper and combustion zone on the Woody ESP is highly insulated. The reasons for this is so the unit can reduce tar formation as much as possible to generate cleaner gas, which means the filters will not have to be cleaned as often and produces a more reliable operation.

Secondly Ben shows the various ports on the unit for it to breath, ignition port, ash clean out and ejector port. Ben has replaced the cyclone for initial gas cleaning and gone for a coarse filter, as stated this will still have some cyclone benefits. Ben then shows the condensate drain, this is where the moisture in terms of steam is released from the process. The final filter goes through a cooling system and then finally through an after market filter. The process should produce very clean gas for use in a combustion engine.

Within two minutes the gasifier is producing gas, Ben then shows the high operating temperatures of the woody gasifier before sending the gas to the small generator. The small tank is a final condensate tank to remove as much moisture from the gas as possible before it enters the engine. Ben also shows how clear the water condensate from the process is, this illustrates the high filtration of the gasifier.

Using Biomass Pellets in the Woody

Currently Ben mainly uses wood blocks in the Woody, however he has had successful trials with wood pellets. However there are some issues with this design of gasifier when using biomass pellets, which I will talk about in the next post.

The PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer can process biomass including wood into fuel pellets. If you would be interested in registering your interest in the PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer and receiving updates on our progress and informed when the pelletizer is on sale please send us an email to:

Contact @ PelHeat . Com

For more information please visit:

www.PelHeat.com

Thank you for your interest

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09/03/2009 by admin.

The Breckwell P2700 Wood Pellet Stove is a compact stove with a large glass fire window. The stove can produce up to 45,000 Btu’s of heat and can heat for up to 50 hours on one full load of pellets. The hopper also holds 50 lbs of pellets, and a brick pattern appears behind the burn pot.

Stove Heat Output:

45,000 BTU

81% Efficiency

Biomass Pellet Choice:

The Breckwell P2700 wood pellet stove has a simple drop down burn pot with fan ash removal. Therefore this is not sufficient to handle higher ash content fuels and possible clinker formations.

Maintenance and Efficiency Features:

Up to 50 hours of heating from one fuel load

Automatic fuel feed

Heavy steel construction

Whisper-quiet blowers

The PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer can process resources including wood into fuel pellets. If you would be interested in registering your interest in the PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer and receiving updates on our progress and informed when the pelletizer is on sale please send us an email to:

Contact @ PelHeat . Com

For more information please visit:

www.PelHeat.com

Thank you for your interest

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03/03/2009 by admin.

The Breckwell P24 Pellet Stove is similar in design and size to the Breckwell P23. The P24 however has a larger heat output and hopper. The P24 can produce up to 50,000 Btu’s and the hopper can hold up to 70 lbs of pellets for a burn time of up to 70 hours. The P24 is available on a stand or as an insert.

Stove Heat Output:

50,000 BTU

81% Efficiency

Biomass Pellet Choice:

The P24 Breckwell stove is designed with a drop down feed into the burn pot. Therefore this stove is suitable only for premium pellets with low ash content, as higher ash percentages or clinker will cause problems. Therefore this stove serves as a classic low maintenance unit.

Maintenance and Efficiency Features:

“Hot Rod” automatic igniter

Whisper-quiet blowers

Heavy steel construction

Up to 70 hours of heating from one

The PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer can process resources including wood into fuel pellets. If you would be interested in registering your interest in the PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer and receiving updates on our progress and informed when the pelletizer is on sale please send us an email to:

Contact @ PelHeat . Com

For more information please visit:

www.PelHeat.com

Thank you for your interest

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02/03/2009 by admin.

In the videos below is an example of a small-scale mobile gasification system running on wood pellets. Casey shows in the first video the various components of his home made system. Here is a quick summary of the components.

Gasifier Partial Combustion Chamber

The first component is made from a recycled tank with several modifications including a stove door and 4” inch pipe. The wood pellets are placed in the pipe and fall into the combustion zone in the centre of the tank. As the wood pellets burn in a low oxygen environment with air sucked in through the cap, the syngas/producer gas passes through the bottom of the pipe into the heat exchanger tubes.

Heat Exchanger

The gas now passes through the heat exchanger before going through the filter system. Taking heat away from the gases reduces complications with the filter and pipes dealing with hot gas and also makes the gas perform more efficiently in the engine.

Water Filter

After the gas has been cooled it is first passed through a water filter to remove the majority of excess tar and particulates contained in the gas. The gas also contains condensate/water from the wood, which is also extracted.

Hay and Polyester Filter

Finally before the gas enters the engine it is passed through a hay and polyester filter. Making the gas as clean as possible and removing the moisture is important for engine reliability. Without gas cleaning tar and moisture would severely impact on the efficiency and reliability of the engine.

Gasifier Start-up

The second video shows how the gasifier is started. Firstly the starting fan is used and then the bed of charcoal is ignited. It will take several minutes before the gasifier is producing flammable gases and this can be checked before sending the gas into the engine. When Casey directs the gas to the engine the correct air to gas mixture needs to be found so the engine runs smoothly.

More and more small scale gasifier projects are experimenting with producing gas on a small scale for the use in generators and to even power vehicles. For gasification systems to operate efficiently and consistently a low moisture content fuel is required, pellets are ideal for the process. It doesn’t only include wood pellets, any biomass pellets can be used and in some cases it has been found that grass pellets release even more gas than wood pellets.

The PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer can process resources including wood into fuel pellets. If you would be interested in registering your interest in the PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer and receiving updates on our progress and informed when the pelletizer is on sale please send us an email to:

Contact @ PelHeat . Com

For more information please visit:

www.PelHeat.com

Thank you for your interest

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01/03/2009 by admin.

The video below from Biopact shows how electrical power generation in Germany is changing. Germany is becoming less dependent on power generated in a few nuclear and coal plants to a set-up of many smaller biomass, wind and solar power plants feeding a central grid.

As the video shows combining different renewable energy technologies together from different geographical locations makes sense. Where solar panels in one side of the country may/may not be producing power, the likely hood is that another wind power station will compensate and vice versa. However the disadvantage with wind and solar as forms of renewable energy is the supply and demand of energy. The requirements of the national grid are constantly changing. Here in the UK for example at around 7.30pm when there is a break in a popular TV program, several power stations are turned on only for a few minutes to provide power as millions of people turn on their electric kettles for a cup of tea.

While the energy created by wind and solar is very important and should be taken advantage of, its lack of flexibility to meet instant changes in power demands is its weak point. Here is where energy from biomass has the advantage, as it can produce power on demand to fill in the gap in supply. The video shows biogas as one form of biomass energy, gasification is also becoming popular to generate power from biomass. Many small gasification systems along with solar and wind could connect to the grid to power the entire network.

Clear advantages of small-scale electrical generation is the distribution of work and revenue, and with biomass the reduction of low-density materials to large-scale central plants. It also helps to keep prices stable and reduce power outages. For instance if one large-scale electricity plant goes down this will affect thousands, with a collection of combined small-scale generators, large-scale power outages are less likely.

For small-scale gasification particularly, pellets are an ideal fuel that users could produce and sell to other owners of gasification systems. As pellets are a standardised fuel with constituent qualities, they provide the gasifier with consistent power.

The PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer can process resources including wood into fuel pellets. If you would be interested in registering your interest in the PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer and receiving updates on our progress and informed when the pelletizer is on sale please send us an email to:

Contact @ PelHeat . Com

For more information please visit:

www.PelHeat.com

Thank you for your interest

Posted in Gasification, Biomass | No Comments »

27/02/2009 by admin.

The Breckwell P23 Pellet Stove is similar in design and size to the Breckwell P22. The P23 however has a larger heat output and hopper. The P23 can produce up to 45,000 Btu’s and the hopper can hold up to 55 lbs of pellets for a burn time of up to 55 hours. The P23 is available on a stand, legs or as an insert.

Stove Heat Output:

45,000 BTU

81% Efficiency

Biomass Pellet Choice:

The P23 Breckwell stove is designed with a drop down feed into the burn pot. Therefore this stove is suitable only for premium pellets with low ash content, as higher ash percentages or clinker will cause problems. Therefore this stove serves as a classic low maintenance unit.

Maintenance and Efficiency Features:

Convenient ash drawer

Whisper-quiet blowers

Heavy steel construction

Limited lifetime warranty

The PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer can process resources including wood into fuel pellets. If you would be interested in registering your interest in the PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer and receiving updates on our progress and informed when the pelletizer is on sale please send us an email to:

Contact @ PelHeat . Com

For more information please visit:

www.PelHeat.com

Thank you for your interest

Posted in Pellet Stoves | No Comments »

26/02/2009 by admin.

Several times in articles, which have appeared on the Blog, I have talked about the added benefits of burning biomass as the ash/char can be used as a soil amendment. The following video presentation from a group of Australian scientists explain its benefits in more details, and show the history of the process dates back many hundred if not thousands of years.

History of Terra Preta

Throughout the Amazon the orange soils have been turned black on the top few layers by man, through the process of adding charcoal and ash, and is know in the Amazon as Terra Preta. Scientists today are researching how Terra Preta can store twice as much carbon as other soils. The benefits of adding charcoal to the soil are the soil is then far more efficient at retaining nutrients, to capture and retain water and capture CO2 into the soil.

The reason this research is so important is that it addresses so many of the current issues of today’s world.

Energy

As discussed in the video, one of the best ways to produce Biochar from biomass is through pyrolysis and gasification. Gasification also turns out to be one of the most efficient ways to extract energy from biomass. The biomass is initially burnt in a low oxygen environment, this create the generation of syngas, also known as producer gas and wood gas. This gas can then be used for several purposes in terms of heating applications, running generators for electricity production and by passing the gas through a catalyst can be turned into alcohols such as ethanol and methanol for vehicles and other uses.

Soil Improvement and Restoration

The by-product of gasification is charcoal or Biochar/Agrichar. As the video states, it is possible to use the Biochar on soil to improve productivity and efficiency for growing more food and other crops is important, however it can also address an even bigger issue.

In many places throughout the world, and Australia is good example, soil erosion is a massive issue. Without soil amendments over time the soil terns very dusty and more like sand. This soil cannot hold moisture or nutrients and then plants cannot grow. Plant roots are what also hold the soil together; therefore the problem only gets worse over time. New desserts are forming in the US and Australia among other places because of the lack of sufficient soil amendments and management. As this process continues, the amount of fertile land reduces and less crops can be grown.

Biochar can be added to this soil to increase the percentage of organic carbon and improve the soil for growing crops. Using Biochar can reclaim land that was once lost to soil erosion and turn it back in productive land.

Biochar for Replacing other Fertilizers

Many of today’s modern fertilisers are produced from fossil fuels, which is not sustainable. Biochar can replace many of these fertilizers, which makes the process sustainable and reduces water pollution caused by many other fertilizers.

Carbon Negative

By using Biochar we are effectively collecting carbon from the atmosphere and trapping it in the soil to improve the productivity of crops, which are then turned into Biochar to return to the soil to trap even more. Burning biomass is referred to as carbon neutral, where it is actually possible to be carbon negative. No other renewable energy in the form of wind, solar, geothermal or any other has the ability to be carbon negative.

Biomass Pellets

Upgrading biomass into pellets is a convenient way to use the biomass in gasification systems on a small and large scale. Also the Biochar could be processed into pellets to reduce transportation costs and volumes of the Biochar to where it is needed.

The PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer can process resources including wood into fuel pellets. If you would be interested in registering your interest in the PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer and receiving updates on our progress and informed when the pelletizer is on sale please send us an email to:

Contact @ PelHeat . Com

For more information please visit:

www.PelHeat.com

Thank you for your interest

Posted in Gasification, Biomass | No Comments »

25/02/2009 by admin.

The Breckwell P22 Wood Pellet Stove is compact stove that is available on legs, pedestal or as an insert. The appearance of the stove comes in several options from gold, nickel and aluminium features to choose from. The stove has its own thermostat or a remote or wall thermostat is available. The hopper on the Breackwell P22 can hold up to 45lbs of pellets for a burn time of up to 45 hours. A hopper extension is also available on the standing and deluxe versions.

Stove Heat Output:

40,000 BTU

81% Efficiency

Biomass Pellet Choice:

The Breckwell P22 wood pellet stove has a simple drop down burn pot with fan ash removal. Therefore this is not sufficient to handle higher ash content fuels and possible clinker formations.

Maintenance and Efficiency Features:

Convertible - An insert or freestanding model

Gold Legs, Painted Legs or Pedestal Available

Heavy Steel Construction

The PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer can process resources including wood into fuel pellets. If you would be interested in registering your interest in the PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer and receiving updates on our progress and informed when the pelletizer is on sale please send us an email to:

Contact @ PelHeat . Com

For more information please visit:

www.PelHeat.com

Thank you for your interest

Posted in Pellet Stoves | No Comments »

24/02/2009 by admin.

The Janfire Flex-a Wood Pellet Burner is a bolt on attachment burner for an existing boiler or for a Janfire boiler. The Janfire Flex-a wood pellet burner can replace the boilers existing gas or oil burner and project a flame horizontally into the boiler chamber. Janfire only approve the wood pellet burner for installation on approved Janfire boilers and pre-approved OEM boilers.

Pellet Burner Heat Output:

Around 20KW

90% Efficiency, although depends on boiler

Biomass Pellet Choice:

The Janfire Flex-a wood pellet burner is fed from a screw auger which drops the pellets down into the burn chamber, ash is then removed from the combustion fan and deposited to the base of the boiler. As the fan provides the only means of ash removal this will not provide sufficient cleaning for high ash and clinker fuels. Therefore the Janfire Flex-a wood pellet burner is only suitable for low ash premium wood pellets.

Maintenance and Efficiency Features:

14 years of sales

Easy to remove and maintain

The PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer can process resources including wood into fuel pellets. If you would be interested in registering your interest in the PelHeat Mobile Pelletizer and receiving updates on our progress and informed when the pelletizer is on sale please send us an email to:

Contact @ PelHeat . Com

For more information please visit:

www.PelHeat.com

Thank you for your interest

Posted in Pellet Boilers | No Comments »