As stated in previous posts corrosion should be taken seriously. Below is some information to consider when purchasing a corrosion resistant pellet burner.

Heat Exchanger

Within pellet boilers heat exchangers are most at risk from corrosion. As they contain the heated water, if they corrode through the boiler will require extensive repair, or the boiler will have to be replaced.

Stainless Steel

Some manufactures will state that using stainless steel makes their burner more resistant to corrosion. Which is partly true, however the stainless steel instead of corroding will tend to crack, which is equally as bad.

Heavy Engineering

For a burner to be resistant to corrosion it simply has to be heavily engineered, something that today isn’t found in many appliances. These issues of corrosion were the same when burning coal, which is a highly corrosive fuel. Many coal boilers last decades through heavy engineering, take the coal boilers in ‘Local Biomass used in Local Boilers’. Heavy engineering in this sense means where some pellet burner manufactures may choose a steel depth of 2-3mm, another will choose 6mm. This extra depth of steel will take longer to corrode away, resulting in an extended burner life, and the ability to burn a wide variety of fuels.

Summary

Our view at PelHeat is that if you wish to burn a wide variety of fuels, you will require a corrosion resistant pellet burner. Some manufactures may try to sell you the product on ‘new technology’ to withstand corrosion. Our advice is go with the same proven principles of purchasing a boiler during the coal generation, find a pellet burner that is heavily engineered and constructed from the heaviest gauge steel available. This is only way to guarantee a respectable life expectation.

To offset the corrosive qualities of a biomass raw material it can be mixed with another biomass, I will explain this in more detail in:

1. Mixed Biomass Pellets

Thank you for your interest

www.pelheat.com

There are two elements contained within biomass that are responsible for corrosion within the pellet burner, which are Sulphur and Chlorine.

Sulphur

1. Sulphur is a low temperature corrosive
2. Sulphur content over 0.1% will have an effect
3. Fast growing biomass tends to contain higher Sulphur concentrations
4. All biomass has far less Sulphur than coal

Chlorine

1. Chlorine is a high temperature corrosive
2. Chlorine content over 0.1% will have an effect
3. Fast growing biomass tends to contain higher Chlorine concentrations
4. Energy crops like various Straw’s and Miscanthus contain high levels of Chlorine

Which Biomass causes Corrosion?

Generally it appears to be that the faster a biomass grows, the higher levels of corrosive elements they contain. Now some people would say to avoid this biomass, however their increased rate of growth is a significant benefit in developing a renewable energy future. Also biomass that can produce multiple crops on the same piece of land more quickly generates more income for the producer and a cheaper fuel for consumers.

Soon I will produce the an article on:

1. Corrosion Resistant Pellet Burners

To offset the corrosive qualities of a biomass raw material it can be mixed with another biomass, I will explain this in more detail in:

1. Mixed Biomass Pellets

Thank you for your interest

www.pelheat.com

When producing you own pellets, corrosion is an issue that should be taken seriously. Different fuels produce different levels and different types of corrosion when burnt. Also different boilers and stoves have different abilities in withstanding corrosion.

It is not cost efficient to pelletize a fuel that will destroy your pellet burner in a few years, so these factors must be considered before choosing your raw material and your pellet burner.

Soon I will produce the following articles on corrosion:

1. What causes Corrosion?

2. Which Biomass causes Corrosion?

3. Corrosion Resistant Pellet Burners

To offset the corrosive qualities of a biomass raw material it can be mixed with another biomass, I will explain this in more detail in:

1. Mixed Biomass Pellets

Thank you for your interest

www.pelheat.com