The bioenergy research laboratory is able to examine wood furnaces and electrostatic separators. It is equipped with wood furnaces, log-burning furnaces, pellet heating systems and a grate furnace that can be used for both forest chips and dry fuels.
In order to characterize the combustion, the pollutant emissions (CO, CO2, NOx, VOCs, particulates, fine particulates including particle size, condensates) are measured and determined in order to balance mass flows, performance and efficiency. High-voltage equipment of up to 60 kV and measuring instruments for examining the particle separation in electrostatic separators are also available. Among other aspects, the influence of the particle properties on the operation of the separators is determined and the degree of separation is specified.
The 150 kW grate furnace corresponds to the down scaling of a 1.5 MW furnace and is also equipped with additional options for the zone-specific supply of primary air, plus exhaust gas recirculation and air staging. This allows the fuel bed, pollutant reduction, burnout of solids on the grate and the low-NOx technology seen in modern grate furnaces to be analyzed and optimized in the laboratory. The results are also used for validating the mathematic modeling of the fuel conversion on a grate and for gas phase combustion via CFD.
