Optimization of the combustion process of heatmaster grate firing biomass furnace: computational analysis

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The Province of Manitoba is taking significant steps to reduce emissions resulting from the generation of space heat by legislating the mandatory abandonment of coal and petroleum coke fuels. With the impending absence of coal as a fuel, biomass conversion is being encouraged by the government and can be subsidized with eligible biomass products including agricultural residue, forestry residue and purpose-grown crops. Although government support toward capital costs provides a key incentive for switching to biomass, it is critical that the heat generation from biomass is achieved as efficiently as possible. The overall impact will be two-fold; lower operating costs, which will help make biomass appear especially attractive to those adopting biomass conversion, and a reduction in emissions, which will enhance the original goals set out by the government regarding pollution control.**As the importance of biomass furnace conversion is now established, further improvement of this technology is still required. There are several elements which contribute to the overall performance of a biomass heat generator, such as consistent fuel feed rate, combustion chamber design, air injection/distribution, air/fuel ratio, boiler configuration and feedstock flexibility. All these factors have a degree of interdependency which makes further development of this technology challenging. The proposed research uses computational fluid mechanics (CFD) tools to gain far greater insight into the fundamental mechanisms responsible of converting biomass fuel into usable thermal energy. The ultimate goal of this CRD research is to develop advanced knowledge to further improve thermal efficiency and reduce pollutant emissions of grate firing biomass furnace technology. Development of these systems for agricultural residue-based fuels will unleash a major source of revenue for agricultural industry by allowing clean and efficient green energy production. It will increase revenues for farmers by selling agricultural crop residues for fuel instead of burning them in the fields; while at the same time it increases the market share of biomass combustion technology.****************