In most grids of this world renewable power is on the rise. One building block of this are biomass fired power stations with their distinct advantage to produce electricity on demand. The change of fuel from coal to biomass i.e. green or black pellets not only makes electricity production carbon neutral, it will also allow existing assets such as coal fired boilers to be used for the new fuel. In several Scandinavian countries but also in countries of Europe as well as the UK biomass plants are to be found these days. Besides providing carbon neutral electricity their aim is also to provide baseload power and stabilize the grid with their conventional and large turbo gen sets. Besides new mills especially designed for biomass cutter and hammer mills there is high interest in using the existing vertical spindle mills including the existing piping in order to feed the firing systems. Besides the biomass storage the milling section is one of the big efforts one has to take in order to convert a unit from coal to biomass.
Talking about Biomass conversion puts the focus on the two issues of fuel preparation: grinding and conveying. The grinding of pellets is rather a crushing process. The ground material will float with air much better than coal because of its fibrous structure. Whilst that does not mean that the conveying will be easier it means though that the filling levels of the mill as well as the dynamics of the emptying process of the mill will greatly change. There will be no major classification process anymore and the particle size spectrum for a good combustion can be much wider even though ambers at the back end of the boiler should be checked. What is clear however is that the mill dynamics will radically change, especially the connection between mill in feed and mill out feed. Controlling the mill output dynamically correct by the mill feeder will become increasingly difficult. The second issue will be the transport in the pipes which will become more erratic and pulsating. This is not only caused by the fibrous material and its tendency to clog but also by the large surges of material exiting the mill from time to time.
In this Webinar we will show you the real time behaviour of a biomass fired boiler. We will have examples from cutter mills and biomas injection by densephase flow as well as a converted unit (coal to biomass) and the impact of this on mill dynamics. Examples will be given of using a mass flow meter on the mill outlet as well as a state observer and controller in the controls of the mill and its ability to solve mill stability problems and smooth out biomass flows from the mill to the burner. It will be demonstrated how the maximum output of a conventional mill can be maximised by using fuel outlet measurement in combination with advanced controls.
This webinar will bring operating managers and operators as well as production- instrumentation- and controls engineers new insights into how to manage biomass fuels in conventional grinding and firing systems. Renewables will be at your doorstep sooner than you think, and wherever coal fired base load disappears biomass may become an alternative for heat as well as electricity production. Don´t miss this opportunity to get up to speed with the latest developments.
Key Learning Objectives
- Learn about biomass basic behaviour in grinding systems
- Learn about cutter mills and dense phase transport
- Learn about vertical spindle mills and lean phase transport
- Learn about new measurement and state control techniques to manage your mill output better
