Biomass Power Generation Technology And Process
Most biopower plants use direct-fired combustion systems. They burn biomass directly to produce high-pressure steam that drives a turbine generator to make electricity. In some biomass industries, the extracted or spent steam from the power plant is also used for manufacturing processes or to heat buildings. These combined heat and power (CHP) systems greatly increase overall energy efficiency to approximately 80%, from the standard biomass electricity-only systems with efficiencies of approximately 20%. Seasonal heating requirements will impact the CHP system efficiency.
A simple biomass electric generation system is made up of several key components. For a steam cycle, this includes some combination of the following items:
Fuel storage and handling equipment
Combustor / furnace
Boiler
Pumps
Fans
Steam turbine
Generator
Condenser
Cooling tower
Exhaust / emissions controls
System controls (automated)
Direct combustion systems feed a biomass feedstock into a combustor or furnace, where the biomass is burned with excess air to heat water in a boiler to create steam. Instead of direct combustion, some developing technologies gasify the biomass to produce a combustible gas, and others produce pyrolysis oils that can be used to replace liquid fuels. Boiler fuel can include wood chips, pellets, sawdust, or bio-oil. Steam from the boiler is then expanded through a steam turbine, which spins to run a generator and produce electricity.
In general, all biomass systems require fuel storage space and some type of fuel handling equipment and controls. A system using wood chips, sawdust, or pellets typically use a bunker or silo for short-term storage and an outside fuel yard for larger storage. An automated control system conveys the fuel from the outside storage area using some combination of cranes, stackers, reclaimers, front-end loaders, belts, augers, and pneumatic transport. Manual equipment, like front loaders, can be used to transfer biomass from the piles to the bunkers, but this method will incur significant cost in labor and equipment operations and maintenance (O&M). A less labor-intensive option is to use automated stackers to build the piles and reclaimers to move chips from the piles to the chip bunker or silo.
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