Wood chip systems

The objective with most biomass boilers is for them to run automatically, drawing fuel as needed from a storage area. In the early design stages it is important to establish where in relation to the boiler the fuel store can be sited: bearing in mind the initial fuel delivery to the store.

In order to prevent ‘bridging’ of the fuel the base of wood chip stores need an agitator. There are several options for this:

Spring Agitator

The spring feeder (two rotating spring loaded arms that drag the fuel towards the extract auger) is suitable for small and medium sized fuel stores and where the wood chip fuel is G50 size or below.

Walking scraper floor

The scrapers are the hydraulic ‘walking floor’ system is also available and is more appropriate where fuel store capacity is in excess of 150 cubic metres or the wood chip fuel to be used has moisture content approaching 50%.

Wood Pellet systems

The excellent flow characteristics of wood pellets allow a range of flexible and rigid auger systems.

These can be configured either horizontally or inclined to achieve the transport distances required.

Pellet augers tend to be a lighter construction than chip augers and as such are restricted to pellet fuels. Therefore if it is intended to change fuel type during the life of the installation, the fuel feed must be built to handle wood chip even if initially used for pellets.

As well as a host of configurations for fuel delivery handling and boiler supply handling, Rural Energy can help design the best fuel stores: Integrated or Independent,  for each application. 

Fuel Reception Systems

The Fuel Reception area is the location where the fuel is unloaded from the delivery vehicle. Of primary concern for wood chip is that the vehicle can tip, preferably directly into an underground storage chamber. Design considerations include vehicle turning circles, head room for the tipping trailer, bunker lid type (lift or slide) and appearance.

Alternatives are for delivery hoppers to remain outside with auger elevators to carry the fuel up and to a the store. Rural Energy have experience of many different options and as part of our design assessment we would recommend the most appropriate configuration based on the client’s needs and preferences.  

Use our Biomass Configurator today to help identify the system most suitable for your situation or contact a Rural Energy biomass specialist for more information.