BIOS BIOENERGIESYSTEME GmbH services

Aims of QM for biomass heating plants The substantial aims of the QM system cover the professional design, planning and construction of the biomass plant and the district heating network. The most important quality aims are: reliable, low-maintenance operation high efficiency and low heat distribution losses low emissions at all boiler operating conditions precise control system adapted to different load conditions long-term profitability of the project QM expertise at BIOS BIOS can and will make an important contribution to the quality assurance of new projects. Its quality manager Alfred Hammerschmid has long years of experience in the planning, implementation and optimisation of biomass district heating and CHP plants. The expertise in monitoring and optimisation gathered in a wide range of successfully implemented projects provides an outstanding potential for the integration of quality management in the establishment and expansion of biomass heating plants.

Plant monitoring is the detailed evaluation of the performance of overall plants as well as of single plant components. In biomass heating and biomass CHP plants as well as biogas plants monitoring represents an important basis for process optimisation, especially during the start up phase and the first year of operation but also as a basis for trouble shooting. At BIOS plant monitoring is generally based on three different approaches: - long term monitoring of biomass heating plants, biomass CHP plants and biogas plants - dedicated test runs with accompanying plant monitoring at biomass heating plants, biomass CHP plants and biogas plants - CFD-aided simulation of furnaces and boilers based on the data gained from test runs as well as mass and energy balancing over the plant

Fuel characterisation and fuel specific technology development Development of biomass combustion plants Small-scale combustion systems Medium and large-scale combustion systems Emission reduction Development of process control concepts for biomass combustion plants Development of new and innovative combined heat and power technologies Ash related problems in biomass combustion plants Development of biogas plants Development of biomass gasification plants Performance and evaluation of test runs

The services offered by BIOS regarding ash utilisation are: - Performance of R+D projects for the practical utilisation of biomass ash - Chemical analysis of biomass ash, characterization and evaluation of utilisation possibilities - Implementation of concepts for fractionated heavy metal separation in biomass combustion plants - Preparation of ash utilisation and logistics concepts for biomass heating and biomass CHP plants - Development and planning of the process technology in biomass combustion plants optimized for ash utilisation (ash removal, ash treatment, ash storage, ash storage)

Measurements Analyses Lab-scale reactors for fuel characterisation and combustion tests Biomass furnace coupled with a drop-tube Combustion tests at pilot-scale combustion plants

Since its foundation BIOS has established itself as a technology development partner of Austrian and international companies alike. This is proven by more than 20 projects funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) and the European Commission, where BIOS participated as a scientific partner during technology development, as well as a considerable number of research and development orders of industrial clients. Additionally, BIOS has performed several self-financed technology development projects in the past few years. Due to the high educational standard of BIOS employees (almost exclusively academics) as well as due to close contacts with national and international research organisations and universities, ideal basic constraints for the development of new and innovative technologies are given at BIOS.

Description of the biogas production in an agricultural biogas plant: Biogas is a renewable resource consisting mainly of methane and carbon dioxide. It is produced during anaerobic micro bacterial degradation processes of organic material (e.g. manure from livestock or poultry farming, crop components or residues and waste material). For the production of biogas all microbiological degradable substrates can be used. Beside the agricultural sector the biogas production has been established for the stabilisation of sludge from waste water cleaning and for the preparation of high charged waste water from the food industry. Agricultural biogas plants mainly use manure for the biogas production, because it is more economic to mix this substrate with organic residues from agriculture and food industry or energy crops, because these cosubstrates offer a much higher biogas yield than agricultural fertilizer like manure.

Description of the biomass CHP technology based on biomass gasification The objective of the thermo-chemical biomass gasification process is the best possible conversion of solid biomass fuels into a high calorific product gas. Thereby, biomass reacts with a fumigator (air, oxygen, steam or CO2), which provide oxygen for the process. Due to the thermal cracking and the partial oxidation a product gas is formed. The composition of the product gas depends on the biomass fuel, the reaction conditions and the fumigator and consists of different concentrations of hydrogen (H2), carbon monoxide (CO), steam (H2O) and methane (CH4). In case of air as fumigator the product gas includes nitrogen (N2) as well. Char coal, ash with varying carbon contents and condensable low molecular hydrocarbons are produced besides the product gas. The char coal and the hydrocarbons (summarised as tar) are the products of an incomplete gasification.

At present the only useful technologies from a technical and economic point of view for CHP generation based on biomass fuels in the power range between 200 to 1,500 kWel are the screw-type steam engine and the ORC process. The screw-type engine is used for steam applications and is orientated to industry and process heat supply. The screw-type engine cycle is based on the conventional Rankine process. In opposite to the steam turbine process the steam is expanded in a screw-type engine, which is connected to a generator producing electric power. The screw-type engine is derived from the screw compressor and is consequently based on comprehensive engine know-how. Screw-type engines are suitable for biomass CHP plants in the range of 200 to 2,500 kWel, where steam parameters can vary, due to variations of the fuel water content and the kind of biomass fuel used, and where a simple and heavy duty design is needed causing low operating and maintenance costs.