Small CHP

A new Powerhearth for the marketplace!
Bill Klein, 3i, October 6, 2009

3i (International Innovations Incorporated), the manufacturers of the world famous Powerhearth, an environmentally friendly biomass conversion system, proudly announce the availability of the Mini Powerhearth in sizes from 5 to 25 KWe. Please find several photographs on the Gasification List web site or contact us directly.

The photographs are of a newly commissioned 5 KWe Powerhearth, shortly after its final testing before delivery to the customer.

This particular unit is a trailer mounted model and will be used in the woods by the customer/logger as a power source for his portable sawmill. By choice, it will be manually operated and batch loaded.

Our regular production model would be outfitted with a continuous feed, airtight auger system from an adjacent metering bin.

We first began work on the great grandparents of this little guy in 2006 and, after thousands of hours of testing, decided we could finally commercialize the model last June. Though a "hunk of metal", we think it's beautiful and it works so bloody well!

A few stats:

Fixed bed, downdraft, linear hearth biomass conversion system

Two inch throat

Makes in excess of 10 cfm gas flow, measured after the gas cooler/cleaner/polisher

Length - without shrouds: 1.5 feet

Width - without shrouds: 1.16 feet

Height: Just under four feet

Weight: approximately 500 lbs.

Operating temperature: 1,250 - 1,300 C

Turndown test - 12 hours: less than 2 cfm

Prior to shipment, each unit undergoes 2 24 hour non stop tests and a 100 hour non stop certification test. The same tests are repeated during commissioning, but with engine(s) and electronics, computers, etc. fully integrated**

** As an option, the unit is capable of full automation, including ash removal and is sized appropriately to maintain net output and parasitic load.

Feedstock: wood chips* 15 to 25% mc and produces a clean and clear flare.

Ash content: approximately 0.25%, but may go as high as 0.5% - clean, fine ash w/o visible char

* As part of the test protocol, each Powerhearth is tested with briquettes of various origin as a check for versatility. Briquettes include green waste, bagasse, non putrescent MSW, black coal, brown coal, rubber, sewage sludge, livestock waste, certain plastics and RDF.

We believe this to be the smallest commercial gasifier capable of producing clean, engine ready, gas 24/7. Each unit is accompanied by the same Powerhearth performance guarantee and full service warranty.

Respectfully,

Bill Klein

3i

Powerhearth: the power of energy independence. It's your choice!

http://www.3iAlternativePower.com

Biomass Engineering UK Ltd Dortmund Site
Sam Heyes, Biomass Engineering Ltd., March 2009

From Biomass Engineering UK a very nice video of their CHP generator in
Dortmund, Germany

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8BUIOmMHe4

"This is a video showing our Dortmund plant running on clean wood. This site is a 500kw CHP If you have any questions or would like further information feel free to email me email me on s.heyes@biomass.uk.com"

Fuel 500 kg.hr 10-20% MC

Power 500 kWe

District Heat 800 KW

Contact:
Sam Heyes
Business Development
Biomass Engineering Ltd
Tel: 01925220338
Mobile: 07974980258
Email: s.heyes@biomass.uk.com
www.Biomass.uk.com

See also:

http://gasifiers.bioenergylists.org/taxonomy/term/45

First Commercial Heat and Power Plant in Switzerland Based on Wood Gasification
Dasagren/Netpro, March 2007
Wila 450 kWe

Main features:
•450 kWel+ waste heat utilisation.
•IISc-Netprogasifier
•Biomass: 15% moisture content
•Producer gas cleaning system with cyclone separation, quenching, scrubbing and filtering.
•1 Jenbacherengine
•Commissioning started January 2007

University of Montana Bio-Energy Project: Energy Tech Practicum(5.4 MB ppt)
Brian Kerns, University of Montana, Alternative Energy Research and Development, brian.kerns@umontana.edu August 4, 2008

Biomax 25

Biomass Project
Sponsored by USDA
3 year project, begun 10/2006
Utilizes Community Power Corp.’s BioMax® technology
Custom-built portable trailer
$500,000 for BioMax & trailer
Convert wood residue to
Electricity
Thermal (heat) energy

Project Concept:
Is it economically viable to transport portable distributed energy generators into locations that are producing biomass residues?

BioMax 25
- 25 kilowatts electrical
= 200,000 Btu/h heat
- Elec. & heat energy for 15 avg. MT homes
- 50 lbs/hr wood chips
- 1,750 scf/h prod. gas
- Char/ash production 0.75 lbs/hr
- Soil amendment
- 70% overall efficiency

Fuel Equivalents
1 hr operation = 50 lb wood = 400,000 Btu
= 3.3 gal gasoline
= 8 gal diesel
= 4.5 gal propane
= 2.9 gal crude oil
= 33.3 lbs coal
= 387.9 cubic feet natural gas

BioMax Emissions
Complies w/ CA air stds
Lbs/kWh
NOX 0.00065
CO 0.0000295
VOC 0.000031
PM2-5 0.0003
PM10 0.0000
CO2 7.7260
Hg 0.0000
Pb 0.0000
SO2 <0.0030

See also:
Woody Biomass Lights Up Researchers Capitol Press, 8/22/08

Prototype gasifier turns wood chips into versatile fuel source

Barbara Coyner
For the Capital Press

MISSOULA, Mont. - With a flip of a switch, Brian Kerns can turn wood chips into energy for a car, light at a remote work site, or electricity for the energy grid. . .

For the economics see:
Fuel to Burn: Economics of Converting Forest Thinnings to Energy Using BioMax in Southern Oregon. E. M. (Ted) Bilek, Kenneth E. Skog, Jeremy Fried, Glenn Christensen, USFS General Technical Report FPL-GTR-157

Crorey Alternative Fuels Biomass Gasifier Systems
January 8, 2008

SMALL-SCALE LUMBER DRYING USING WOOD GASIFICATION AS A HEAT SOURCE
Richard D. Bergman, USDA Forest Service, Madison, Wisconsin, Western Dry Kiln Association, May, 2005

ABSTRACT
Small, rural forested communities have the economic need to develop a wood products industry to replace the loss of large sawmills and maintain forest health. The main
objective of this study was to explore the potential of using producer (wood) gas to fire a hot water boiler for a small dry kiln capable of drying both softwood and hardwood lumber.
A BioMax wood gasifier, a hot water boiler, and dry kiln were integrated as parts of a whole lumber drying system for a field test in southwestern United States. Results so far found the amount of gas heat produced from the wood chip-fed BioMax 15 and 50 is
250,000 and 1,000,000 Btus per hour respectively, while the hot water boiler provides 109,000 Btus per hour for a 3,500 board foot dry kiln.

Small Modular Biomass Gasification
Rob Rizzo,Mt Wachusetts Community College,Biomass Combined Heat & Power For Delmarva, Dover, Delaware, June 12, 2007

Biomax 50
-50 kWe combined heat and power
-Thermal energy for heat
-Thermal energy for absorption chiller
-Electricity: 8.1 liter GM turbocharged stationary engine with genset
-24/6 operation
-No additional staffing
-transparent
-1.5 tons/day green chips consumption
-Seeking funding for other prime movers

Operating the BioMax 50 System
(Emergency Shutdown)
-Emergency Shutdown
-Kills power to all electrical devices
-Shuts the feed gate
-Emergencies
-Gas Cooling Blower Failure
-Engine and Roots blower failure
-System clogged