Stratified downdraft

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

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

Açai Brazil:Biomass Gasification Partnership for Rural Electrification in Brazil
Tom Reed, Biomass Energy Foundation, February 27, 2007
The Biomass Energy Foundation has partnered with Brazil’s Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM) to bring biomass-generated electricity to the Amazon region.
The “Biomass Gasification Partnership for Rural Electrification in Brazil” will use açaí pits, currently a waste product from processing fruit pulp, to generate 80 kW of electricity to serve four communities in the municipality of Manacapuru, approximately 90 km southwest of the state capital Manaus. The bioenergy plant will be co-located with a new açaí processing facility that will allow villagers to generate income and improve their standard of living. Currently, the villagers collect the fruit but have no means to process it into pulp, so they must sell it to a middleman at a low commodity prices. A new school has already been constructed as part of the project.
BEF’s system will consist of two 40 kW gensets fueled by two air-blown downdraft gasifiers complete with gas cleaning and cooling systems and semi-automated system controls. System installation is scheduled for the summer of 2006.
The project has principle funding from Brazil’s Federal Ministry of Mines and Energy as a pilot facility under Brazil’s “Lights for All” universal electrification program. The International Utility Energy Partnership has also awarded BEF a small grant to monitor the greenhouse gas benefits associated with using biomass energy rather than distributed diesel generation, the current modus operandi, to serve isolated communities in Brazil.