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Burning<br />
AAV<br />
Load<br />
mixing<br />
valve<br />
tp<br />
P T<br />
T3<br />
CS1<br />
HM 1<br />
Drench<br />
valve<br />
SV<br />
T<br />
P<br />
Safety<br />
Heat<br />
issues<br />
Exchanger<br />
Drench<br />
water Biom<strong>as</strong>s<br />
supply Boiler<br />
DC<br />
4-port<br />
CS1<br />
Thermal Store<br />
Biom<strong>as</strong>s<br />
boiler<br />
pumpset<br />
Back-e nd<br />
Tr tp P T<br />
T<br />
T5<br />
T<br />
Valve MV1<br />
HM 2<br />
T1<br />
Biom<strong>as</strong>s boilers will be key to System thousands of projects<br />
MV3<br />
pressurisation<br />
& expansion<br />
DC<br />
meeting carbon targets so it is essential they are<br />
designed and specified correctly. Here are the most<br />
pertinent issues surrounding their safe and efficient<br />
design, according to four industry experts<br />
22<br />
There is absolutely no place<br />
for an architect to define the<br />
chimney height or boilerhouse<br />
location without being<br />
supported by a fully trained<br />
professional engineer at the<br />
very earliest concept stage<br />
Burner<br />
CS2<br />
DC<br />
SV<br />
Condensing boiler<br />
with modulating<br />
burner<br />
Despite being a relatively<br />
immature industry in the UK,<br />
biom<strong>as</strong>s h<strong>as</strong> become one of the<br />
key low carbon technologies<br />
expected to help the country achieve its<br />
tough 2020 carbon reduction targets.<br />
However, reports by building services<br />
experts and a Health and Safety Executive<br />
(HSE) Safety Notice 1 suggest that a<br />
major overhaul of training programmes<br />
is required if biom<strong>as</strong>s boiler system<br />
installations are to be both safe and<br />
efficient.<br />
According to the Carbon Trust’s<br />
report, Biom<strong>as</strong>s Heat Accelerator: overview<br />
and summary of output 2 , many large<br />
construction projects – such <strong>as</strong> schools and<br />
housing developments – do not involve<br />
biom<strong>as</strong>s specialists. Thus, the installation<br />
AAV<br />
T4<br />
Fossil<br />
fuel<br />
boiler<br />
pumpset<br />
Tr<br />
tp<br />
Split<br />
Headers<br />
of a biom<strong>as</strong>s appliance is treated like a<br />
standard g<strong>as</strong> installation, incorporating<br />
the biom<strong>as</strong>s boiler into a standard heating<br />
system. According to the Carbon Trust, this<br />
lack of knowledge of both correct system<br />
sizing and integration with fossil fuel backup<br />
technologies, h<strong>as</strong> led to installations<br />
that do not achieve expected cost and<br />
carbon savings.<br />
This lack of knowledge is compromising<br />
safety too. Badly installed boilers and<br />
wrongly specified storage are<strong>as</strong> pose a<br />
risk of explosions due to build up of flue<br />
g<strong>as</strong>es and build up of static electricity while<br />
filling containers. A badly designed wood<br />
pellet store could potentially cause carbon<br />
monoxide poisoning or farmer’s lung.<br />
<strong>CIBSE</strong> is now producing an<br />
Application Manual on Biom<strong>as</strong>s Heating<br />
<strong>CIBSE</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> December 2012 www.cibsejournal.com<br />
T5
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