More 'green' biomass boilers could be on the way

Bradford Council hopes to build a new storage unit in the city’s Peel Park to house the wood chippings it needs to fuel two biomass boilers.

The boilers were installed at City Hall and Ilkley Town Hall last year as part of the Council’s pledge to reduce its carbon emissions by 20 per cent by 2010/11.

Many of the wood chippings used to power the boilers come from timber taken from the authority’s estates and woodlands.

In January last year the Telegraph & Argus reported that the district’s nine civic Christmas trees were turned into chippings to fuel the wood-burning boilers. In addition, trees cut down as part of a restoration of Roberts Park in Saltaire have been turned into woodchips to be used in the boilers.

Now the Council wants to increase its storage facilities to help it save nearly £60,000 a year through the new technology.

The authority is also considering installing similar biomass boilers at other Council buildings in a drive to cut its emissions.

A Council spokesman said: “There is a planning application to increase the size of a shed at Peel Park which stores wood chippings. The wood chippings are used in biomass boilers at Bradford City Hall and Ilkley Town Hall.

“The boilers are fuelled by the woodchips which are collected from Leisure Services. The boiler at City Hall could provide up to £50,000 per year savings and up to £7,000 per year at Ilkley Town Hall.

“The additional storage for wood chippings at Peel Park would give us the opportunity to try the biomass technology at additional locations and other Council buildings.”

The Council also wants to deliver 20 per cent of the power it uses through renewable sources by 2020. Solar power technology is already in place at Bradford Central Library.

The target date for the application to be determined is Tuesday, September 15.

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/local/localbrad/4574812.Council_s_new_bid_to_chop_fuel_bills/

swimming pool covers and condensing boilers save energy

VALE of Glamorgan energy manager David Powell says it’s important that the authority sets a good example to the community by being as energy efficient as possible.

It is committed to improving its environmental credentials, including energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.

Working with the Carbon Trust to produce a carbon management reduction strategy, it has secured 50% match funding to create a “spend to save” fund of just under £500,000.

Buildings are being systematically surveyed to identify need for extra insulation and other measures and the fund is replenished through savings made.

Other measures include swimming pool covers, improved heating controls, radiator reflector panels, high efficiency condensing boilers, improved lighting emitters and controls and voltage reduction equipment.

SMART meters were installed to collect information on how much energy is used in each half hour period daily and can highlight if equipment is left on unnecessarily.

Five primary schools took part in the RWE nPower-sponsored climate cops programme and children can now point out to others when energy is being wasted.

A two-year realising resources programme with Groundwork Bridgend Neath Port Talbot involves 25 primary schools and is supported with European funding.

Teachers and pupils learn to read utility meters and track how much energy is being used.

The aim is to reduce consumption by 10% within each school and also looks at water use and waste produced.

Almost all housing stock has been insulated and high efficiency condensing gas boilers are being installed where practical.

The authority is committed to all departments achieving Green Dragon Environmental award level 1 by 2010 – many already have, with one achieving the highest level 5.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/

wales-news/2009/08/18/swimming-pool-covers-and-condensing-boilers-save-energy-

91466-24462171/

Oxygen analyser helps keep boilers burning cleanly

Users of small industrial boilers need no longer be faced with the economic constraints of applying continuous online oxygen monitoring techniques for optimising energy efficiency.

Users of small industrial boilers need no longer be faced with the economic constraints of applying continuous online oxygen monitoring techniques for optimising energy efficiency, following the launch of ABB's AnalyzeIT AZ100 Zirconia oxygen analyser system.

Aimed primarily at the OEM market for boilers up to 5MW where oxygen monitoring is particularly price-critical, the new ABB analyser system provides an easy-to-use, highly cost-effective solution to maximum combustion efficiency and minimum oxygen flue emissions.

Previously, cost considerations have limited small boiler operators to using portable devices for oxygen checking on a regular basis.

Now, the price of the new ABB AZ100 system with its integral ABB 4600-based electronics platform brings economic viability to time-saving continuous online analysis.

The newly designed Zirconia oxygen probe is a key cost-saving feature.

Unlike ABB's high-end in-situ devices, it is a "limpet" type which sits on the outside of flue duct.

Flue gas samples are drawn up through a tube within the duct and directed to where the sensor is mounted.

A mains powered heater within the probe eliminates the need for expensive transformers and, since reference air is supplied by diffusion of ambient air, there is no need for the usual in-built air pumping facility.

The probe, available in length options of 200, 350, 500 and 650mm, operates in process temperatures from ambient to 600C and up to a maximum external duct wall temperature of 400C.

With a response speed of less than three seconds and a typical sensor life span of at least four to five years, the ABB AZ100 oxygen analyser brings to the small boiler market many of the benefits which have come to be internationally recognised with ABB high-end Zirconia ZFG/ZMT systems.

Protected to NEMA 4X/IP66 for reliable operation in demanding environments, the new AZ100 oxygen analyser employs a dedicated transmitter based on ABB's highly successful 4600 Series for interfacing the probe.

It is user-programmable and has a comprehensive diagnostics facility with in-built software.

High/low alarms and linear or logarithmic isolated retransmission are featured, together with displays which include percentage oxygen, cell temperature, cell millivolts, alarm set points, calibration sequence diagnostics and output settings.

Information displays can be programmed for English, French, German or Spanish languages.

The ABB AnalyzeIT AZ100 Zirconia oxygen analyser meets the requirement for the EN50081-1 general emission standard for residential, commercial and light industry, and the EN50082-2 generic immunity standard for industrial environments.

http://www.engineeringtalk.com/news/apr/apr110.html

Consumers Upgrading Karn-Weadock Boilers

Consumers Energy is planning a multi-million-dollar upgrade to Bay County's Karn-Weadock power plant.The $4 million-plus project will replace burners on two boilers that were installed in the 1950s.Consumers said the new models will reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 10 percent.Those burners, however, will turn out more carbon monoxide.

But officials said carbon monoxide poses less of a health risk to the public.The Department of Environmental Quality is holding a question-and-answer session on the plan Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Hampton Township Hall, which will be followed by a public hearing.

http://www.wnem.com/news/20004457/detail.html

Manufacturer celebrates 60 years, introduces water heater, boiler

Since its establishment in 1949, Fulton has sold more than 100,000 boilers. Now it’s looking to add to those totals with the introduction of a direct-contact water heater and its first horizontal firetube boiler for the U.S. market at Clean ’09.

Bruce Beggs, Editor , American Laundry News Published 06/20/2009 - 12:44 p.m. CT

The water heater operates with more than 98% efficiency, Fulton says, providing customers with the most efficient method of generating hot water. The hot-water generators are offered in three sizes: 1 million Btu/hr, 2.5 million Btu/hr and 5 million Btu/hr.

Each heater is matched with a unique integral storage tank and hot-water transfer pump, fully piped and wired, making it a complete packaged unit.

The new heaters are designed for use in industrial laundries and other industries that require high volumes of hot water.
“Our new direct-contact water heater enables us to support the flexibility of our customers’
businesses,” says Carey Merritt, steam systems product manager. “The high-quality, reliable product features durable construction and efficient operation in a complete project line so that they will meet customer hot-water demands for years to come.”

Fulton has expanded distribution of its horizontal firetube steam and hot-water boilers up to 800 hp to include the United States. The New York company has manufactured the boilers for more than a decade in the global market.

Its horizontal firetube boilers feature a three-pass wet-back design, and are offered with an open protocol burner with a pressure rating of up to 300 psig MAWP. Additionally, Fulton has partnered with Riello Burners and Siemens to create a high-horsepower boiler that is also equipped with state-of-the-art controls.

The 150 hp steam model on display has already been sold to the Royal Sonesta here in the French Quarter.

“They knew we were bringing one to the show, and their old boiler was struggling,” Merritt says. “They came by, looked at it and said, “Ship it.’ It was the right size and the right time — it was kind of a destiny thing.”
http://www.americanlaundrynews.com/article.cfm?articleID=18123

Schuylkill seeks coal for new flex boilers

Schuylkill County officials are searching for coal to burn in new flex boilers at the courthouse and prison.

“We’re going to have new coal boilers ... they should be more effective,” Bill Liptok, director of public works, said.

The new boilers can burn gas or coal — a first in Schuylkill County.

“We’ve never had gas, so we don’t know how it will be in the winter,” Liptok said.

Liptok asked the county commissioners at their meeting Wednesday to allow him to advertise for coal bids. The commissioners will vote on it next week.

He acknowledged county officials have had a hard time finding coal vendors over the past several years.

Last year, Liptok said the county used 488 tons of coal in the courthouse and prison combined. He said the coal was provided by Frackville coal dealer Roy Manbeck at $145 per ton.

A contract, Liptok said, will allow county officials to buy “as little as we need, up to 1,000 tons.”

Fewer tons could be used this year thanks to the new boilers, a key part of the county’s $2.6 million energy deal with PPL, approved by the commissioners last September. A savings of about $1 million over 15 years is anticipated.

The idea, Liptok said, will be to use gas heat during mild months and coal heat during the frigid days of winter.

Boiler replacement work has begun, and Liptok said work on underground gas lines will be done over the summer.

“We want all of this in place for the upcoming heating season,” he said.

Liptok added that the county also will seek natural gas providers through the bidding process.

$3 million gain

After the meeting, commissioners Chairwoman Mantura M. Gallagher said the county retirement fund reached $76.6 million in May, its third consecutive month of increases.

The fund, which pays out to more than 400 retired county workers each month, had fallen to $67 million earlier this year due to the economic recession. It had seen highs of more than $90 million last year.

The fund gained just under $3 million in May, rising from $73.9 million at the end of April.
http://www.standardspeaker.com/articles/2009/06/05/news/hz_standspeak.20090605.a.pg8.hz04_prcommissioners_s1.2576212_loc.txt

Judge prohibits wood boiler in Henrietta Township dispute

A lengthy dispute between Henrietta Township neighbors was resolved this week, resulting in one family not being allowed to use an outdoor wood boiler.

Circuit Court Judge Chad Schmucker ruled that Richard and Julia Cady cannot use the wood boiler, which he believes was a nuisance and health hazard to neighbors.

The Cadys represented themselves in the civil trial in which they were sued by the Jackson County Health Department.

Wood boilers, increasingly popular in rural areas as energy costs rise, transfer heat through water lines from an outside structure to a home for both space and water heating.

The judge also prohibited Cady from incinerating trash, debris and other materials in backyard burn barrels.

Schmucker said the Cadys did not break any laws and that the boiler was properly installed but produces smoke, which can be a nuisance to neighbors.

Richard Soldano, 53, testified he started having headaches in 2003, before Cady built his home, because Cady frequently burned garbage in barrels on his property.

Since then, he's had chest pain and trouble breathing after being outside when the wood boiler is operating.

Soldano's wife has had a chronic cough, and Soldano said he has asthma and a chronic lung condition. Doctors have attributed the conditions to smoke inhalation and warned against the dangers of breathing smoke.

``We are very pleased. It is what we asked the court to do,'' said Bob Grover, the lawyer for the health department. ``I hope it finally resolves problems between neighbors that have been going on for five to six years. I am not optimistic, but hopeful.''

-- Reporter Danielle Quisenberry contributed to this report.

http://www.mlive.com/news/citpat/index.ssf?/base/news-28/1243073104278630.xml&coll=3