Starting a boiler without oil or gas
Starting a boiler without oil or gas
(OP)
I am working on a specification for a 6MWe(net) wood burning plant and the environment permit states that no fuel oil of fuel gas shall be burned on the site.
Two types of boiler have been specified, a vibrating grate and a bubbling fluidised bed.
Without gas and oil, any ideas about how to start the boiler.
In about 1963, I did start a travelling grate shell boiler with a bundle of firewood and a newspaper from the local shop but I thought things maight have moved on.
Regards,
athomas236
Two types of boiler have been specified, a vibrating grate and a bubbling fluidised bed.
Without gas and oil, any ideas about how to start the boiler.
In about 1963, I did start a travelling grate shell boiler with a bundle of firewood and a newspaper from the local shop but I thought things maight have moved on.
Regards,
athomas236





RE: Starting a boiler without oil or gas
I worked on a couple of Waste-to-Energy boiler plants with travelling trash grates...... with the same kind of start-up problem as you have.
The older plants used a case full of railroad flares to get things started. Sometimes they worked.....sometimes not
Recognizing the problems and delays inherent with the flare method, the newer plants has a carefully monitored "startup" gas system.
Because of the agreed upon bookeeping system ,the authorities watched how much gas was consumed to ensure that payments were not made for startup gas instead of trash burned.
-MJC
RE: Starting a boiler without oil or gas
I have seen more and more customers switch over to the natural gas start-up systems like described by MJC.
RE: Starting a boiler without oil or gas
A pile of planer shavings were fed onto the grate and it was started with the aid of some oily rags soaked in diesel. I take the specification to mean that there will be no permanently installed gas or oil systems, not that they can't splash a little diesel on whatever the start up fuel is.
If you don't have planer shavings available, then cobble up a supply of other types of dry wood e.g. busted up pallets, construction wood waste.
It is just like the Boy Scouts; start with dry kindling and build up from there.
rmw
RE: Starting a boiler without oil or gas
second- if the unit is expected to be 2 shift cycled, then a fluid bed unit makes the most sense- during nightly shutdown just slump the bed hot ( 1500 F) and purge using above bed overfire air only. The bed will remain hot overnight - on restart, just feed wood above the bed, then fluff the hot bed to ignite the surface wood, keep repeating until there is enouhg burning wood inventory to sustain normal fluidization.
the initial fires of a cold fluid bed will be a tough nut to crack- may need a special one time per year use of startup oil- may use a biomass oil for that event as well.
RE: Starting a boiler without oil or gas
RE: Starting a boiler without oil or gas
The easiest way I believe is to go to your local grocery and get bags of the easy-to-light charcol fuel for BBQ and they will serve the purpose. If need to start up fire frequently then do like the others say so as to save money.
RE: Starting a boiler without oil or gas
Thank you all for your helpful advice and sorry for slow response.
Whatever way you look at it, a boy scout will be useful.
Thanks again.
athomas236
RE: Starting a boiler without oil or gas
RE: Starting a boiler without oil or gas
Regards,
athomas236