3D CFD Investigation of biomass combustion of a commercial furnace

Biomass combustion, which is a growing business, is used to generate heat and power. It is a very attractive system because it provides energy at cheaper price compared to oil and gas fuels and also emits fewer pollutants into the atmosphere. As the name implies, the combustion system is fired using renewable fuels such as forest and agriculture residues. Biovalco Inc., which is a Canadian company, is gradually increasing its share in this energy market. The ultimate goal of Biovalco is to optimize the design of their system in order to increase its efficiency while improving its capability to combust a variety of solid fuels/feedstocks. To date, the biomass combustion system developed by Biovalco has been successful in combusting a number of feedstocks such as woodchips, wood pellets and agricultural residues (straw, flax shives) with its chain grate stoker design. However, there are still several challenges to overcome in order to bring the design of the combustion system to its maximum best performance, which constitute the research objectives of the intern.

Faculty Supervisor:

Madjid Birouk

Student:

Mohsen Akbarzadeh

Partner:

Biovalco Ltd.

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

Energy

University:

University of Manitoba