Joan's courses at Vermont Tech
  • About
    • Contact & schedule
    • Blog
  • AD Apprentice
    • 1. Welcome!
    • 2. Introduction to AD
    • 3. Factors affecting AD
    • 4. Types of AD
    • 5. Start up & operations
    • 6. AD feedstock
    • 7. AD & farm operations
    • 8. Energy generation
    • 9. Nutrients & NMP
    • 10. Regulation of AD
    • 11. Economics of AD
    • 12. Cooperative AD
    • 13. Latest developments in AD
    • A. VTCAD Technical Info
    • B. Operational data summaries
    • C. Feedstock data
    • D. Reports & presentations
    • E. VTCAD Photo Tour
  • CHE 1031
    • 1 Introduction
    • 2 Atoms, molecules & ions
    • 3 Composition substances sol'ns
    • 4 Stoichiometry chemical rxns
    • 5 Electrochemistry
    • 6 Electronic structure
    • 7 Chemical bonding
    • 8 Thermochemistry
    • 9 Gas laws
    • 10 KInetics
    • 11 Equilibrium
    • Labs page
    • SDS library
    • Mock Final Exam
    • CHE1031 Keys
    • FE Exam Review
  • CHE 2060
    • 1. Intro I
    • 2. Intro II
    • 3. Conformation
    • 4. Overview reactivity
    • 5. Acid-base rxns
    • 6. Nu:- substitution rxn
    • Library of labs
    • Links & resources
    • CHE2060 Keys
  • MEC 3040
    • 1. Introduction to bioenergy
    • 2. Woody, grass resources
    • 3. Processing, combustion
    • 4. C accounting, capture
    • 6. Intro biodiesel
    • 7. Biodiesel production
    • 8. Biodiesel use
    • 9. Intro AD basics
    • 10. AD factors types
    • 11. AD Feedstock
    • 12. AD implementation
    • 13. Biorefinery
    • 14. Bioenergy oppotunities
    • 4. Types of AD
    • 5. Start up & operations
    • 10. Grass biomass
    • A. Vermont Tech bioenergy info
    • MEC3040 Keys
  • SSC 2030
    • 1. Intro Sustainable Energy
    • 2. GCC
    • 3. Energy forms and uses
    • 4. Coal
    • 5. Oil & gas
    • 6. Nuclear power
    • 7. Baseload RE tech
    • 8. Solar energy
    • 9. Wind power
    • 10. Remedies
    • Final day & survey
    • Additional topics
    • Energy sources & evaluation
    • SSC2030 Keys

3

Processing and combustion

Module 3 describes the processing and combustion of wood and grass biomass. This module begins with cordwood and wood chips and then moves to wood pellets and grass fuels. Combustion systems for each fuel and an fuel and combustion system economics are also addressed.

Module 3 lecture topics
3.1: EROEI - energy return on energy investment
3.2: Residential heating: a case for cord wood
3.3: Efficient cord wood heating systems
3.4: Buyer's guide to wood chip energy
3.5: Wood chip heating systems
3.6: Economic analysis of wood chip systems
3.7: Operating and maintaining a wood chip system
3.8: Wood pellets & current use
3.9: Two wood pellet heat case studies
3.10: Bulk pellet delivery
3.11: Pellet stoves
3.12: Pellet boilers
3.13: Air emissions, permitting & ash
3.14: Economics of wood pellet heating
3.15: Recent wood pellet projects
3.16: Grass biomass densification and combustion
3.17: Vermont study of energy grass densification & combustion
3.18: Conversion of grass to liquid biofuels
3.19: Economic considerations for grass biomass

*Assignments:
> DUE Thur 19 Sep, 1pm   
   
Norwich University Biomass    
    Boiler Plant field trip prep
    > Prep assignment

> DUE TUE 1 Sep:
    HW set 3
    Woodchip case studies

Resources:
> Lecture 3A (PowerPoint)
> Lecture 3B (PowerPoint
> Lecture 3C (PowerPoint)
> Lecture 3A (PDF, 2/page)
> Lecture 3B (PDF, 2/page)
> Lecture 3C (PDF, 2/page)
> Module 3 summary overview
> Norwich University Biomass Boiler Plant
Links and items of interest:
> VIDEO: Wood shredder with bite (UNTHA, 2015)
> VIDEO: Wood chip heating system, small scale (Scotland, 2012)
> VIDEO: Tarm gasification wood boiler (2012)
> Wood boiler systems overview, BERC (2011)

> Woodchip heating fuel specifications in the Northeastern United States, BERC (2011)
> Biomass energy at work: case studies of community-scale systems in the US, Canada & Europe, BERC (2010)
> VIDEO: MIddlebury College biomass gasification plant (2009)

> Wood-chip heating systems: a guide for institutional and commercial biomass installations, Tim Maker, BERC, (2004)
> Heating with biomass: a feasibility study of Wisconsin schools heated with wood, BERC (2008)
> Middlebury College Biomass Plant, Middlebury, VT - The co-gen plant produces steam and its primary purpose is heating.
> Is Shrub Willow a Viable Biomass Feedstock for the US? [Includes the results of Middlebury College trial]
> Colgate University feasibility study of growing willow for biomass, Hamilton NY
> Vermont Fuels for Schools : a renewable energy-use initiative, an overview, BERC 
> VIDEO: Wood pellet production process, Mama Kaza

> VIDEO: From Trees to Pellets, TOP, Ireland
> VIDEO: Herstellung von Holzpellets (manufacture of wood pellets animation), Energie Angentur NRW, Germany
> Wood pellet heating: a reference on wood pellet fuels & technology for small commercial & insitutional systems, BERC for the Massachusetts
    Division of Energy Resources (2007)

Proudly powered by Weebly