Abstract
Irregular seasonal demand from heat- and combined heat and power plants means that outdoor storage of forest fuels is an inevitable step in the forest fuel supply chain. Storage of fresh comminuted biomass render substantial dry matter and energy losses. Covering can protect wood chips from rewetting, leading to a higher net calorific value and lower dry matter losses, and thus increase the amount of available energy. This study examined the combined effect of covering material on fuel quality and the amount available energy from wood chips stored in a full-scale pile. The combined changes in fuel quality and dry matter loss reduced the amount of accessible energy by 9.8% in the uncovered part, by 5.6% when covered with water proof or light semi-permeable cover materials and by 1.0% when covered with a thicker semi permeable material. Fuel quality of wood chips can be improved by covering the piles during storage but the gain is affected by the type of cover material. Seasonal storage in properly covered chip piles facilitate an increased annual utilisation of chippers and chip trucks which reduces overall biomass supply chain cost.
Highlights
In the Nordic countries, forest harvesting is a year-round activity to supply saw mills and pulp mills with wood
This would entail large-scale storage of wood chips produced during the low-demand period until the high-demand period; which on one hand would increase the ability to meet sudden increases in de mand, but on the other hand add additional costs for handling of the material as well as storage losses and quality changes in the stored fuel
Most of the chips produced were within the range 8 mm–45 mm (Fig. 3) in particle size and were classified as P45 according to SS EN 149611 [15]
Summary
In the Nordic countries, forest harvesting is a year-round activity to supply saw mills and pulp mills with wood This generates a continuous stream of logging residues that can be used as fuel. In the fuel consuming heat plants and combined heat and power (CHP) plants demand for fuel is irregular, the greatest demand for fuels occurs during the cold season (November–February) This means that outdoor storage of forest fuels is an inevitable step in the forest fuel supply chain. There is a possibility that seasonal storage of comminuted forest fuels may reduce supply chain costs due to more efficient utilisation of the equipment used in the supply chain throughout the year [1,2,3]. This would entail large-scale storage of wood chips produced during the low-demand period until the high-demand period; which on one hand would increase the ability to meet sudden increases in de mand, but on the other hand add additional costs for handling of the material as well as storage losses and quality changes in the stored fuel
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