Transport of phytomass in combustion process from plant to small combustion plant

Abstract

Harvesting, transportation, storage and subsequent transport of phytomass to the combustion chamber directly and indirectly affects the combustion process itself. An important parameter that can also be affected by the method of transport is the melting temperature of the ash. Its reduction has an impact on the problematic combustion and formation of sintered formations. When using this type of fuel for combustion, it is necessary to know the aspects affecting combustion in a comprehensive way. Knowledge of the influence of fuel transport on the combustion process can be used for subsequent prediction of the required quantities. Regression analysis is one of the tools of mathematical modeling, which allows you to create a prediction model from a set of measured data. For this purpose, a regression model was created examining the power and emission parameters (Particulate matter – PM, CO, NOx) of a small heat source for burning straw pellets using different settings of the feeding and waiting times of the conveyor system. The highest performance in the combustion plant was achieved with the shortest waiting time and the longest fuel supply time. With this setting, the production of CO and PM emissions was also the highest. The created mathematical models dealing with the production of emissions, depending on the setting of the conveyor, showed a high deviation of RMSE, due to the low number of measurements and high variability of measured values. For prediction purposes, it is possible to use created models aimed at determining the performance and efficiency of the combustion plant, where the deviation of RMSE predicted data from the measured was less than 2. Using regression analysis tools can create similar types of models where other combustion parameters will be investigated or a complex mathematical model will be created containing a larger number of input dependent parameters.