Being an industrialist, you must know the struggle of finding an affordable, cost-effective, high-efficiency boiler. Also, how can we forget about taxes imposed on CO2 emissions? Not only do they add up to your costs, but they also damage your reputation in the market. That’s why you should opt for a woodchip boiler.
To begin with, a woodchip boiler is highly efficient and offers the cheapest fuel. Luckily, it’s CO2 neutral and helps reduce CO2 emissions by up to 100 tonnes annually.
Before diving deeper into it, let’s quickly overview what awaits you. You’ll learn about the working of a woodchip boiler and its efficiency. Plus, you’ll be able to compare the advantages and disadvantages and estimate the boiler’s price to come up with a decision. Let’s dive right in!
Woodchip Boiler; Definition, Working, and Efficiency
To understand a wood fired steam boiler, let’s first understand what a biomass boiler system is. Simply put, a biomass boiler is a renewable energy technology using organic substances to generate heat. These substances include pallets, woodchips, etc. As it uses organic substances as a fuel, we consider it a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.
Additionally, the CO2 emissions of this boiler are so low that it’s part of the natural carbon cycle. The amount of CO2 emissions, in this case, equals the amount of carbon absorbed by the woodchip in its cycle. So, technically, there is no addition of CO2 to the environment.
Moreover, you can integrate it with existing heating systems (oil or gas boilers) to reduce your dependence on fossil fuels.
Now, coming to woodchip boilers. They are a specific type of biomass boiler that uses woodchips as their primary fuel source. In terms of functionality, both biomass boilers and woodchip boilers work similarly. That is, by burning the fuel in a combustion chamber to generate heat. The heat generated is used to heat water or air. This is then used for space heating or industrial processes.
What are Woodchips?
Woodchips are a type of fuel that is made from sustainable wood waste products. This explains why they are cost-effective for the industry. They are created by shredding small pieces of wood. This is an automated process that’s inexpensive and simple. Dry woodchips have a higher fuel value per ton as they contain less water. Hence, they are better.
We determine the quality of woodchips using a grading system. Grade A represents the highest quality, and Grade D the lowest. The grades vary based on factors such as energy content, moisture level, and debris levels.
Working Of Woodchip Boilers
A biomass woodchip boiler works like any conventional boiler. However, it uses biomass instead of fossil fuels such as gas or oil to generate heat.
Here’s how the process goes. A woodchip boiler burns woodchips in the combustion chamber. There, they are ignited and thus produce hot flue gases. This gas travels through a flue and a heat exchanger and transmits heat to the water. This water converts into steam and is further utilized for industrial processes.
An automatic woodchip boiler burns up, adds fuel to the fire, and turns off depending on heat requirements. This provides you comfort while being a more economical alternative to LPG or electrical heating.
Larger residential and commercial applications are typically better suited for woodchip boilers. The higher fuel savings make up for the higher initial investment and space for fuel storage.
Efficiency Of Wood fired Boilers
Modern woodchip biomass boilers often have efficiency levels of over 90%. This is significantly greater than the 70–80% range of conventional fossil fuels. Yet, the fuel type is the main factor when looking at how efficient your boiler is.
A specific range of fuels is intended for use in biomass boilers. For instance, wet woodchips contain 50% moisture content, and pellets have 10% moisture content. Manufacturers list the boilers’ combustion efficiency for these various fuels. This can range from approximately 94% for pellets to about 80% for wet chips. Woodchips are often 30-50% less expensive per kWh than oil and 20-30% cheaper per kWh than wood pellets.
Moreover, a woodchip heating system may qualify for the government’s RHI program. The Renewable Heat Incentive pays you to produce renewable heat for 20 years. When these two factors are combined, a boiler’s expense is repaid in around five years. Also, you’ll get significant benefits for the rest of the installation’s lifespan.
Advantages and Disadvantages of a Woodchip Boiler 250
We discussed how a woodchip boiler system is CO2 neutral and offers higher efficiency. But there’s a lot you need to know before you hop on the decision. Let’s get going.
Advantages
The boiler offers more advantages than disadvantages. The 4 most prominent advantages are as follows.
1. Easy Installation and Operation
The woodchip boilers are easy to install because of their design. They offer easy operation compared to conventional boilers. They are also automatic and provide fuel whenever they require it. Hence, they take less input from you while delivering the same output.
2. Economical
The main reason for this is its cheaper fuel. Woodchips are basically wood waste. So by using your wood waste, you don’t only save money on fuel but also transportation. Hence, whether you buy it from outside or use your wood waste, you’ll end up saving some bucks!
3. Quiet Heating
Woodchip boiler produces zero to low noise. It doesn’t require an extensive extraction system to obtain fuel. Meanwhile, your industrial woodchip boiler offers cleaner and quieter operation.
4. Declare RHI and receive payment for each kWh produced.
Luckily, the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) program applies to a woodchip boiler. Meanwhile, installing the boiler can result in financial gain for the next 20 years. For this reason, many industries are switching to woodchip boilers.
Disadvantages
Let’s weigh the disadvantages to see if it’s worth it.
1. Occupies More Space
Due to the more extensive system, a woodchip boiler requires more area than a gas or oil boiler. Additionally, you would need a place to keep the fuel itself, like a hopper or a wood store.
2. Requires High Maintenance
A woodchip boiler will need some maintenance, even though it isn’t particularly labor-intensive. Most modern boilers are self-cleaning. Yet, you’ll still need to brush the heat exchanger to maintain its performance.
Moreover, you’ll need to empty the ash bins on a regular basis. And if you don’t have an automatic feed, you’ll have to top up your woodchips. Despite all that, you’ll still need routine maintenance.
Maintenance and Servicing of a Woodchip Boiler
Maintaining the full functionality of your woodchip boiler enables you to get the most out of it. This will make your boiler last roughly as long as a fossil fuel boiler with regular maintenance.
A properly maintained biomass boiler will help decrease downtime besides saving money. Regular servicing will also help you identify problems before they turn into more significant issues.
Also, you can hire a qualified service engineer for the purpose. They can offer a thorough service customized to your boiler’s requirements.
Along with getting the right service, you should ensure you have the proper fuel. Poor quality fuel raises the cost of boiler maintenance. It may also result in harmful flue gas emissions and decreased boiler performance.
Cost Of A Woodchip Boiler
The cost of a woodchip boiler depends on various factors. These include the total storage capacity, installation cost, and boiler’s output and design. You can surely contact us and get a quote for your desired woodchip boiler. Yet, let’s have a look at some of the prices of woodchip boilers.
Woodchip Boiler Prices
Since the price of a woodchip boiler dramatically varies depending on various factors, it’s hard to tell the exact price. Plus, your industry’s requirements all add to its total cost. However, for a rough estimate, the price should be $10000 to $100000. The maintenance cost may be around $200 annually. Yet, compared to conventional boilers’ price and the benefits you get with woodchip boilers, you’ll be at an advantage at the end of the day.
To ensure you get a reliable product, purchase the boiler from authentic biomass boiler manufacturers. Our woodchip boilers are known for their operational reliability and long service life.
Conclusion
The prices of non-renewable fuels like coal are rising. Plus, fossil fuels will deplete over the next four decades. This makes the woodchip boiler the best option for efficient heating and steam generation. Another impressive point about it is that it has reduced greenhouse emissions. Thus, it’s eligible for the government’s RHI program.
Comparing it with traditional boilers, we’ll see how it’s a lot more efficient and uses cheaper fuel. This greatly helps reduce the total cost.
Moreover, if we compare its pros and cons, its advantages outweigh the disadvantages. For example, the wood pellet steam boiler is more economical and offers simple installation and operation. As for the disadvantages, a boiler taking up more space isn’t a deal breaker. The same goes for maintenance; doing it will only benefit you.
Lastly, the price of a boiler dramatically varies depending on various factors. Yet, considering a reliable company will ensure you get the best wood chip boiler at an affordable rate. You can contact us and allow our professionals to care for the rest of the work.