BioMatNet Item: JOULE JOR3-CT95-0032 - Safe handling of renewable fuels and fuel mixtures

[BioMatNet Database - European Commission]

JOULE JOR3-CT95-0032
Safe handling of renewable fuels and fuel mixtures

Contacts

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JOULE/THERMIE Programme : Solid Biofuels

	Type of Project	Shared Cost
	Contract No	JOR3-CT95-0032
	EC Contribution	599,900 ECU
	Start Date	06/12/1995
	Duration	26 Months

Safe handling of renewable fuels and fuel mixtures

Objectives
The overall objective of this research project is to create new data on the safety-technical characteristics of renewable fuels, wastes, low-rank coals and mixtures of these. The safety aspects of fuel storage, handling and feeding are an important issue in the development of new energy production technologies such as the pressurized integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) and Pressurized fluidized bed combustion (PFBC) power production systems. Knowledge of basic handling and safety-technical characteristics of fuels and fuel mixtures is of crucial significance for the design of handling and feeding equipment, for the design of safety systems and for the assessment of explosion and fire hazards.

Technical approach

The technical objectives of the study are:

to characterise the selected fuels and fuel mixtures (biomass, waste fuels, low rank coals) by physical and chemical analyses with regard to their safety-technical characteristics
to study the spontaneous ignition behaviour of these fuels and fuel mixtures and to assess the necessary preventive actions in various ambient conditions
to determine the explosion characteristics of the most critical dusts and dust mixtures both in normal conditions and at elevated pressure and temperature, this being essential for the design of protective devices
to verify experimentally explosion-prevention concepts in both ambient and elevated conditions
to create a criterion based on simple analyses to assess the reactivity of the fuels with regard to their safety-technical properties.

Expected results
The aim of this project is to create fundamental knowledge and an improved understanding of the safe handling of renewable fuels and fuel mixtures in existing heating and power plants and in new pressurized gasification and combustion demonstration projects. The results of the project will be disseminated to the European technology developers and utility companies. This will be realised by publishing all scientifically and technically interesting new results at EC conferences and in scientific journals. The results will also be used by national and international authorities involved in plant safety legislation. The development on the dust explosion methodology will assist Participants of this project (DMT, TNO) are involved in international standardisation work. A better knowledge of the safety-technical characteristics of the fuels concerned will provide valuable support to the design of protection systems and to risk assessments. and thus significantly improve personnel safety at power plants.

Contacts

Coordinator

Carl WILEN / Technical Research Centre of Finland VTT Energy Gasification Research Group / FINLAND

Participant