Biomass Boilers Turn Local Wood Fuel Into Farm Heat

Biomass Boilers Turn Local Wood Fuel Into Farm Heat Hargassner wood chip, log and pellet boilers were developed to make heating with wood biomass as convenient and automated as possible. “Generally speaking, farms heat with wood for one simple reason: it’s often significantly less expensive than heating with propane,” says Peter Stewart, Hargassner Director of North America Key Accounts. “Increasingly, we’re also getting inquiries from farmers who want to derisk their operations from the yo-yo pricing of fossil fuels.” Primary customers for the unique boilers include farms, greenhouses, wood-processing businesses, commercial and industrial facilities, apartment buildings and district heating systems. “For agricultural customers, biomass can provide an alternative to propane, heating oil or natural gas, particularly where farms have access to wood chips, pellets or other suitable woody biomass,” Stewart says. “A cord of wood has about the same heating value as 211 gal of propane. Why waste wood and leave money on the table if you have it at your disposal?” The Hargassner heaters combine a biomass boiler and combustion chamber with an automatic fuel-extraction and auger-feed system for efficient operation. They feature automatic ignition, a moving step-grate combustion system, and a lambda oxygen sensor with electronic controls to optimize combustion. Routine maintenance is minimized through automatic heat-exchanger cleaning and ash removal. Built-in safety and burn-back protection systems enhance reliability, while touchscreen controls and remote monitoring provide convenient operation. Thermal storage and hydronic components help maximize system efficiency and heat distribution. Wood chips or pellets are automatically transported from storage to the boiler. The boiler ignites the fuel and continuously adjusts fuel and combustion air according to heat demand, cleans the heat exchanger, and removes ash. The heat is transferred to water and distributed through a conventional hydronic heating system. Hargassner equipment is certified and tested by the EPA, ASME and UL, and is used on farms, in schools and in homes throughout the U.S. “Our systems range from relatively small heating applications to large commercial and agricultural plants,” Stewart says. “Multiple boilers can operate together in cascade, allowing installations of approximately 2 MW or 6.7 million Btu/hr. Plus, safety is integral to the design. Features include negative-pressure monitoring and physical separation between the combustion chamber and stored fuel to protect against burn-back.” Trained dealers and heating professionals size, install and commission the equipment. Local plumbing, electrical and construction contractors may also participate. Once installed and commissioned, the system is designed to operate automatically with minimal day-to-day attention. Hargassner is an Austrian manufacturer headquartered in Weng im Innkreis. The company has approximately 185,000 boilers in operation and exports to more than 40 countries. In North America, the equipment is available through Hargassner North America and its network of dealers and installation partners throughout Canada and the U.S. “Hargassner has spent decades developing equipment specifically for biomass rather than adapting conventional boilers to burn wood,” Stewart says. “One biomass plant can provide heat for buildings, greenhouses, hot water and agricultural drying processes.” Stewart explains that biomass boilers are typically more expensive than natural gas or propane boilers. “The equipment is more expensive upfront but pays for itself since the fuel is generally much cheaper than propane, for example. The meaningful comparison is therefore total installed cost versus long-term fuel cost. Biomass becomes particularly attractive where a farm has inexpensive local fuel, produces usable wood residuals, has a large annual heating demand, or is replacing expensive propane or heating oil.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Hargassner North America Inc., 2100-181 University Ave., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5H 3M7 (ph 437-837-2300; office@hargassner-northamerica.com; www.hargassner.com/ca-en).

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