Evaluation of Biomass Burner Technologies in Uruguay

The present paper analyzes the different biomass burner technologies used in Uruguay from the combustion process standpoint, seen as a system of processes with highly non linear mechanisms of mass, momentum and energy transfer phenomena. Technologies based on fixed, moving and fluidized bed are compared and contrasted, with a special emphasis on the effect that fuel quality has on the choice of technology, given the variations found in the biomass quality, in terms of its size distribution and composition. The problem of designing equipment for any given chemical process is stated and the inherent difficulty when scaling an existing installation is proven. The need to acquire knowledge of the processes and the relationships between them is essential for a successful scale-up. In the majority of cases, the geometry has to be altered, dramatically affecting the mechanisms within. The highly coupled non linear system renders analytical solutions impossible, so approximate numerical solutions are sought. Numerical results of a study of the sensitivity of bed permeability on combustion stability are shown.