About the course

Introduction

Where does biomass fit in a developed energy market?
Defining biomass – when is biomass sustainable?
The importance of moisture content.
Identifying feedstock and technology type.

Anaerobic Digestion

Size of resource and potential
Different feedstocks
Different processes and applications.

Liquid Biofuels

Size of resource and potential
Different feedstocks
Different processes and applications.

Biomass for heating systems

Combustion, pyrolysis and gasification.
Different fuel types, their availability and characteristics.
Different types of combustion equipment and their characteristics
Fuel storage
Sizing of boilers and storage
Standards and regulations
The Renewable Heat Incentive
Case Studies

Biomass combined heat and power

Different technology types
Scale
Pros and cons of different approaches
Importance of heat load
Tri-generation
Financial support mechanisms
Case studies

WHO IS IT FOR?

Technicians and individuals intending to learn how to install, maintain and   repair biomass equipment.

Design engineers. Architects.

COURSE CONTENT

What is Biomass?
Market, resources and targets overview
The physics principles
How biomass works (energy content, types of technologies, moisture content)
Design guidance (sizing, selecting, autonomy, storage, manufacturers)
Types of technologies: anaerobic digestion (bio-methane), gasification, pyrolysis, dual fuel, heating and power efficiencies
Environmental impact and analysis
Finance, regulation and incentives (RHI, MCS)
Case studies, best practice analysis, manufacturers
Simulation tools
Standards
References and further reading
Trade bodies and support

Learning Outcomes

You’ll gain a thorough grounding in all technologies used for converting biomass to energy:

Thermal conversion, using heat as the dominant mechanism to convert biomass into another chemical form through combustion, or pyrolysis (without oxygen)

Chemical processes converting solid biomass into gas through gasification

Biochemical conversion such as anaerobic digestion, which uses the enzymes of bacteria and other microorganisms to break down biomass into gas or liquid fuels.

You’ll also become familiar with thermodynamics, and the concepts of mass and energy balance.