Your guide to the safe, efficient, cost-effective storage and handling of particulate biofuels

Contents
What are biofuels? Considerations for biofuel storage and handling 1. Choosing the optimum storage type 2. Minimising the problems of self-heating and composting 3. Minimising the risk of dust explosions 4. Overcoming bridging and flow problems 5. Controlling emissions to the atmosphere Defining the design envelope Choosing your biofuel storage and handling system supplier

What are biofuels?

Biofuels are fuels derived from plant and animal matter. They are organic, renewable materials or waste-derived materials that provide a sustainable, environmentally friendly way to fuel power generation and heating systems. There is a huge range of biofuels available. Some of them are waste products and by-products, including: Dried sewage sludge Meat and bone meal Straw Dried distillers grain Palm kernels Citrus pulp

Others are energy crops grown specifically for use as biofuels, including: Wood chips and pellets Coppiced willow Coppiced poplar Miscanthus Shea nuts Oilseed rape

This wide range of products has an equally wide range of properties, all of which pose different challenges to ensure safe and efficient storage and handling. Straw, for example, is a lightweight, low-density, dry material, with very different properties to heavy, high-density materials like meat and bone meal. Materials such as oilseed rape flow very freely and easily, whereas cohesive materials like citrus pulp are far more difficult to discharge from storage silos. Such a wide variety of materials means that its essential to understand the properties of any biofuel before you can design and build an effective and efficient storage and handling system.
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Considerations for biofuel storage and handling

Whenever you are designing a storage and handling system for a particular biofuel material, there are some common considerations that need to be addressed. They are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Type of store Self heating/composting Risk of dust explosions Bridging and flow problems Emissions to atmosphere

In this report we will discuss each of these considerations in turn and recommend solutions for overcoming the challenges posed.

1.

Choosing the optimum storage type Almost all biofuel materials will need to be stored under cover in order to control moisture content and to prevent bacterial degradation. The volume of material to be stored will dictate the type of storage solution. At locations such as ports and holding areas, where huge volumes of material need to be stored, large sheds and A-frame buildings are likely to be the most appropriate option. However, at end-user facilities where volumes are smaller, enclosed storage vessels, such as silos, are the safest and most effective option. Indeed, many waste-derived biofuels, including meat and bone meal and dried sewage sludge, need to be stored in enclosed silos to control emissions to the environment, including dust, odour and bacterial spores.

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2.

Minimising the problems of self-heating and composting Organic materials can self-heat under certain storage conditions. Temperatures can quickly rise out of control leading to combustion, causing fires that are both dangerous and difficult to extinguish. Self-heating is caused either by biological action within the material as it begins to compost, or by chemical action caused by oxidation. In reality, the two actions are very closely linked and one can trigger the other. To prevent composting and oxidation, three elements need to be controlled: Moisture content this needs to be kept within the parameters specified for each material. Some materials naturally have a higher moisture content than others. If moisture content is too high or too low it can trigger a self-heating event. Storage time the storage life of each material needs to be understood and never exceeded. Materials that are stored for too long can start to compact and compost. Silos must be designed so that materials dont accumulate in stagnant areas and begin to decompose. Condensation condensation build-up within the silo can cause moisture levels to rise and initiate composting action. Silos need to be well ventilated and sometimes even insulated to prevent condensation from forming.

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 Composting and self-heating Biofuel storage and handling systems can be designed to minimise the risk of composting and self-heating and to mitigate the effects if self-heating does occur. Its advisable to install temperature monitoring equipment in your silos. Single or multi-point temperature probes can be used to measure the temperature throughout the stored material. This gives an early warning of any rise in temperature. Turning the material regularly will help to prevent compaction and maintain a good air flow, helping to prevent composting. Gas monitors can also be fitted to your silos to detect rises in carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, which are a sign of increased biological action within the material. Silo profiles need to be specified to suit the flow properties of your material, so that stagnant material does not build up. The aim is to provide a mass flow discharge profile, whereby material is discharged on a first-in, first-out basis with no accumulation of old material in the silo. Stagnant material that becomes compacted is more likely to self-heat. If sharp rises in temperature do occur within your stored material, you need systems in place to prevent a fire.Your silos can be fitted with inert gas systems which inject an inert gas into the silo in the event of uncontrollable heating, driving out oxygen and thereby halting the self-heating process. If the temperature inside the silo keeps rising, you will need to evacuate the material as quickly as possible. An emergency silo escape system can be fitted which effectively dumps all of the silo contents onto the floor. This is a drastic measure but it could prevent a potentially devastating smouldering fire within the silo.

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3.

Minimising the risk of dust explosions As with all organic materials, biofuels have the potential to cause dust explosions. Minimising the risk of these explosions can be challenging. Controlling moisture content within the material is the crucial factor. A higher moisture content will help to prevent the ignition of dry dust particles. However, a higher moisture content also increases the risk of composting and self-heating, which in turn can lead to a slow-burning, smouldering fire within the silo. Such fires, if undetected, will cause a build up of highly flammable carbon monoxide (CO) which itself can cause a devastating explosion. There are a number of ways you can minimise the risk of a dust explosion through your silo design and in your operational practices. Year-round control of moisture content is the first critical factor. This requires careful management and regular monitoring using moisture measuring equipment fitted to your silos. Some biofuels generate more dust than others. Levels of dust can be reduced by using pelletised forms of your preferred material, where possible. Eliminating sources of ignition is another important factor. This can be done by selecting only ATEX-certified equipment. These components will have been specially designed to prevent sparks during normal operation and maintenance. A thorough Explosion Hazard Review (EHR) should also be carried out by a qualified specialist to ensure that your storage and handling systems are designed as safely as possible.

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Protective equipment can be fitted to your silos to minimise damage in the event of an explosion.Vents can be fitted to the roof of your silo, with explosion panels designed to burst at low pressure so that any potential dust explosion can be vented to the atmosphere. Ducts can be fitted to the explosion vents to channel the explosion outside if your silos are located within a building. Suppression systems can also be specified. These inject an inert powder or gas into the silo to suppress any explosion. On smaller silos, containment of the explosion within the vessel may be possible. Storage vessels can be designed to withstand a pressure shock of up to 10 bar g by increasing the plate thickness of the vessel walls.This is only cost-effective on smaller vessels as the wall thickness required to contain an explosion on larger vessels would make them prohibitively expensive to manufacture.

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4.

Overcoming bridging and flow problems Flow problems are common in many dry bulk materials, but are a particular concern in biofuel handling due to the variability of the material. There is a huge range of biofuels to choose from, each with different handling and flow properties. Even within the same type of biofuel there can be significant variations in properties, either because they are waste products that are subject to very little quality control or because they are naturally occurring organic materials which vary according to the source or season. Achieving mass flow is the ideal in any silo design. Mass flow means that material is discharged on a first-in, first-out basis, which prevents the creation of stagnant zones within the silo. The best way to achieve mass flow for most biofuel is to use a steep-angled cone with a large square or rectangular outlet in conjunction with a mutli-screw discharger, or a flat-bottomed silo fitted with a sweeping screw discharger. Flat-bottomed silos are the most versatile but also the most expensive option. Cost-effective silo and discharger designs are available to suit different biofuels. To achieve the optimum silo geometry, laboratory-scale tests are advisable to assess the properties of each material. Pilot scale trials are also useful, although it can be difficult to replicate operational extremes on such a small scale. In almost all cases, some form of silo discharger will be required. There is a huge variety of dischargers available, but choosing the right one for your material requires specialist knowledge and a clear understanding of the materials properties.

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Suitable dischargers for promoting efficient material flow in biofuel silos include: Orbiting screw discharger this is the most commonly specified discharger for biofuels, used on flat-bottomed silos. It has proved effective for handling even the more difficult materials with widely varying properties, such as straw and meat and bone meal. Multi-screw discharger this is also a commonly used discharger for biofuels. Although not as flexible as an orbiting screw discharger, it is a more cost-effective option due to the inherent strength of conical section silos as opposed to a flat-bottomed vessels. Oscillating bar discharger this type of discharger has parallel oscillating bars which agitate the material and allow it to pass through gaps between the bars. The relatively large gaps between the bars make it a good choice for materials with large particles, like chopped straw, but unsuitable for very free-flowing materials, like oilseed rape. Rotating mechanical discharger this is ideal for pelletised materials, such as dried sewage sludge pellets, but is not recommended for materials such as straw or miscanthus grass. Vibratory bin activator this type of discharger is used on operations that use a consistent-quality, repeatable, free-flowing material, such as wood pellets.

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5.

Controlling emissions to the atmosphere Many dried biofuel materials will create dust during storage and handling. Some also give off strong odours or harmful fungal spores. The statutory dust exposure limits for employee safety can be very low, so its essential to put measures in place to minimise dust emissions, particularly during offloading and handling. At off-loading sites, tipper booths can be fitted with dust containment curtains and dust extractors equipped with a two-stage dust filtration system and odour control, where required. Emissions of dust during handling are most likely at transfer points. Dust, spores and odours can be relatively well contained when fully enclosed systems such as chain conveyors or bucket elevators are used, but can be more difficult on plants using open belt conveyors. A better alternative to the belt conveyor is the enclosed pipe conveyor, which keeps dust emissions to a minimum.

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Defining the design envelope

Designing the optimum storage and handling system for any biofuel requires specialist knowledge and an understanding of each materials properties and their variability. Properties that need to be considered in any silo design include: Bulk density (kg/m3) biofuel bulk densities vary greatly, from straw at around 200kg/m to heavy materials such as dried sewage sludge at up to 1,000kg/m (structural). KST this is the standard measure of explosion intensity. In biofuels it can vary from 100 bar m/s KST to 200 bar m/s KST. Pmax this is a measure of the maximum pressure of an explosion. In most currently available biofuels this is usually no higher than 10 bar g. MIE this is the minimum ignition energy required to cause an explosion. It is usually more than 10 mjoules for biofuels. KST, Pmax and MIE figures should be provided by your material supplier. If not, independent testing houses can calculate these figures for you. - Two-stage design envelope For plants that handle a very wide range of biofuels, it may not be possible to design a storage and handling system that meets all of your flow rate and efficiency requirements for all of the materials you are likely to handle.The range of properties involved is simply too diverse. Instead, your system supplier can create a two-stage design, whereby your required flow rates (say, 15 tonnes per hour) are guaranteed for a given range of materials that are frequently handled at your plant.These are classified as stage one materials. In addition, the system will be designed to safely store and handle a range of other stage two biofuel materials, but will not be able to achieve the same flow rates with these materials.

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That way, your system has built-in flexibility to handle a whole range of biofuel materials, although you may have to accept lower efficiency rates when handling stage two materials. This is often the best solution for large power-generation plants that consume huge volumes of biofuel and are likely to purchase a variety of biofuels from many sources, depending on the prevailing market conditions. - Design for future flexibility New biofuel products are constantly being introduced to the market, with improved calorific values and different properties for your systems to cope with. If your storage and handling system is to stand the test of time, it needs to have flexibility built-in, enabling it to handle new and improved materials with differing properties as they become available. Biofuel materials that are abundant today may become scarce in future, so its worth investing in a versatile future-proof system now, so that your equipment does not become obsolete. That means creating a design envelope that exceeds the structural limits required for your existing materials. Ultimately, your budget is likely to define the boundaries of your systems future flexibility, since designing a system capable of handling a vast array of materials is inherently more expensive than creating a system to handle a single material. However, the long-term benefits of a more versatile system are likely to justify the additional costs incurred at the outset.

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Choosing your biofuel storage and handling system supplier

When selecting a storage and handling system supplier for your biofuel plant, there are some key questions you need to ask: 1. Does the supplier have a proven track record of designing and building storage and handling systems specifically for biofuels? 2. Does the supplier have experience of working with the biofuel product you wish to use? 3. Does the supplier offer a range of storage and discharge systems capable of handling a wide range of biofuels? 4. Does the supplier provide ATEX-certified equipment to minimise the risk of explosions at your plant? 5. Does the supplier have laboratory test facilities to assess the properties of the biofuels you may wish to handle?

For expert advice on developing a biofuel storage and handling system for any type of biofuels, call the specialists at Portasilo on +44 (0)1904 624872 or visit www.portasilo.co.uk to find out more.
Porta and Portasilo are registered trade marks. Portasilo Limited 2010. Produced by the Portasilo Marketing Studio. Portasilo Limited. PS7683/12/10.

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