Research of a Biomass Boiler with Stirling Engine Microgeneration Unit

Abstract

A number of intergovernmental agreements, the most important of which are the Paris Agreement (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) and the European Green Deal, provide for resource efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gas and particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10) emissions to 2030 (short-term program to reduce emissions by at least 55 %) and to achieve emissions-neutral production, transport and household activities by 2050. The European Union (EU) has taken the lead in developing and implementing climate change mitigation policies for both industrial and private residential homes in the world through a green course. As an EU country, Latvia has joined both the EU-level climate policy and developed its policy, regulatory documents and action plans for 2021–2030 (Latvia’s National Energy and Climate Plan for 2021–2030), climate policy, including a policy aimed at significantly reducing GHG emissions and increasing efficiency in the household sector. Achieving these climate policy goals requires both a change in human habits and more efficient technologies. This article discusses one of the technological solutions that can reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and the release of PM2.5 and PM10 from individual heating systems in private homes and small commercial facilities. Calculations of electrical energy production in mCHP mode of the system for household self-consumption based on experiments will be done. The technology involves the production of heat from biomass or other types of renewable energy sources while generating electricity for self-consumption. Conclusions of CHP mode on overall efficiency will be done.

Trends for Stirling Engines in Households: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Typically, the main research direction in studies retrieved based on the dedicated search string for RQ2 is concerned with the experimental investigation of the technical improvement opportunities of Stirling engine and CHP integrated systems [44][45][46][47] or comparison of experimental and simulation data [48,49]. The clustering of the retrieved documents allowed the authors to identify a research sub-direction on Stirling engine and fluidized bed combustor integration [45,50].…”

“…Chmielewski et al [9] suggest that micro-cogeneration is the most appropriate to use in private companies, small factories, and households. Kramens et al [44] also note that Stirling engines are more suitable for larger dwellings; hence, their application and efficiency at the single house level still have to be assessed in detail.…”

Simulating ON-OFF Regimes on a Micro-CHP Using Biomass

“…The highest global power efficiencies were found through processes of gasification [10,11], although the global thermal efficiency was low (21.7 %-33.72 %). Direct biomass combustion applications recorded a higher global thermal efficiency [15,18,20], on a thermal power production scale (31-120 kW th ) comparable to that of gasification processes (40 kW th ). By analysing the efficiencies and power scales of different systems, it would seem that direct biomass combustion is more recommended in processes where heat in its entirety is useful, such as domestic and micro-industrial applications, as opposed to complex industrial applications where residual heat from other processes can also be harnessed in addition to that produced by power-generating systems.…”