Effect of combustion air humidification on the operation of a biomass boiler – Theoretical analysis

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F68407700%3A21220%2F25%3A00380622" target="_blank" >RIV/68407700:21220/25:00380622 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e42299" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e42299</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e42299" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e42299</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Effect of combustion air humidification on the operation of a biomass boiler – Theoretical analysis

Original language description

The article describes the influence of additional installation of the combustion air humidifier for a biomass hot water boiler, which is equipped with a flue gas spray condenser, on its operating parameters and the heat supplied to the district heating system. Humidification of the air is carried out by spraying with water heated in the flue gas condenser, which is pre-cooled in the exchanger for preheating the return water from the district heating system. The case of the additional installation of the combustion air humidifier to the biomass hot water boiler JUSTSEN type JUE-FVB 7.2 with a heat output of 8 MW equipped with flue gas spray condenser is analyzed. Humidification and preheating of the combustion air leads to fuel savings and an increase in the dew point temperature of the flue gas, which improves the conditions for utilizing the waste heat from the flue gas in the condenser, as the heat is available at a higher temperature level. Humidification of the combustion air also affects the operating parameters of the boiler. In particular, the flue gas outlet temperature and flow rate increase and the efficiency of the boiler decreases slightly. Fuel consumption, however, decreases due to the heat input in the preheated and humidified combustion air. The application of the proposed solution would increase the heat supplied to the district heating system, by about 7 %–9 % of the boiler nominal heat output, depending on the heating of the air in the humidifier. A summer drop in biomass moisture would be reflected in a reduction in the energy benefit of the flue gas condenser by more than 20 %. However, humidification of the combustion air can limit this negative effect.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_SC - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the SCOPUS database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

20301 - Mechanical engineering

Project

<a href="/en/project/TK04030297" target="_blank" >TK04030297: Utilization of condensing heat from flue gases of biomass boilers</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Heliyon

ISSN

2405-8440

e-ISSN

2405-8440

Volume of the periodical

11

Issue of the periodical within the volume

3

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

15

Pages from-to

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UT code for WoS article

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EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85216273030