Vegetable oil burner
A vegetable oil burner is a burner that burns vegetable oil (e.g. rapeseed oil) and thus converts bioenergy into thermal energy. Vegetable oil burners are usually used as a replacement for conventional heating oil burners in small and medium-sized furnaces.
technology
The structure of a vegetable oil burner is similar to that of a conventional heating oil burner. Since the chemical and physical properties of vegetable oils differ greatly from heating oil (light oil) (e.g. the viscosity ), vegetable oil burners are adapted to the properties of the fuel. In small firing systems, pressure atomizers are used, in which air is added in the nozzle assembly, and oil preheating is also necessary. In Germany, unusual burners for medium-heavy heating oil can be operated with pure rapeseed oil. The heavy oil burners used for large combustion systems are generally suitable for rapeseed oil operation with rotary and pressure atomizers and oil preheating to 50–60 ° C.
All oil-carrying parts must be suitable for vegetable oil, otherwise sticking or chemical attack by oil components can occur. Due to these additional measures and the high production costs of the devices that have been produced in small series up to now, special vegetable oil burners are more expensive than comparable burners for crude oil or natural gas. As with the use of vegetable oil as a fuel , attention must be paid to the quality when using it as a fuel ( DIN standard DIN 51605 applies to rapeseed oil ).
A new, nozzle-free vegetable oil burner technology was ready for series production in 2006. Devices called "multi-oil burners", in which this technology has been implemented, can cover power ranges between 15 and 500 kW burner output and enable the use of different vegetable and mineral oils. A new nozzle / atomizer version is also establishing itself in small systems from 10 to 30 kW.
In burners for light heating oil, fuel mixtures of light heating oil and 10 to 20% rapeseed oil can be used if they are equipped with oil preheating (approx. 60 ° C) and a hot combustion chamber.
Economical meaning
The competitiveness of the use of biofuels in comparison to the currently predominant fossil fuels and thus the economic importance of vegetable oil burners depends on many factors, including the price development and raw material potential of fossil and biogenic fuels (regional and worldwide), the production costs of the burners, the tax treatment of the different fuels and fuels as well as the production capacities for burners and fuel.
Ecological importance
The use of vegetable oil as a fuel substitutes fossil fuels (e.g. petroleum). A balanced CO 2 balance when burning vegetable oil means that heating can be largely climate-neutral.
When vegetable oil is burned, only as much CO 2 is emitted as was previously absorbed by the plants and converted by photosynthesis . However, the combustion of vegetable oils produces higher nitrogen oxide emissions than the combustion of fossil fuels. Another aspect when using biogenic fuels is sustainability . In contrast to the finite fossil energy carriers, biogenic energy carriers are regenerative.
Just like other agricultural raw materials , the production of vegetable oil requires agricultural land for the cultivation of oil seeds and fruits. The worldwide increasing demand for animal feed, food and biomass for energy production and material use leads to increasing competition for use and thus promotes rising prices for agricultural products and an expansion of agricultural production.
Tax situation
The Energy Tax Act of August 1, 2006 regulates details on tax treatment .
history
The first research project in Germany on the combustion of vegetable lipids (fats) was carried out between 1998 and 1999 by InnoTech GmbH and VDI / VDE Teltow and led to the construction of a prototype of a vegetable oil burner. In 2000 the patent was granted for the burner's mixing device. From 2000, the production of a small series of three types of performance began. (24–32 kW, 32–90 kW, 90–180 kW), at the end of 2001 they switched to regular production.
literature
- Barbara Eder, Franz Eder, 2004: Vegetable oil as a fuel: driving cars and combustion engines with bioenergy. 109 p., Ökobuch Verlag, ISBN 9783936896053
- Martin Kaltschmitt , Hans Hartmann and Hermann Hofbauer (eds.), 2009: Energy from biomass. Basics, techniques and procedures. Springer Verlag, 2nd edition, pp. 762–763, ISBN 9783540850946
Web links
- CARMEN eV: Manufacturer of vegetable oil burners