Pulfero: more jobs with use of biomass energy
THE SUPPLY OF WOOD CHIPS
The territory of the municipality of Pulfero is located in the hills situated between 200 and 750 meters above sea level, in the eastern province of Udine, on the border with Slovenia. The town of Pulfero owns forests managed according to environmentally sustainable criteria and PEFC certificate; the production area is 234 hectares, with a production of 32,518 cubic meters and a current annual increase of 1,122 cubic meters, equivalent to a fresh mass of 8,977 t / year. These characteristics were considered an asset by the local administration, which strategically considers the use of local wood as a renewable energy source.
THE INTERVENTION OF UNICONFORT
The wood chips boiler with a power output of 348 kW, allows replacement of the old 76.6 Kw methane gas generator. The old boiler used to consume approximately 22,000 cubic meters of natural gas worth 18,000 Euro. The district heating network has a total length of 330 meters.
USE OF WOOD ENERGY RESULTING IN DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL REGION
The implementation of a district heating plant, which uses wood as a fuel, to serve municipal public buildings and a hotel suite, creates a series of favorable conditions for the improvement of forest utilization, development of local forestry companies, and therefore growth in employment opportunities. Indeed, the Municipality of Pulford has currently enabled some local businesses to follow the whole chain related to collection and processing of wood.
THE HEATING PLANT
The boiler has an installed power of 348 kW, and is equipped with a combustion system with moving grate, and thus it can tolerate very high water content of the fuel. The silo of timber fuel has a volume of 20 cubic meters, corresponding approximately to 6 tonnes of wood chips.
PLANT SPECIFICATION
- Boiler model: Biotec 30
- Boiler power: 348 kW
- Thermal energy delivered: 522 MWh/a
- District heating network length: 330 m
- Heated volume: 6858 m³
- Expected annual con- sumption of wood chips (w30%): 98 t/a
- Silo volume: 20 m³
- Supply: by rakes with with a screw conveyor delivery - by moving grate
- Extraction of ashes: authomatic screw conveyor