IDEIA - Applied Business R&D

BIOCALDEIRA

Desenvolvimento de um novo conceito de caldeira a pellets dedicadas ao aquecimento doméstico com funcionamento automático

Mechanical Engineering

Private Consumption

This project is a result of CEbio – Rede de Competência para a Bioenergia, where University of Minho is a project important associate member, which comprehends biomass's area, specifically the dynamisation of related equipments.
The main objective of this Project is the construction of a prototype of a wood pellet boiler applicable to central heating in households. Such equipment, fully automatic, should match the market demands at a competitive price. From the user’s point of view, wood pellet boilers have very competitive operating costs when compared with those powered by fossil fuels. In such context, it is not surprising that this technology is a rapidly growing market in Europe.
In brief, one aims to develop an equipment appropriate for the Portuguese climatic conditions. For such purpose, the project focuses upon the following key areas: a nominal thermal output of 15 kW integrated with an appropriate storage system; power modulation at constant high thermal efficiency; capable of handling fuels based in low quality raw materials but keeping emissions within acceptable levels; user friendly interface for the end user.