Measurement and evaluation of wood fuel

Abstract

Eleven district heating plants were visited in the autumn and winter 1987–1988 to interview the staff and Measurement Association to determine how the wood fuel was evaluated. The geographical distribution of the heating plants ranges from Vaxjo in the south to Ostersund in the north. The plants for solid fuel vary in size from 5 MW to 65 MW. Wood fuel consumption ranged from 70 000 to 450 000 m³/year. The average wood transport distance is about 50 km. The number of wood fuel assortments handled at delivery varies from one single assortment to as many as 75. Payment for wood fuel is mainly on the basis of MW h delivered, and therefore most plants have a mechanism for determining moisture content and a formula for calculating energy value.