A few years ago, Austrian company Enercont GmbH developed an automatized self-unloading woodchip container solution that it said addressed fuel storage and logistic issues associated with woodchip heating solutions. Doing the rounds on various tradeshows is beginning to pay off as it has sold systems as far afield as the United States (US) and Norway.
Located in Kuchi, outside Salzburg, Austria, Enercont GmbH has developed what it describes as an ”energy container”. The company specialises in developing and manufacturing container applications. While essentially the energy container is a container exchange system that combines woodchip delivery and storage, there is more to it than that.
The storage of woodchips close to the heating system has up to now been laborious and comparatively expensive. With our energy container system it is substantially simplified by pre-filled, exchangeable containers, explained Stefan Strauß, Managing Director.
The benefits, he explained, lie in investment cost avoidance, operational cost savings and operational convenience.
The onsite construction work is normally limited to the construction of a secure foundation for the container and the costs, required space and construction time for this are substantially lower than for the construction of a storage silo, he said adding that in some jurisdictions the planning and building permitting process is also easier as it is not considered a permanent building structure, Strauß said.
Automated unloading and monitoring
The real novelty lies in the proprietary container docking facility with an automated woodchip unloading system that is integrated with the boiler fuel in-feed. According to Enercont, its system is compatible with different woodchip boilers.
The filled container is placed into position on the docking facility. On demand from the boiler, the woodchips are discharged from the container and fed into the heating system by a patented mechanism. A sensor informs the heating installation operator or fuel provider about the current fill level of the container.
When the fill level reaches a certain minimum level, a new one is delivered and exchanged with the empty container.
That way it is assured that your heating system will always be provided with sufficient woodchips. The whole system provides the user with a mobile, cost-efficient and comfortable alternative to an expensive and bulky silo installation said Strauß adding that the company also provides turnkey modular heat plant solutions.
1 MW heat
Enercont also operates heat plants exemplifying how its ”energy container” automated fuel storage and supply system works.
One such installation is a 1 MW woodchip-fired heat plant on a light commercial industrial estate outside Salzburg. Here the company provided a turnkey solution with two 500 kW Heizomat woodchip boilers with each boiler unit containerised.
This article was first published in Bioenergy International no. 3-2017. Note that as a magazine subscriber you get access to the e-magazine and articles like this before the print edition reaches your desk!
