We can assist you as a customer with development, evaluation and testing of your products. Many of the tests that we can perform form the basis of certification of log-burning and pellet-burning boilers and stoves. Our experience of small-scale firing of logs, wood pellets and agricultural fuels enables us to perform practical tests of aspects such as fuel quality, ash chemistry, safety, combustion and emissions. In addition to such tests on solid fuels, we also test and certify equipment for gas and oil firing, and P-mark the flue-less ethanol stoves that have become so popular in recent years.
We play an important part in the drafting and evolution of standards, which provides us with a good insight into regulations and support systems in other countries.
Field activities
Field activities include performance measurements of boilers and boiler plants. We can measure and analyse in the whole chain from fuel, bottom ash, flue gas, fouling to emissions to air. The link on the right (Emission measurements in the field) provides further information on the substances and parameters that we can measure in the field.
Various types and extents of corrosion can arise in connection with the combustion of most types of fuel. SP can measure and evaluate the underlying processes, suggest proposals for anti-corrosion measures based on e.g. analyses of flue gases, fouling chemistry or the actual corrosion process itself.
Experimental facilities
Both technical evaluation and research utilise the advanced technical equipment available in our laboratories. In addition to commercial flue gas analysis and particulates measurements, we can also perform more special measurements of substances formed by poor combustion conditions or use of ‘difficult’ fuels. These tests can be performed either in or on commercial equipment, or in special test rigs under carefully defined conditions.
Research
The overall purpose of our research work is to improve knowledge of the efficient use of biofuels and sorted waste fractions, with minimum environmental impact. Research work is often carried out in conjunction with companies, public authorities, universities, institutes of technology or other research institutes.
Our projects investigate the entire range of the combustion process, from domestic log-burning stoves and boilers to local heating plants, industrial boilers and commercial CHP plants. Many of these projects are concerned with difficult fuel fractions, such as those with high ash or nitrogen contents, and involve field investigations in the form of measurement and analysis of materials such as deposits, particulates or ashes. SP is performing a number of demonstration projects in conjunction with various small companies in the field of small-scale biofuel chains, with the aim of developing new fuel chains and demonstrating / spreading knowledge of such chains.
Further information
Click the links on the right for more details of our research and of the services that we offer.