Multi fuel boiler.

[Oilybloke]

Will it burn glyc? Assuming it's water & meth free?

Pip pip,
Oily.

[Oilybloke]

Just bumping this topic really...............

I need to learn more about multi-fuel boilers, wmo etc. Can anyone recommend a good tutor?

[julianf]

Your original post had no substance, so im not surprised you got no reply!

What unit are you looking at?

I would imagine, from seeing the photos of glycerol burning using one of the Delevan nozzles at this years BBB, that glycerol would burn in, say, a kroll unit, assuming you could be sure to maintain it as a liquid whilst the burner was not firing.

The kroll units have a pre-heat tank, but, if all the pipes to them are filled with solid glycerol, then that's not going to be much good.  Id think a dedicated boiler house would be required, with some sort of back-up electric space heating.



All that said, is it worth the effort?


What's your kerosene use per year?
Say, if you make 2000ltrs of bio, with 17.5% glycerol by-product (by volume) then youre only talking 350 ltrs of glycerol.

A kroll unit, with compressor, would probably set you back, say £1500?  (my numbers may be out of date)

So, youre spending £1500 to save yourself, 300 odd liters of kerosene, per year.  At 60p / ltr thats a saving of £180 per year.  Disregarding anything else, thats about 8 years till your in profit.

Wmo / Who may be a different matter, but the EA perspective is less clear on them.

[Oilybloke]

Julian, thanks for your reply, and I take your point. My brevity is indicative of my ignorance of multi fuel boilers!
This is my situation........
I produce commercially, and my island location means that it's very difficult (or expensive) to get rid of my glyc (KOH), so I need to find a way of (hopefully) selling it.
One of our local parishes has just started buying our bio, and would like to know if we can do anything to help offset the annual cost of the 50k litres of heating oil that they use to heat workshops & greenhouses etc. First thoughts being to collect & clean up WMO (an abundance here, as there are more cars than people!), and I have centrifuges for the job. Also wondered if glyc could be used too?
Their boiler is an Erensan NOE18-25 T3S 240, that will burn class E oil.

[julianf]

If you have that much WMO, and the paperwork is in place to allow its combustion, just get a kroll unit, and use that.

If you then find you can burn glycerol in it, then youre on to a winnner, but, if not, youve still got rid of all that WMO.


There are cheaper burners, but Kroll has the reputation.  Somone on one of the forums, possibly VOD, purchased one of the cheaper units, and had no end of trouble with it, however, i know of someone else who has a Kroll, and finds it very easy.

Kroll make pan style burners too - i do not mean one of these.  I mean the thing that looks like a standard kerosene burner.

[julesandtash]

I think it is Bandit who has the non-kroll version?