How does the design of the pellet burner hopper affect efficiency?

How to choose a pellet boiler: hopper design pellet burner

It is quite expected that the boiler efficiency is influenced by many parameters, including design features. Today we are discussing with a specialist how the design of the pellet burner hopper affects the efficiency. In particular, how effective and good are the rotary models of foreign production. So, we tell you what you need to pay attention to if you want to buy a pellet boiler or burner? Some very sound advice on how to choose a boiler.

How do manufacturers stimulate buyers?

Pellet equipment is more complex and expensive, therefore, obviously, it is less popular than the same relatively autonomous solid fuel boilers. Of course, the latter have a significant drawback. First of all, the frequent loading and life according to the operating hours of the boiler. It is eliminated by installing a heat accumulator in the system. Then the fuel should be loaded no more than once every 1-2 days. And the level of comfort is significantly increased.

For pellet boilers with gravity feed, loading is also done once every 2 days. So there are no special benefits, if you do not take into account the cost of energy resources. When using pellets, it is 1.4-2 times lower than wood and 2 times cheaper than gas. Such pellet boilers will cost about 20 thousand hryvnia (2020), but they have a standard pellet burner hopper design.

Given the problems with fuel loading, consumers are looking at more expensive pellet heating equipment. These are fully controlled pellet flare burners with automatic pellet feeding. This means that the microcontroller controls not only the intensity of the pump in the circuit, but also the boiler. It is these microcontrollers that are installed together with electric boilers with a close efficiency of 98% (pellet burners of the torch type are effective on 95%).

What makes flare burners different:

• volumetric combustion process with high heat transfer;
• pyrolysis afterburning of fuel, meaning the combustion of secondary condensation gases, as in pyrolysis boilers;
• flame intensity control using oxygen supply, while the temperature in the circuit is regulated with an accuracy of +/- 2 ° С;
• automatic feeding from the internal hopper.

A special pellet hopper with a feeding system together or separately is purchased for the flare burners. In this case, the number of downloads is reduced to 1 per week. If a pneumatic supply is installed from another room or an underground bunker, then the boiler room becomes completely autonomous throughout the season.

Design pellet burner hopper and air supply: how to choose a pellet boiler

As already mentioned, the flame type pellet burner differs from other models in terms of efficiency and is fully controllable. This is realized by supplying air to the combustion chamber; accordingly, the design of the pellet burner hopper matters.

What affects the distributed air supply throughout the volume of the bunker:

• on the intensity of flame ignition and heat transfer;
• for complete combustion of pyrolysis gases with an increase in efficiency;
• with the help of the intensity of the air supply, the operation of the boiler and combustion is controlled.

For these purposes, the design and built-in elements provide for several methods of air supply:pellet hopper

• with the help of a fan and control of its speed;
• using point nozzles;
• from a perforated rotor air chamber that evenly distributes air throughout the entire volume of the combustion chamber.

The design of the pellet burner hopper with regard to control is a defining feature. Obviously, the rotary burner has the best air distribution, but other technological solutions can be quite effective as well.

So before you buy pellet boiler, be sure to check how the burner distributes air through the combustion chamber. The design of the pellet burner hopper greatly affects the accuracy of the temperature control of the heating medium. Ask a specialist about the design pellet burner FOCUS.