Analysis of Wood Chip Characteristics for Energy Production in Lithuania

Abstract

Wood chips and logging residues currently comprise the largest share of biomass fuels used for heat generation in district heating plants and are provided by a variety of suppliers. Ash and moisture contents, as well as the calorific value, may vary considerably depending on the composition of the fuel, seasonality, location, and other factors. This paper provides the summarized results of the main characteristics of wood chip moisture and ash content and calorific value, experimentally tested for a significant range of samples. Chip samples were collected from two district heating companies and tested for a significant range of samples. Chip samples were collected from two district heating companies and tested for a 3-year period. The data on fuel chip prices were taken from the electronic wood chip trading platform. The tests were performed using standard express methods, where two sub-samples were taken and analyzed from every chip sample. It was determined that the moisture content of the wood chips varied from 35% to 45%, the calorific value from 18.4 to 19.6 MJ/kg, and the ash content from 0.5% to 4.5%. The calculated relative expanded uncertainty of the moisture content measurement was ±2.1%, of calorific value—±1.5%, and of ash—±1.0%. The repeatability of the results was estimated as the pooled standard deviation.