Blue Fire GmbH supplies the catalysts for the winning team of the Woodstove Design Challenge 2018
Once again, Blue Fire GmbH is supplying the catalysts for the winning team of the US combustion competition Woodstove Design Challenge. The team around Niels Wittus and the German E-stove won in two categories in Washington DC and was supported by the German partners Thermoelect GmbH, DBFZ Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum gemeinnützige GmbH, Blue Fire GmbH and ETE EmTechEngineering GmbH. Already in 2016, Team Wittus won the biennial competition for automated wood combustion systems, supported by Blue Fire catalysts.The fifteen-member jury, consisting of senior staff from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Brookhaven National Laboratories, major universities and forestry authorities, selected the winners in five categories during the five days of testing in Washington DC. As in 2013, the Woodstove Design Challenge took place again in Washington DC at the National Mall and was open to the public. Ten competing stove models from the USA, Europe, Canada and New Zealand had qualified for the competition in the preliminary selection. were judged: Innovation and electrical performance of thermoelectric furnaces, the level of dust emissions, CO emissions and equipment safety, the implementation and degree of automation, and thermal efficiency. The E-Stove from Thermoelect GmbH achieved excellent values for fine dust, CO emissions, efficiency and safety. By winning the renowned competition, the Wittus team, consisting of the partners, Wittus - Fire by Design, Thermoelect GmbH, DBFZ German Biomass Research Centre, ETE EmTechEngineering GmbH and Blue Fire GmbH, not only continued the success of 2016 with the "E Stove" (manufacturer: Thermoelect GmbH, stove type: Seebeck 250 W) developed and manufactured in Germany, but also won first prize in the new category of stoves equipped with thermoelectric generators. In this category, the jury was particularly impressed by the highest electrical output of up to 250 W and an integrated design that can maintain a stable electrical output.
As early as 2016, Niels Wittus' team took part in the Woodstove Design Challenge and took first place with the lowest emissions ever measured from a pellet combustion system. The winner was chosen from five participants who presented various solutions for a fully automated pellet combustion system. The competition took place at the renowned Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, New York. In 2016, Blue Fire GmbH continued to supply the catalysts for the winning unit and ensured that emissions were low and efficiency high for the pellwood stove.
The wood combustion system presented at this year's competition is a three-stage combustion system in which logs are pyrolytically decomposed in the first stage and converted into fuel gas. The combustible gases are then oxidized in a flash fire flame with Blue Fire catalysts downstream for fine purification of the exhaust gases. The catalytic coating as well as the positioning and dimensioning of the Blue Fire catalyst were specially adapted to the E Stove. The heat extraction with heating water circuit with a heat output of up to 20 kW and the power generation with thermoelectric generators up to 250 W takes place in the third stage. The integrated catalysts enabled a complete oxidation of carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and soot. The emission values are therefore extremely low and were below the detection limit of the measuring methods used in other parts of the combustion phase in competition.
In addition to numerous prospective buyers in Germany, there are now also inquiries from partners in the USA who want to use E-Stove. In order to be able to meet the demand, field tests and approval according to U.S.-EPA are being sought in the near future. The E-Stove can be purchased in its current version under the type designation "Seebeck 250" from the company Thermoelect GmbH in Wismar.
Blue Fire catalysts are developed by specialists who are at home in chemistry and combustion technology. The Blue Fire catalysts are always adapted to the application in terms of their design and mode of operation. The work invested in the design of the Blue Fire catalysts pays off in the form of excellent emission values of biomass combustion systems. With Blue Fire catalysts and the associated engineering design, CO, VOC and dust emissions can be reduced safely and reliably. Blue Fire catalysts are now available in many stoves on the market. Existing furnaces that are about to be replaced can be retrofitted with Blue Fire catalysts and associated holding systems at low cost.