CSA SPE 2254:19

Guide to wood chip fuel: Characteristics, supply, storage, and procurement

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  CSA SPE 2254:19

  April 2019

  
  

  Title: Guide to wood chip fuel: Characteristics, supply, storage, and procurement

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CSA SPE 2254:19

Guide to wood chip fuel: Characteristics, supply, storage, and procurement

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Contents

Development Committee on Safe Handling and Storage of Wood Chips 3

Preface 4

0 Introduction 5

1. Scope 6

   
   

2. Reference publications 7

   
   

3. Definitions 7

   
   

4. Wood chips fuel quality standards 9

   1. General 9

   2. Graded wood chips 9

   3. Origins and sources of wood chips 10

   4. Critical fuel properties 12

      1. General 12

      2. CAN/CSA ISO 17225 Part 4: Fuel specifications for graded wood chips 14

   5. Systematic review of ISO standards 15

      
      

5. Feedstock and supply characteristics of wood chips in Canada 16

   1. General 16

   2. Sources of wood chips in the supply chain 16

      1. Logger/land clearing operations 16

      2. Sawmill operations 17

      3. Urban wood/tree services produce 18

      4. Woodland management operations 19

      5. Other sources of wood chips 19

      6. Aggregators, wholesalers, and brokers 19

   3. Non-suitable sources of wood chips: Heritage piles 19

   4. Comparison of wood chips with hog fuel 19

   5. Impact of sources on grading of wood chip fuel 21

   6. Differences in supply of wood chips 22

   7. Case study 1: Wood chips from urban wood 23

      1. Who are they? 23

      2. Their business 23

      3. Highlights of case study 1 25

         
         

6. Guidance on wood chips storage practices and safety considerations at producers’/suppliers’ site 26

   1. General 26

   2. Basic characteristics of storage piles 26

      1. Factors affecting fuel quality during storage 26

      2. Safety concerns during storage: Self-heating and spontaneous combustion 28

   3. Recommendations for outdoor storage practices 29

      1. Outdoor storage recommendations for wood chips 29

      2. Outdoor storage recommendations for roundwood 30

   4. Case study 2: Storing and drying of roundwood 31

      1. Who are they? 31

      2. Their business 31

      3. Highligths of case study 2 32

         
         

7. Guidance on wood chips fuel procurement and storage practices for end users 33

   1. Key aspects of wood chips procurement 33

      1. Price determining attributes of wood chips 34

      2. Checklist for assessment of local fuel supply sources and regional contract terms 38

      3. Different basis for determination of contract payments 40

      4. Checklist for potential terms of a procurement contract 41

   2. Recommendations for storage practices at end-users site 43

   3. Case study 3: Importance of quality specifications 44

      1. Who are they? 44

      2. Highlights of case study 3 45

Annex A (informative) — Simple calculations and conversions 47

Annex B (informative) — Recommended procedures for sample collection and preparation, moisture content and bulk density measurements 49

Annex C (informative) — Canada's proposal for revision of fuel quality specifications in CAN/CSA-ISO 17225 Part 4 59

Annex D (informative) — Examples of wood chip storage facilities in Canada 61

Annex E (informative) — Bibliography 65

Development Committee on Safe Handling and Storage of Wood Chips

The Development Committee would like to thank the valuable input of:

Vince Rutter, Biothermic Wood Energy Systems Inc. — Case study 1: Wood chips from urban wood Mathieu LeBlanc, ACFOR Inc. — Case study 2: Storing and drying of round wood

Pat Liew Ecostrat Inc. — Case study 3: Importance of quality specifications Sylvain Volpé and Marian Marianescu, FPInnovations

Preface

This is the first edition of CSA SPE 2254, Guide to wood chip fuel: Characteristics, supply, storage, and procurement.

CSA Group acknowledges that the development of this Guide was made possible, in part, by the financial support of the Energy Innovation Program by the Department of Natural Resources of Canada.

This Guide has been prepared by the Development Committee on Safe Handling and Storage of Wood Chips. This Guide is not a consensus product; that is, it is not a standard and it has not been formally reviewed or approved by a CSA Group Technical Committee.

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1. Use of the singular does not exclude the plural (and vice versa) when the sense allows.

2. Although the intended primary application of this Guide is stated in its Scope, it is important to note that it remains the responsibility of the users of the Guide to judge its suitability for their particular purpose.

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CSA SPE 2254:19

Guide to wood chip fuel: Characteristics, supply, storage, and procurement

0 Introduction

0.1

Wood chips are well suited to meet the energy needs of buildings, communities, or campuses, and as a locally produced source, it is a renewable, low carbon fuel option. Depending on the origin and sources of the woody biomass and the processes used in preparation, wood chips can vary greatly in quality and consistency. In 2015, CSA Group adopted a series of solid biofuels standards developed by International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for wood pellets, wood briquettes, firewood, and wood chips (CAN/CSA-ISO 17225). These are voluntary industry standards designed for residential, small

commercial and public building applications. Wood chip fuel standards are essential for efficient, reliable, and safe operation of energy systems and establishing market confidence.

0.2

In Canada, the wood chip fuel supply chain begins with managed forests; sustainable forest management principles are applied to all publicly owned Canadian forests, which accounts for 94% of all Canada's forest land based on 2018 data. Supply chains for wood chips can be complex and at present are closely linked to traditional forest products, such as pulp, paper, dimensional lumber, etc. The product specifications for these industries might be different than those of wood chip fuel. Producers

need to know what fuel quality specifications are expected from the wood chips so that they can modify and adjust their processes. End users need to better understand the supply chain, and fuel quality requirements so they can communicate more effectively with suppliers and procure wood chips appropriate to the specifications of their energy systems.

0.3

Storage is essential to bridge the gap between supply and demand and to facilitate adaptation to varying market conditions. During storage, decomposition and conversion processes (such as bacterial, fungal) take place which can lead to not only material and energy losses, but also to self-heating and in extreme cases, fires. Operational requirements, as well as health and safety considerations for storage piles, vary significantly along the supply chain from producer to supplier and finally, to end-user site. For example:

1. storage piles in fuel producer, wholesaler, or aggregator sites are

   1. larger in size and amount;

   2. likely to be outdoors, either covered or uncovered; and

   3. contain wet material and possibly a blend of different tree species, bark, and leaves, with a larger variance in particle sizes;

2. a wood chip fuel heating facility will likely have

   1. fully or partially covered storage with capacity varying from 3 to 5 days to approximately one month;

   2. fast turnaround times; and

   3. wood chips pile composed of uniform particle size with little to no bark or leaves.