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Current status - ongoing projects

 APP is currently testing four prototypes of the APP R_ESP on three households and a laboratory Germany. The testing is carried out together with TFZ (Technologie- und Förderzentrum im Kompetezzentrum für Nachwacsende Rohstoffe) in Straubing Germany. The three R_ESP units were installed on households during week 47 - 2008, and will be tested during winter season 2008 – 2010. The results from this testing are expected first half of 2010.

At the same time a project together with the Danish Ministry of the Environment is conducted in Denmark lead by Force Technology and the Danish Institute of Technology (TI). Laboratory testing of the R_ESP unit was carried out in TI’s laboratory in Aarhus 12th and 13th November 2008. 4 units have been installed and are currently being tested on households in Denmark. The project was shown on Danish national TV (DR 1) Thursday 12th February 2009.

Both projects are comparing different technologies for reduction of particulate matter from household fireplaces.

APP is working together with other EU countries for research and testing during 2009 and 2010.
Residential ESP buildt on APP's CleanAir Technology

Our driving motivation:

 

The air we breathe always contains dust particles. When we get too high concentrations of dust in the air, it represents a health risk. We all know how it is to breathe air in a busy city, especially at wintertime, with little or no wind and a lot of people burning wood or coal to heat their houses. Much of the pollution consists of very small particles of dust from household chimneys. There is a significant health risk living in areas with highly polluted air, with various health implications, as asthma and cancer. Urban areas experience severe health implications due to residential wood/oil/coal burning. The contribution from these sources is often documented to be in the area of 50-60% of the total suspended particulate matter in metropolitan areas. By reducing the emission from the households, people will experience a lesser health risk and improved air quality. It will also make burning of solid fuels, like wood and coal, to a sustainable environmental friendly and competitive renewable energy source.

Emission of fine particulate matter (PM2,5) is a major environmental hazard. “Worldwide number of premature deaths due to wood smoke is estimated to be 2.7 to 3 million annually, with respiratory illness being the largest killer of infants” - Health and environment in Sustainable Development, WHO, 1997,p.242.

New information with regards to negative health effects of particulate matter, show the fact that PM2,5 is more potent than larger particles and are strongly associated with increased mortality and cardiovascular disease and that particulate matter from combustion engines, burning of oil, coal and wood are especially harmful. Hence, UN World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends the use of PM2,5 as the main air quality indicator for particulate matter in ambient air and replaced limit values for PM10 in 2005.

The European Union “Clean Air for Europe” (CAFE) programme says in 2005 among other:

“Compared with the situation in 2000, the Strategy sets specific long-term objectives (for 2020):

... 47% reduction in loss of life expectancy as a result of exposure to particulate matter.

... To achieve these objectives, primary PM2.5 (particles emitted directly into the air) needs to be reduced by 59% compared with the year 2000.”

The APP ResidientialESP unit with a cleaning level of 90 % particulate removal will place wood burning as equally environmental effective as solar- and wind power.

 

The aim

The aim for APP is to develop an electrostatic precipitator for residential use that fulfils the following criteria’s:

  • Low cost for the consumer.
  • Easy to install. The unit will be installed on top of the chimney, “end of pipe” solution. No installation inside the house, and no modifications needed on existing stoves or chimneys.
  • Easy to maintain and clean. Cleaning will be carried out by the chimneysweeper on his regular visits.
  • The unit shall not need any operation from customer. The unit will start and stop automatically when the fire is lit and burned out.
  • Maintain a sufficient cleaning efficiency of 85 – 99 % on PM10 and PM2,5

Development of the APP R_ESP

Development of the ResidentialESP

Applied Plasma Physics AS has used its experience and knowledge from the industrial air pollution control area to develop and test a uniquely compact and cost effective electrostatic precipitator (ESP). The complete ESP including power supply can be easily integrated or retrofitted in the chimney of private houses. The technology is targeted for the as yet infant residential air pollution control market and represents a uniquely cost effective solution for curbing particulate emissions from burning of oil/wood/coal.

The APP ResidentialESP (Residential Electrostatic Precipitator) is based on APP’s CleanAir technology. The initial research started with a candidate thesis at Stavanger College in 1997 and testing of the first prototype at SINTEF in 1999. Based on these results APP developed a new improved prototype and applied for founding through the EU CRAFT program in 2002.

In May 2002, the joint industry project (CRAFT project) was initiated to further develop the technology into the stage of commercialisation. The project was partly financed by EU through their 5th frame program. The project was headed by APP with 6 European industrial partners and 2 R&D partners. Project duration was 2 years with a total budget of approx. 1.3 mill. €, of which the EU funded 50%. Field and laboratory testing of prototypes proved that the technology outperforms all other known technologies for reduction of particulate emissions from combustion of solid fuels at a significantly lower cost. Despite that the project was a technological success was the marked not ready for such a product.  The market for air pollution control technology for domestic heating with solid fuels is closely dependent on local policy decision-making. Even if authorities in most European countries have today implemented legislations for urban air quality enabling actions for air pollution control requirements in domestic households, and possible political measures to enforce these legislations no such political measures was taken in 2004. The technology seemed to be ahead of its time…

In 2007 – 2008 some authorities have implemented regulations for limiting emissions from burning of solid fuels. Global warming has become a main issue worldwide. Replacement of fossil fuels with bio-fuels has become strategic policy in many countries. The EU thematic strategy will reduce PM2,5 from 1749 kTon in 2000 to 964 kTon in 2020. APP decided in 2007 to resume work on the ResidentialESP

 

 
R_ESP prototypes

The first prototype was build in 1998-1999 named "H-Hatt". The picture is taken from the testing carried out at SINTEF Energy Research in Trondheim, Norway.

After further development and research during the CRAFT project APP installed a new prototype on a chimney at Lye, Norway, for extensive field testing in 2004.

The final prototype is currently beeing tested on three housholds in Straubing, Germany. The testing will be carried out winterseason 2008 - 2009.


 
Results from testing

The testing of the cleaning unit was in the CRAFT project was conducted in Sweden at the Swedish National Testing and Research Institute in Borås in 2004.

The results show a separation efficiency between 85 and 99 % of particles in the particle size range from 0,04 to 8,7 µm. The lowest particle separation efficiency is seen with the smallest particles of 0,04 µm. However, in the initial work where we did characterisation of fuel combustion, results demonstrate that the maximum number of particles as well as the highest concentration of particles by mass, is reported to be approximately 0,2 to 0,3 µm. With regards to these particle sizes, the CleanAir unit do have especially good filtration efficiencies in the range of 96 to 100 %.

Table Particle separation efficiencies for different particle sizes, presented in percent:
 
Particle size (µm) 0.04 0.07 0.13 0.22 0.34 0.52 0.82 1.3 2.1 3.3 5.5 8.7
Separation efficiency 85 % 90 % 97 % 96 % 99 % 100 % 99 % 100 % 99 % 98 % 98 % 99 %

 Particle emissions from cleanburning fire place and pellet stoves, compared to particle emissions from use of CleanAir unit is presented in figure 5. The particle emissions are presented as emissions in mg per MJ of energy in the fuels in order to compare emissions from different types of fuels with different burning values. Emissions from cleanburning ovens are typical in the range of 50 to 100 mg/MJ during this test over a total period of 250 minutes with several inlays of fuel and including all phases of combustion, i.e. start up phase, intermediate phase with stable conditions as well as burn  out phase. The particle emissions from pellets ovens are, during the same test conditions, are in the range of 50 mg/MJ. While, the particle emission measured downstream (after) the CleanAir unit combined on old fire place are approximately 5 mg/MJ.

The particle concentration downstream of the CleanAir unit combined with old fire place is very low compared alternative technology such as cleanburning and pellets ovens with an emission of approximately 1/10 of the emission from alternative technology. A probable explanation is that the CleanAir unit not only separates soot particles, but also ash particles. Inorganic ash particles is a by-product from combustion of biofuels regardless of favourable or poor combustion conditions. Consequently, the emission of  ash particles is hard to decrease with primary measures such as improved combustion, and needs secondary measures as dust separation devices.
 

Figure Particle separation efficiencies for the stove Jötul 501 combined with normal supply of dust separator air.

Figure Particle emission from different technologies (in mg/MJ)

 

 

 
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