Biofuel Set-Up Guide
Biodiesel and renewable diesel (biofuel) significantly reduce carbon emissions offering a brighter, environmentally friendly future for home heating oil. However, using these fuels can cause changes to combustion that will require consideration. Beckett offers a line of B100-compliant burners that can support this transition. But with a B100-compliant burner, the technician will need to be trained and versed in some unique requirements of biodiesel and renewable diesel when adjusting burners.
In this guide we discuss the changes required to ensure optimal performance of a biofuel fired burner on an appliance. Additionally, we discuss some other considerations and adjustments from #2 fuel oil service.
Beckett® Tank-to-Flame™ B100 Biofuel Solutions
As the name implies, Beckett® Tank-to-Flame™ B100 Biofuel solutions encompass everything from the fill inlet, gauge, and vent on the oil tank to the nozzle on the burner — all designed and rated for today’s green fuels (blends all the way to B100 and R100). From tank gauges and accessories, to our Tigerloop® Oil Deaerators, to our burners and controls, and even the spray nozzles we can offer through our sister-company Delavan, our complete product line addresses every step in the combustion process.
But Beckett Tank-to-Flame™ is not just about a list of products — Tank-to-Flame™ is about our system approach to product development that allows our products to complement one another and work together to deliver the highest-performing
integrated biofuel-ready solutions. In turn, this allows oil heat service professionals to truly meet the needs of their customers by providing comprehensive, safe, reliable, and affordable solutions that also reduce their carbon footprint. And best yet, Beckett Tank-to-Flame™ B100 Biofuel solutions are also rated for traditional liquid fuels like No. 1 and No. 2 Heating Oil. This means that the Beckett Tank-to-Flame™ B100 Biofuel solution you install today to work with traditional heating oil will continue to deliver the same industry-leading performance tomorrow when your customer makes the switch to B100 or R100. So as consumer demand for B100 and R100 continues to increase and the market finds better ways to produce these fuels on a larger scale, those who have partnered with Beckett will be ready.
Beckett® Biofuel Set-Up Guide
Biodiesel and renewable diesel fuels offer a significant reduction in carbon. However, an experienced technician that can correctly install & maintain the combustion system is required to ensure safe, reliable, and affordable heat with a reduced carbon footprint. Using this guide as an aid will help the oil heat technician achieve those goals. Click the links below to learn more about each component.
Pump Pressure
For blends above 50% the fuel properties are different enough that a pressure higher than 165psi is required for complete atomization of your fuel. The pump pressure will need to be measured and possibly adjusted following the instructions in the Beckett Cleancut Pump Instructions.
Nozzle Considerations
Adjusting the pump pressure setting may require a change to the nozzle to ensure proper rate. Select the nozzle rate from the burner manual using the “Nozzle Flow Rate by Size” table to accommodate the new pump pressure. For example, if you are currently using an 0.75, A Hollow, 70° nozzle at 140PSI, and you have adjusted the pump pressure to 180PSI, you will need to change to a 0.65, A Hollow, 70° to maintain the same oil flow.
Air Adjustment
Once you have changed the fuel and the burner setup, you will need to test for proper combustion. Follow the “Set Combustion with Instruments” section of the burner manual to establish proper combustion. If the installation may move back to a low blend fuel, the adjustment should be close to the middle of the appropriate O2 range to accommodate the fuel change. It is important to use the O2 reading when setting air. Most analyzers do not have a CO2 measurement cell. CO2 is calculated based on the fuel specified and the measured O2. For example, a 6.7% O2 reading will give a calculated CO2 of 10.5, but would actually be 10.9 for a Soy based Biofuel.
Flame Detection
Historically, it has been said that an Ohms reading greater than 1600 is a marginal reading. For all type of biofuels the flame will be less bright. This will result in a higher Ohm reading. This is okay when using biofuels. It should be noted that the Beckett GeniSys® 7565 120V Advanced Oil Burner Control is designed to detect the presence of a flame in multiple ways using the CAD cell. To that end, it may be desired to use a GeniSys® 7565 120V Advanced Oil Burner Control with high percentage blends of Biofuels.
Insulation Blanket
Because of the chemical differences between traditional liquid fuels and biofuels, some applications may benefit from higher combustion chamber temperatures. Using an approved insulation blanket in the bottom of the boiler combustion chamber can keep. CO emissions low, reduce startup noise, reduce soot buildup in the boiler, and improve combustion.
Appliance Call for Heat Cycling
An appliance that short-cycles for an extended period can experience soot buildup. Soot buildup leads to poor boiler efficiency and higher CO emissions. This problem can be more pronounced with biofuels. When deploying biofuels, cycle time should be kept to a minimum of five minutes.
External Materials
Safely and efficiently operating a residential, liquid fuel heating system requires many components, from Tank-to-Flame™. The technician needs to ensure that all components (including, but not limited to valves, hoses, filters, and level gauges) exposed to fuel are compatible with the fuel used.
Oil Supply Lines
Prolonged exposure to copper can deplete the fuel’s oxidative reserve. The use of one-pipe (rather than two-pipe) significantly reduces the exposure of the fuel to copper. To that end, we highly recommend converting two-pipe installations to a one-pipe installation for biofuels through the addition of an B100 rated oil deaerator.
Regular Service
Unless you have installed a new tank or drained the existing tank, whenever a tank is filled, the result is a mixture of what was left in the tank and what was added. Over several refills, the newly delivered fuel will continue to mix with the existing fuel in the tank. For example, if you fill a tank originally containing #2 Fuel oil with biofuel delivery when the #2 is at 50% volume, the resulting fuel will be a 50% biofuel blend. If you refill the tank again at 50% volume with B100, the resulting fuel will be a 75% biofuel blend. If you continue to top off the tank with biofuel at 50% fill level, it will take five fuel deliveries to be at 90% biofuel. The changing biodiesel percentage may require adjustments to the air settings or other considerations as the system transitions to higher blends. This can require several visits and may require additional adjustments. The technician will need to plan to visit the installation after each refueling until the tank reaches a 90% biofuel level.
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