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Energy Systems Division
Biomass Conversion
Wood Heater Test Method Updates
From left to right: Jake Lindberg, Stephen Galvin, and Rebecca Trojanowski overseeing the measurement and control system for the Biomass Conversion Lab during a wood heater experiment.
From left to right: Jake Lindberg and George Wei conducting gaseous emission measurements in the dilution tunnel.
Brookhaven has advanced instrumentation and expertise in developing wood heater testing protocols for emerging technologies to radically reduce the particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions from wood heaters. Brookhaven supported NYSERDA's Renewable Heat Initiative to grow high-efficiency and low-emission biomass heater utilization and ensure proper system design, sizing, and quality installations. Brookhaven played a significant role in the evaluation and emission characterization of biomass heaters, post-combustion retrofit emission controls, and the development of the Partial Thermal Storage test method specifically designed for hydronic heaters.
This test method enables emerging low-mass wood heater technologies to demonstrate their innovative features and facilitates their entry into the US market. Brookhaven engaged in a collaborative effort with the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM), New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) to examine the influence of fuel species on wood heaters, analyze key burn periods, and evaluate various filter media to effectively capture aerosol emissions.
Development of Testing Methods
Brookhaven is currently collaborating with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to develop low-cost instrumentation and simplified testing protocols to enable rapid innovation and field testing.
Technical Assistance to Policy Makers
Brookhaven provides technical assistance to NYSERDA for evaluating the energy and environmental performance of the next generation of heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) technologies, especially biomass heating.
