Based in Southern California, Dianoush Emami has provided electrical engineering insight for various high-profile power station construction and maintenance projects. The locations Dianoush Emami has provided safety and engineering solutions to range from nuclear power to biofuel plants.
Biomass is a fuel source that encompasses a wide range of materials, including agricultural residue, wood, and waste from people and animals. The most common way of converting this to energy centers on the direct biomass combustion process. In addition, there are alternative methods such as gasification, anaerobic digestion, and pyrolysis.
Those plants that employ direct-fired combustion systems place biomass feedstock into a furnace or combustor. Burning this biomass with excess air heats water within a boiler that forms into steam. The resulting high-pressure steam exerts a force that drives the turbine generator and generates electricity.
The steam that has been used or extracted from the generation plant may also be cycled toward uses such as heating buildings or enabling manufacturing. With a combined heat and power (CHP) system in place, the 20 percent range of efficiency in biomass electricity-only systems can be increased to as much as 80 percent.
