The aim of these is to assess a method for measuring particle emissions from wood-fired residential heating appliances. This method was specifically designed to collect condensables, i.e. compounds present in gaseous form in the flue that condense upon entering the atmosphere due to dilution and cooling of the smoke.
These tests are carried out within the framework of the REAL-LIFE emissions research project coordinated by UEF (the University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio), in which Ineris is a partner. The REAL-LIFE Emissions project aims to standardise reliable test procedures to quantify the actual atmospheric pollution attributable to solid fuel heating appliances. The standardised emission measurement procedures in France and many European countries do not account for this contribution and are confined to measuring the particulate compounds already present in the flues.
Four European partners participate in these inter-laboratory comparisons: France (Ineris), Germany (TFZ), Finland (UEF) and the Czech Republic (VSB). Three kinds of fuel permitting variation in the concentration of target pollutants are tested in a biomass boiler: pellets, dry wood shavings and a mixture of pellets and green wood shavings.
Several measurement methods were selected:
sampling of solid and condensable particles, using the method known as TPM-PT*, developed as part of the project (implemented by all partners);
sampling of solid and condensable particles, using the SPC-IPA** method developed as part of the project (implemented by Ineris);
continuous measurement of total VOCs***, using FID analysers (implemented by all partners);
continuous measurement of the soot carbon or “Black Carbon****” levels in the particles, by absorption of multi-wavelength radiation with an aethalometer (implemented by Ineris).
This is the first ILC to include condensables, organised by Ineris.
* The TPM-PT method combines the heated filter method (EN 16510 2022), which makes it possible to obtain the solid fraction, and a porous tube dilution method intended to obtain the condensables.
** The SPC-IPA method combines the heated filter method (EN 16510 2022), for obtaining the solid fraction, with the sampling of condensables by bubbling.
*** Total VOC measurement based on flame ionisation detection (FID) is the standard method used to characterise total VOC emissions from wood-fired domestic heating appliances (EN 16510 2022).
**** the measurement of Black Carbon by absorption of multi-wavelength radiation using an aethalometer is one of the methods commonly implemented for the characterisation of Black Carbon in ambient air. It is used here downstream of a dilution stage in order to characterise emissions.
