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A strong warning for biomass promoters. Wood pellets are far from safe – they can also emit dangerous amounts of carbon monoxide if stored in confined spaces e.g. on ocean-going ships.Handling Pellets – Things to Consider
Paul Homewood reports from the scene…
By Paul Homewood
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-27694978
The BBC report:
Firefighters are spending a third day tackling a major blaze at a wood recycling plant in South Yorkshire.
Four crews have been at the R Plevin and Sons’ site in Crow Edge, near Penistone, since the wood chippings fire was discovered at about 08:10 BST on Monday.
Smoke can seen seen six miles (9.7km) away in Barnsley and smelled from Sheffield, 17 miles (27km) away.
People living near the fire have been asked to keep windows and doors closed.
The blaze could take another two days to put out, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said.
Station Manager Andy Hoyland said a water pump from a neighbouring brigade was being used to carry water from a nearby reservoir, to help extinguish the fire.
The blaze was “a big job”, said Mr Hoyland.
The blaze, which can be seen and smelled from miles away…
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Tallbloke's Talkshop 
Here’s another report re an explosion and fire at the incredibly-named Inferno Wood Pellet Inc. factory in East Providence, USA.
http://ehstoday.com/safety/fire-wood-pellet-factory-sparks-osha-citations-fines
‘A combustible-dust explosion and fire at the plant injured one worker and partially destroyed the building. The ignition of wood dust in the plant’s production room migrated to a retention bin, resulting in an explosion that spread through the building, according to OSHA.
“While no one was killed, the potential for death and serious injury was real, present and preventable,” said Patrick Griffin, OSHA’s area director for Rhode Island.’
See also:
‘Safety chiefs have issued warnings over [wooden pellet] boiler fuel which has caused nine deaths by carbon monoxide poisoning.’
http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2013/02/04/safety-warning-over-wooden-pellet-boiler-fuel/
Observe the two prayer wheels in the smoke and direction of wind…
Sideways? Not even trying to use the wind.
TC: maybe they could fan the fire if they were working 🙂
‘The blaze could take another two days to put out, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said’
And they’re putting 6000 litres of water a minute on it?
Leave some in the reservoir for the locals 😉
irt the water use: Good thing this was not going to wicked fracking. /sarc off
Over t’other side of Pennines fires resulting from attempts to “save the planet” are a common occurrence.
Back in 2004, huge piles of fridges were stockpiled because of an EU directive.
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/work-begins-to-clear-fridge-mountain-1132932
This after numerous arson attacks, such as this one –
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/fridge-mountain-hit-by-huge-blaze-1124526
In Bredbury, SW Gtr Manchester, there was a center that made 1 tonne bales out of recycled material to burn in Europe – no doubt as “biomass”. In 2011 the 6m high pile 120m wide by 150m long. Fortunately the fire service were able to put out the fire before it spread too far.
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/fire-at-bredbury-recycling-depot-was-accident-864554
In August 2013 the fire service were not so fortunate. The fire service were initially reckoning on 3-5 days to put the fire out. It was not fully out a month later.
Maybe people would learn from experience that recycling to save the planet could be a case of “medicine being worse than the disease”. Try March 2014 in Salford.
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/live-fire-recycling-plant-salford-6764751
It is not just Manchester that is afflicted. Youtube also has video of similar fires at Smethwick in July 2013, where the fire was 300m x 300m.
At 5 minutes in the BBC Midlands reports that there have been 15 recycling plant fires so far this year in the area. They also point out the noxious fumes and the polluted run-off water.
Another big fire in Yorkshire right now – this time at Ferrybridge power station, possibly biomass-related.
‘Huge fire at power station’
http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/11379816.UPDATED_3_25pm__Huge_fire_at_power_station/
Sky News has a video clip.
http://news.sky.com/story/1310923/firefighters-battle-power-station-blaze
‘Better pray for a mild winter’
http://www.bishop-hill.net/blog/2014/7/31/fire-in-the-galley.html
No chance. Lots of snow this winter.
‘Lots of snow this winter.’
Is Drax keeping its ‘biomass’ woodchip mountain under cover?
Can’t do that, there’s too much risk it would spontaneously combust…
Yes, you could have any of these – or something else:
Vessel fire
Fire in hopper
Fuel fire
Conveyor bearing fire
Conveyor fire
Transfer tower fire
Dust explosion
Internal boiler fire
Burner front fire
Combustion air fan fire
Lubrication oil fire
Turbine bearing fire
Generator fire
Transformer oil fire
Transformer explosion
‘Arson is an ever present risk to any installation/facility and is addressed by physical site
security measures, surveillance and manning levels.’
That’s from a report on a site at Blyth.
http://infrastructure.planningportal.gov.uk/Document/1586431
Sounds like a good place to stay well away from 😉