Providing for RTD and certificate testing needs, as regards facilities for heating of buildings, the ERC has developed a modern testing facility (laboratory). The facility is located in two buildings (ERC 1, and ERC 2). The older building, ERC 1, serves for purposes of investigating biomass combustion by fireplace stoves, fireplace inserts or similar type of equipment. In the new building, ERC 2, the other research and commercial activities are taking place.
The testing facility qualifies for the most demanding requirements concerning testing of boilers, heaters, and other thermal equipment. It is being continually expanded and completed by technical gear and equipment that facilitates broadening of testing provisions still further.
The facility has been designed to enable universal testing of combustors of about 150kW fired by gaseous, liquid, and also solid fuels. Currently we can provide for testing of all local heaters, which in fact mainly are solid fuel fired stoves, domestic boiling appliances, fireplace stoves, and fireplace inserts. Offering services in the field of this equipment design is an integral part of the testing provisions, which is supported by long term expertise in applying for, and implementing State funded projects.
Establishing equipment’s efficiency parameters is the testing’s principal goal. All our activities are oriented by this objective. We also specialise in investigating efficiency of the combustion process as such, which in fact means aiming at minimum of pollutant production and minimising losses caused by combustion insufficiencies.
To enable establishing of thermal inputs, both of the buildings are equipped by weighing bridges (tensometric balance) supporting the thermal equipment tested. Flue gases are led through flue gas measurement section into the chimney via water closure or diluting tunnel.
The whole measurement system has been designed and operated in compliance with the requirement to minimise measurement uncertainties, as provided for by the state-of-the-art measurement equipment. The “heart” of the whole system for measuring of hot-water boilers is a measurement loop, with which individual combustors are being combined.
From the point of view of assessing consistency, the inner building heating facility will be fired by solid fuels from 1.7.2007 in accordance with decree of the government No. 190/2002 Coll. It is our objective to get authorisation of the Office for Technical Standardisation, Metrology, and State Testing, which would provide for the testing required.
