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The increasing global energy demand and mounting pressures for CO₂ mitigation call for increased efficient utilization of biomass, particularly for heating domestic and commercial buildings. The authors of the present paper are investigating the optimization of the combustion performance and NO_x emissions of a 50kW biomass pellet boiler fabricated by a UK manufacturer. The boiler has a number of adjustable parameters including the ratio of air flow split between the primary and secondary supplies, the orientation, height, direction and number of the secondary inlets. The optimization of these parameters provides opportunities to improve both the combustion efficiency and NO_x emissions. When used carefully in conjunction with experiments, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling is a useful tool for rapidly and at minimum cost examining the combustion performance and emissions from a boiler with …