Co-combustion of peach and apricot stone with coal in a bubbling fluidized bed

In this study a bubbling fluidized bed combustor (BFBC) having an inside diameter of 102 mm and a height of 900 mm was used to investigate the co-combustion characteristics of peach and apricot stones produced as a waste from the fruit juice industry with coal. A lignite coal was used for co-combustion. On-line concentrations of O₂, CO, CO₂, SO₂, NO_X and total hydrocarbons (C_mH_n) were measured in the flue gas during combustion experiments. Variations of emissions of various pollutants were studied by changing the operating parameters (excess air ratio, fluidization velocity, and fuel feed rate). Temperature distribution along the bed was measured with thermocouples.     

Parametric studies on catalytic pyrolysis of coal-biomass mixture in a circulating fluidized bed

Pyrolysis is an efficient way of thermally converting biomass into fuel gas, liquid product and char. In this research, pyrolysis experiments were carried out in a circulating fluidized bed reactor with a riser diameter of 25 mm and height 1.65 m. The biomass used was corn cobs. The experiments were conducted systematically using two level factorial design with temperature ranging from 650 to 850 degree Celsius, corn cobs and catalyst contents in feed ranging from 0 to 100%, and from 1 to 5 wt%, respectively, and Ni loaded on catalyst ranging from 5 to 9 wt%. The results showed that when temperature and catalyst contents in feed and Ni loaded on catalyst increased, the percent of hydrogen and carbon monoxide increased. The amount of corn cobs was found to have an effect only on the composition of hydrogen. Carbon dioxide was also observed to increase slightly. On the other hand, the percent of methane was considerably decreased. The optimum conditions were 850 degree Celsius, corn cob content in feed of 100%, catalyst content in feed of 5% and Ni loaded on catalyst of 9%. At this condition the percentages of hydrogen and carbon monoxide were 52.0 and 18.0, respectively.     

Steam gasification of an australian bituminous coal in a fluidized bed

To produce low calorific value gas, Australian coal has been gasified with air and steam in a fluidized bed reactor (0.1 m-I.Dx1.6 m-high) at atmospheric pressure. The effects of fluidizing gas velocity (2–5 U_f/U_mf), reaction temperature (750–900 °C), air/coal ratio (1.6-3.2), and steam/coal ratio (0.63–1.26) on gas composition, gas yield, gas calorific value of the product gas and carbon conversion have been determined. The calorific value and yield of the product gas, cold gas efficiency, and carbon conversion increase with increasing fluidization gas velocity and reaction temperature. With increasing air/coal ratio, carbon conversion, cold gas efficiency and yield of the product gas increase, but the calorific value of the product gas decreases. When steam/coal ratio is increased, cold gas efficiency, yield and calorific value of the product gas increase, but carbon conversion is little changed. Unburned carbon fraction of cyclone fine decreases with increasing fluidization gas velocity, reaction temperature and air/coal ratio, but is nearly constant with increasing steam/coal ratio. Overall carbon conversion decreases with increasing fluidization velocity and air/ coal ratio, but increases with increasing reaction temperature. The particle entrainment rate increases with increasing fluidization velocity, but decreases with increasing reaction temperature. This paper is dedicated to Professor Dong Sup Doh on the occasion of his retirement from Korea University.     

Performance evaluation of a pilot scale vortexing fluidized bed combustor

To understand vortexing fluidized bed combustor (VFBC) performances, an investigation was carried out in a 0.45 m diameter and 4.45 m height pilot scale VFBC. Rice husks, corn, and soybean were used as the biomass feedstock and silica sand serving as the bed material. The bubbling bed temperature was controlled by using water injected into the bed. The experimental results show that the excess air ratio is the dominant factor for combustion efficiency. The in-bed combustion proportion increases with the primary air flow rate and bed temperature, and decreases with the volatile/fixed carbon ratio. The stability constant is proposed to describe the inertia characteristics of the vortexing fluidized bed combustor. The experimental results indicate that the stability of the VFBC increases with bed weight and primary air flow rate, but decreases with bed temperature.     

Axial dispersion of gas in a circulating fluidized bed

An axial dispersion of gas in a circulating fluidized bed was investigated in a fluidized bed of 4.0 cm I.D. and 279 cm in height. The axial dispersion coefficient of gas was determined by the stimulus-response method of trace gas of CO₂. The employed particles were 0.069 mm and 0.147 mm silica-sand. The results showed that axial dispersion coefficients were increased with gas velocity and solid circulation rates as well as suspension density. The experimentally determined axial dispersion coefficients in this study were in the range of 1.0-3.5 m²/s.     

Effect of co-combustion of chicken litter and coal on emissions in a laboratory-scale fluidized bed combustor

Co-combustion of chicken litter (CL) with coal was performed in a laboratory-scale fluidized bed combustor to investigate the effect of CL combustion on pollutant emissions. The emissions of major gaseous pollutants including CO, SO₂, H₂S and NO and temperature distribution along the combustor were measured during the tests. Effects of CL fraction and secondary air on combustion characteristics were studied. The experimental results show that CL introduction increases CO emissions and reduces the levels of SO₂. The ratio of H₂S/SO₂ increases with increasing fraction of CL. NO emissions either increase or decrease depending on the percentage of CL in the mixed fuels. The temperature in the freeboard region increases with increasing the fraction of CL while the reverse is true for the bed temperature.     

A technical and environmental analysis of co-combustion of coal and biomass in fluidised bed technologies

The use of biomass, which is considered to produce no net CO₂ emissions in its life cycle, can reduce the effective CO₂ emissions of a coal-fired power generation system, when co-fired with the coal, but may also reduce system efficiency.The technical and environmental analysis of fluidised bed technologies, using the ECLIPSE suite of process simulation software, is the subject of this study. System efficiencies for generating electricity are evaluated and compared for the different technologies and system scales.Several technologies could be applied to the co-combustion of biomass or waste and coal. The assessment studies here examine the potential for co-combustion of (a) a 600 MWe pulverised fuel (PF) power plant (as a reference system), (i) co-firing coal with straw and sewage sludge and (ii) using straw derived fuel gas as return fuel; (b) a 350 MWe pressurised fluidised bed combustion (PFBC) system co-firing coal with sewage sludge; (c) 250 MWe and 125 MWe circulating fluidised bed combustion (CFBC) plants co-firing coal with straw and sewage sludge; (d) 25 MWe CFBC systems co-firing low and high sulphur content coal with straw, wood and woody matter pressed from olive stones (WPOS); (e) 12 MWe CFBC co-firing low and high sulphur content coal with straw or wood; and (f) 12 MWe bubbling fluidised bed combustion (BFBC), also co-firing low and high sulphur content coal with straw or wood.In the large systems the use of both straw and sewage sludge resulted in a small reduction in efficiency (compared with systems using only coal as fuel).In the small-scale systems the high moisture content of the wood chips chosen caused a significant efficiency reduction.Net CO₂ emissions are reduced when biomass is used, and these are compared for the different types and scales of fluidised bed technologies. NO_x emissions were affected by a number of factors, such as bed temperature, amount of sorbent used for SO₂ capture and HCl emitted.     

Temperature fluctuations and heat transfer in a circulating fluidized bed

Characteristics of temperature fluctuations and heat transfer coefficient have been investigated in the riser of a circulating fluidized bed (0.102 m ID and 4.0 m in height). Effects of gas velocity and solid circulation rate on the temperature fluctuations, suspension density and heat transfer coefficient between the immersed heater and the bed have been considered in the riser. To analyze the characteristics of temperature fluctuations at the wall of the riser, the phase space portrait and Kolmogorov entropy of the fluctuations have been obtained, and the relation between the temperature fluctuations and the heat transfer coefficient has been examined. It has been found that the heat transfer system becomes more complicated and irregular with decreasing gas velocity and increasing solid circulation rate or suspension density in the riser. The heat transfer coefficient and Kolmogorov entropy of the temperature fluctuations have decreased with increasing the superficial gas velocity, while they have increased with increasing the solid circulation rate or suspension density in the bed. The heat transfer coefficient has been well correlated in terms of the Kolmogorov entropy, suspension density as well as operating variables in the riser. This paper is dedicated to Professor Dong Sup Doh on the occasion of his retirement from Korea University.     

Co-combustion of Korean anthracite with bituminous coal in two circulating fluidized bed combustors

The co-combustion characteristics for Korean anthracites and bituminous coals were determined in a lab-scale CFB reactor and the commercial scale Tonghae CFB Power Plant. In the lab-scale CFB combustion tests, the effluent rate of the emission gases, which can indicate the reactivity of the combustion, did not change appreciably when each coal burned. As the bituminous coal was added, however, the effluent rate of the emissions increased. The amount of the unburned carbon in ash decreased with increasing the ratio of the bituminous coal during the co-combustion. When the co-combustion was tested in the Tonghae CFB power plant, the temperatures at the upper part of the combustor and the cyclones, which were somewhat higher than designed and expected, could be reduced as the bituminous coal ratio increased. Consequently, more stable operation of the CFB boiler was achieved. The efficiency of the CFB boiler also increased due to increasing the reactivity of the combustion. This work was presented at the 6 ^th Korea-China Workshop on Clean Energy Technology held at Busan, Korea, July 4–7, 2006.     

Solids flow characteristics in loop-seal of a circulating fluidized bed

The hydrodynamics of solids (FCC) recycle in a loop-seal (0.08 m) at the bottom of the downcomer (0.08 m-I.D.x4.0 m-high) in a circulating fluidized bed (0.1 m-I.D.x 5.3 m-high) have been determined. Solid flow rate through the loop-seal increases linearly with increasing aeration rate. At the same aeration rate, the maximum solid flow rate can be obtained at a loop-seal height-to-diameter ratio of 2.5. The effects of solid inventory, solid circulation rate and gas velocity on pressure balance around the CFB have been determined. At a given gas velocity and solid circulation rate, pressure drops across the downcomer and loop-seal increase linearly with increasing solids inventory in the bed. At a constant solid inventory, pressure drops across the riser and the downcomer increase with increasing solid circulation rate but decrease with increasing gas velocity in the riser. The obtained solid flow rate has been correlated with pressure drop across the loop-seal.     

Catalytic coal partial gasification in an atmospheric fluidized bed

The coal partial gasification catalyzed by limestone, sodium carbonate and dolomite was studied using a bench-scale atmospheric fluidized bed in the presence of air and steam at 900 °C. The effects of limestone, sodium carbonate and dolomite on composition, heating value, gas yield of product gas and carbon conversion in the catalytic coal partial gasification have been examined. The experimental results show that the catalysts can effectively improve the gas quality, the heating value and the gas yield of product gas and carbon conversion. The catalytic effect of sodium carbonate is better than that of limestone and dolomite. The increase of limestone loading can enhance the quality of product gas, such as the content of combustible gas, the high heating value and the gas yield, during coal partial gasification. This work was presented at the 6 ^th Korea-China Workshop on Clean Energy Technology held at Busan, Korea, July 4–7, 2006.     

Gas yields from coal devolatilization in a bench-scale fluidized bed reactor

Devolatilization behavior of Australian bituminous coal-gasification was determined in a 0.1 m diameter fluidized bed at 650-900 °C. To predict gas yields from devolatilization, several correlations reported for gas yields were evaluated with the present experimental data. The correlation of Goyal and Rehmat [1993] was found to be good one. Also, a correlation for the product gas yields has been proposed from devolatilization of bituminous coals as a linear function of temperature with constants from the experiment. The experimental yields of product gas show good agreement with the values calculated by the proposed correlation. Presented at the Int’l Symp. on Chem. Eng. (Cheju, Feb. 8-10, 2001), dedicated to Prof. H. S. Chun on the occasion of his retirement from Korea University.     

An analysis of pressure drop fluctuation in a circulating fluidized bed

The characteristics of pressure drop fluctuation in a 5.0 cm I.D.×250cm high circulating fluidized bed with fine polymer particles of PE and PVC were investigated. The measurements of time series of the pressure drop were carried out along the three different axial locations. To determine the effects of coarse particles and relative humidity of air on the flow behavior of polymer powders-air suspension in the riser, we employed deterministic chaos analysis of the Hurst exponent, correlation dimension and phase space trajectories as well as classical methods such as standard deviation, probability density function of pressure drop fluctuation. From a statistical and chaos analysis of pressure fluctuations, the upper dilute region was found to be much more homogenous flow compared to that in the bottom dense region at the same operating conditions. It was also found that the addition of coarse particles and higher humidity of air reduced the pressure fluctuations, thus enhancing flow stability in the riser. The analysis of pressure fluctuations by statistical and chaos theory gave qualitative and the quantitative information of flow behavior in the circulating fluidized bed.     

循环床锅炉炉膛压降及轴向固体浓度的计算

本文提出了循环流化床锅炉炉膛的轴向压力及固体浓度分布的计算式。当给出表观气、循环固体流率以及颗粒性质时，可准确地预测炉膛压降与轴向固体浓度分布，为炉膛设计提供了计算依据。     

含内构件的循环流化床的动态压力特性

针对含内构件的循环流化床,以石英砂为物料,使用动态压力传感器测量了含内构件的流化床中气固两相流的动态压力,分析了床内的瞬时压力特性. 结果表明,在进出口总压降中,文丘里压降最大,占主床压降的60%以上. 表观气速和固体颗粒循环流率共同影响循环流化床内的压力特性. 压力瞬时波动功率谱分析表明,压力波动对应一个主频,表观气速越小、颗粒循环流率越大时,压力波动越大,且循环流化床底部压力波动比上部大. 加入内构件能有效引导气流,使流动更均匀.     

Powder coating efficiency of small particles and their agglomeration in circulating fluidized bed

The coating efficiency of fluidizing small particles and their agglomeration were investigated to evaluate the possibility of powder coating by the use of a circulating fluidized bed. Glass beads, whose mean diameter was 43 Μm, and silica powder of 1 Μm were used as a core and a coating material. Polyvinyl alcohol was used as a binder and its solution was supplied together with silica powder from a spray nozzle equipped in the circulating fluidized bed. Glass beads of 43 Μm, which had been impossible to coat in a conventional fluidized bed coater, were successfully coated with silica powder in a circulating fluidized bed, and agglomeration among core particles was prevented. From this result, it was confirmed that a circulating fluidized bed performs excellently as a coater, especially for fine core particles, so a circulating fluidized bed coater has bright prospects for particle coating.     

Hydrodynamic characteristics of fine particles in the riser and standpipe of a circulating fluidized bed

The hydrodynamic properties in the riser and standpipe. and the cyclone efficiency have been determined in a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) unit consisting of a riser (0.05 m-IDX3.8 m high), a standpipe (0.068 m-IDX2.5 m high) as a primary cyclone/bubbling fluidized bed, and a secondary cyclone. Silica gel powder (mean diameter = 46 μm) was used as the bed material. The effects of gas velocity in the riser and initial solid loading on the solid circulation rate, and the solid holdups in the riser and standpipe have been determined. The effects of gas velocity in the standpipe on the efficiencies of primary and secondary cyclones have been also determined as functions of solid circulation rate and solid entrainment rate. The solid circulation rate increases with increases in the gas velocity in the riser and in the initial solid loading. The efficiencies of primary and secondary cyclones increase with an increase in the gas velocity in the riser. However, the efficiency of primary cyclone decreases and that of secondary cyclone increases slightly, with an increase in the gas velocity in the standpipe.     

Bed-to-wall heat transfer characteristics in a circulating fluidized bed

The bed-to-wall heat transfer coefficients were measured in a circulating fluidized bed of FCC particles (d_p = 65 μm). The effects of gas velocity (1.0–4.0 m/s), solid circulation rate (10–50 kg/m²s) and particle suspension density (15–100 kg/m³) on the bed-to-wall heat transfer coefficient have been determined in a circulating fluidized bed (0.1 m-ID x 5.3 rn-high). The heat transfer coefficient strongly depends on particle suspension density, solid circulation rate, and gas velocity. The axial variation of heat transfer coefficients is a strong function of the axial solid holdup profile in the riser. The obtained heat transfer coefficient in terms of Nusselt number has been correlated with the pertinent dimensionless groups     

Computational fluid dynamics of high density circulating fluidized bed riser: Study of modeling parameters

CFD modeling of air and fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) particles in the riser of a high density circulating fluidized bed (HDCFB) has been performed. The implementation of correct inlet conditions was found to be critical for the successful simulation of the hydrodynamics. The simulated profiles of gas and solid velocity and volume fraction were overall in good agreement with experimental data reported in the literature. However, due to the difficulties in accurate modeling of the solid segregation toward the wall, the solid volume fraction was under predicted near the walls. The effect of modeling parameters including different drag models, wall restitution coefficient values, and solid slip conditions have been evaluated. While the wall restitution coefficient did not exhibit a significant effect on the riser hydrodynamics, the appropriate slip condition aided in predicting the solid segregation toward the wall.     

Influences of coal size and coal-feeding location in co-firing with rice husks on performance of a short-combustion-chamber fluidized-bed combustor (SFBC)

This study examined the combustion characteristics and performance of rice husks co-fired with coal in a short-combustion-chamber fluidized-bed combustor (SFBC) with a 225 kW_th capacity. Rice husks were the main fuel, and coal was a supplementary fuel in the experiments. The effects of coal size (< 5 mm and 5-10 mm) and coal-feed location (above or below a recirculating ring) on combustion performance were investigated. Various co-combustion tests of rice husks with coal were performed, with different thermal percentages (10, 15, 20, and 25%) of coal. The results were compared to firing 100% rice husks alone. With the assistance of a stirring blade and a recirculating ring, good combustion was feasible without using any inert materials mixed into the bed.Combustion efficiency in an excess of 98% was readily achievable. CO and SO₂ emissions (at 6% O₂) were in the range 64-104 and 10-22 ppm, respectively, while NO_x emissions were in the range of 208-281 ppm. Although the CO and SO₂ emissions were acceptable, combustion of 100% rice husks and co-combustion with < 20% coal failed to comply with Thai NO_x emission limits. Therefore, to minimize NO_x emissions (208-244 ppm, at 6% O₂), coal of both sizes was introduced below the recirculating ring. The results demonstrated that the thermal percentage of coal in the fuel mixture should be 20-25%.