FLUIDIZED BED

COAL
COMBUSTION

Hüsnü Atakül
Istanbul Technical University, Chemical Engineering Department

Yıldız Technical University

22 October 2010
 CONTENT

 Introduction
 Fluidization
 Fluidized Bed Coal Combustion
 Factors Affecting Coal Combustion in a FBC
 Fluidized Bed Combustion Systems
 Conclusions

1.2
 INTRODUCTION

Fluidized bed combustion systems have been popular

due to:

 Their flexibility of burning variety of fuels (low grade

coals, biomasses, liqued & gas guels...etc)
 Their smaller installation sizes,
 Lower emmisions

1.3
 FLUIDIZATION

Fluidization is the operation, by which fine solids are transformed into

fluid-like state through contact with a gas or liquid (Kunii-Levenspiel, 1977)

1.4
 FLUIDIZATION REGIMES

Increasing u, 

Fixed bed Bubblin Slugging Turbulent Fast Pneumatic

bed regime regime Fluidization conveying

1.5
 OPERATION VELOCITIES IN FBs

P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e
Bubbling CFB/PT
d
r FB
o Fixed bed ut
p

Gas velicity
ut

1.6
 SOLID COMBUSTION SYSTEM

HEAT

CO2
DRY AIR
H2 O
COMBUSTION
AIR MOISTURE GASES
N2

O2

COMBUSTION
CO Reducing
UNBURNED HC efficiency
COMBUSTIBLE SYSTEM UNBURNED C

FUEL ASH

MOISTURE SOX

NOX
POLLUTENTS
TOZ

STEAM

ASH

1.7
 FLUIDIZED BED COMBUSTION

 Fuels burn in a fluid-like manner in

the inert bed materials. Combustion
 Inert material: sand, limestone, gases

dolomite, ash, ..etc. Fuel

 Fuel concentration: 0.5-2 %
 Operation tenperature: 750-900 oC
 Turbulent mixing
 High heat&mass transfer HT tubes
coefficients
 Uniform temperature distribution Distributor

 High combustion efficiencies Air

(> 90 %)
 SO2 sorption during combustion 1.8
 COAL COMBUSTION

Air
Fixed carbon
CO2+ ash
+ inert solid

Air
COAL C-H volatiles CO2+ H2O

CaS
CaO
Volatiles
Sulfur compounds
CaO
O2 SO2 CaSO4
O2

1.9
 FLUIDIZED COMBUSTION MECHANISM

Rate of gas diffusion Combustion

exchange
of volatiles
Bubble phase
Particulae phase
O2 concentration O2 concentration Char combustion,
Coal kinetics, heat&mass
Bubble size
transfer coefficients

Ash CO, CO2diffusion

1 . 10
FLUIDIZED COMBUSTION MECHANISM ( C)

1 . 11
COAL PARTICLE BURNING

1 . 12
 BASIC UNITS OF A FB COMBUSTOR

Fuel metering Fluidized bed  Combustion chamber

bin combustor Boyler
Cyclon
 Distributor
 Fuel/sorbent feeding
Over fire systems
Air  Air feeding unit
 Heat exchange tubes
 Gas cleaning system

Demister  Start up heating

Fan Bed recycle system  Ash removal system
Venturi
reaktor Scrubber

Ekonomizer Baghouse

Fan Stack
1 . 13
 FUELS BURNED IN A FBC

 Coals  Gases

 Antracite  Waxes & used oils

 Peat  Wastes/used tyre

 Wood & wood chips  Plastics

 Petroleum coke  Petroleum fractions

 Paper waste  Mixes/blands of above

fuels
Agricultural wastes
………etc

1 . 14
 FACTORS AFFECTING FLUIDIZED BED
COMBUSTION

 Fuel properties (ash, moisture, VM, fusion characteristics)

 Fuel/Bed material ratio
 Fluidizing air/ air feeding modes
 Fuel & bed material sizes
 Operating temperature
 Fuel feeding to the FBC
 Reactor geometry
 Distributor

1 . 15
 FLUIDIZED BED COMBUSTION
TEMPERATURE

Advantages of Low Burning Temperature (750-900 oC):

 Coal combustion temperature remains below ash fusion
temperatures.
• Avoiding agglomeration
• Reducing ash accumulation on heat transfer surfaces.
 Alkali metal vaporization is low
- Less corrosion.
 Lower heavy metals’ emmisions.
 Lower NOX emmisions.

1 . 16
 ADVANTAGES OF FLUIDIZED BED
COMBUSTION

 Fuel flexibility : Fuels of diverse characteristics can be

used in a FBC)
 Intense fuel-air mixing: high combustion efficiency,
uniform temperature distribution
 Lower emmisions
- SO2 is captured by using Ca-based sorbents (dolomite,
limestone)
- Lower NOx emmisions due to the low combustion
temperatures
 Lower corrosive metal emmisions-reduced corrosion of
and particle accumulation on heat transfer surfaces
 Smaller unit sizes 1 . 17
 DISADVANTAGES OF FLUIDIZED BED
COMBUSTION

 Low particle size flexibility and operating velocity (in case

of Bubbling Fluized bed combustors)
 Agglomeration, slugging and fouling on boiler wall and
tubes.
 Erosion and corrosion of boiler wall an tubes due to the
particles’ impact.
 High operating and investment costs (For BFB plants >
20MWth and CFB plants > 30MWth)
 Flue gas with high dust load

1 . 18
 TYPES OF FLUIDIZED BED COMBOSTORS

1. Bubbling Fluidized Beds (BFBC)

2. Circulating Fluidized Beds (CFBC)

3. Pressurized Fluidized Beds (PFBC)

1 . 19
 BUBBLING FLUIDIZED BED
COMBOSTORS

Combustion gases  Developed in1970 s

 Atmospheric pressure
 Operating temperature:800-900 oC

Second combustion
 Coal size : 1-10 mm

Startup
zone  Operating velocity: Low (2-3)Umf
burner Secondary air  Caol percentage : %1-5
Secondary air
Fuel &  Thermal efficiency : %30-35
sorbents
 Energy production intensity :1.5
MW/m2
Distributor
 Capacity: suitable capacity< 25 MWe

Combustiion
air

1 . 20
 BUBBLING FLUIDIZED BED
COMBOSTORS (C)
Disadvantages
Main combustion
furnace Cyclon
 High Ca/S are needed Flue gas
for SO2 sorption Stack

 Limited capacity &

Ash treatment system

turndown ratio Steam

Steam
Water Water
 Coal feeding difficulties Steam
Distributor
(feed to the bottom Fuel & sorbent
of bed)
Air

Fan

1 . 21
 CIRCULATING FLUIDIZED BED
COMBUSTORS
Flue gases  Fuel flexibility: Low garde caols, wastes,
can be effectively burned
 Vigorous solids/gas contact
 Operates at highervelocity (typical: 4-10
m/s).
 The long solids residence time in the
Riser furnace resulting from the collection
/recirculation of solids via the cyclone.
Cyclone  High combustion

 Atmospheric & presurized types CFB.

 Operating temperature: 800-900 oC
Secondary
air
Fuel &  Coal particle size : 00-10 mm
sorbent
 Operatin velocity: Typical: 5-10 m/s (Uop
>Ut)
Distributor
Combustion  Coal concentration: %1-5
air entry
Combustion 1 . 22
air entry  Capacity: upto 250-300 MWe
 CIRCULATING FLUIDIZED BED
COMBUSTORS (C)
Flue gases Advantages
Cyclone  Intense mixing.
 Fuel flexibility
Heat  Lower NOX emimision.
Removal
 Higher SO2 sorption
Fast efficiency/lower sorbent
fluidied need.
zone

 High combustion efficiency

Fuel
& sorbent  Lower boiler wall/tube
Dense Heat erosion due to the parallel
bed
Ash exchanger air flow to walls.
Primary
air 1 . 23
 CIRCULATING FLUIDIZED BED
COMBUSTORS (C)

Flue gases Disadvantages

Cyclone  Higher heat loss from
cyclones.
 Design of CFBC is more
Heat complex in comparison to
Removal
BFBC (Coal characteristic is
Fast
crutial).
fluidied
zone
 Agglomeration, slugging &
fouling can occur.
Fuel
& sorbent
 Operation is more difficult
Dense Heat
bed
Ash exchanger
Primary
1 . 24
air
 PRESSURIZED FLUIDIZED BED
COMBUSTORS

 In developing stage.
 Fluidized bed & cyclones are
encabsulated in pressurized
container. Fuel feeding & ash
removal units are also
pressurized and complex
 High pressure High gas
density  Smaller HT surface
area
 Current commercial PFBC are
mostly bubbling bed

1 . 25
 PRESSURIZED FLUIDIZED BED
COMBUSTORS (C)

 Operating temp.: 800-900 oC

 Operating Press. : 0.5-1.5 MPa
 Capacite: up to 360MW
(Commonly:80-100 mW)
 Thermal efficiency: 40% ,
targeted 45%
 NOx emmision is low

1 . 26
 PRESSURIZED FLUIDIZED BED
COMBUSTORS (C)
Air Generator
Pressurized Gas
vessel turbine
Pressurized
air

Clean hot gas

Generator
Limestone
Cyclone
Coal
Steam Steam
Water turbine Waste
heat
Bed recvory
preheater Condenser
FB Ash
combustor Water
cooler Electrostatic
precipitator Stack
Cyclone
Ash ash
Water
feed
To disposal
 The steam produced is fed to steam turbine  electricity
 Pressurized combustion gas is fed to gas turbine  electricity
 Combustion gases need to be cleaned before fed to the turbine.
1 . 27
 PRESSURIZED FLUIDIZED BED
COMBUSTORS (C)

Advantages Disadvantages
 Gas turbine efficiency is  Complex fuel feeding.
higher due to the
 Difficult operation.
pressurized gas.
 Needed ultra clean
 Electricity production
gases before feeding to
efficiency is relatively
gas turbine.
higher.
 Smaller bed volume,
higher HT coefficients.
 Easer to reduce
emmisions
1 . 28
ENERGY PRODUCTION INTENCITY IN
FBC

Technology Capacity
(MW/m2)
Atmospheric Bubbling FBC 0.7-2.1
Pressurized Bubbling FBC Max. 10
Atmospheric Circulating FBC 2.8-3.3
Pressurized Circulating FBC Max. 40

1 . 29
 THE INSTALLED FBC

(Koornneef et al.,2007)

1 . 30
DÜNYADA BASINÇLI AKIŞKAN
YATAKLAR

1 . 31
AKIŞKAN YATAK YAKMA
SİSTEMLERİNİN TİPLERİ

1 . 32
 CONCLUSIONS

 The fluidized bed techology is almost mature and

commercial .

 The FB process offers the means for efficiently

burning a wide variety of fuels while maintaining
low emissions.

 This technology provide a promising alternative to

use low grade Turkish coals (lignites)
environmentally friendly way.

1 . 33