0000000000115196
AUTHOR
Jukka Konttinen
Searching for a robust strategy for minimizing alkali chlorides in fluidized bed boilers during burning of high SRF-energy-share fuel
Abstract To meet the increasing volume of waste to be treated via energy recovery, high SRF-energy-share fuel is being fired in conventional waste-to-energy facilities. In this work, corrosion related risk during firing of 70 e-% share (target fuel) is studied and compared against the base case fuel containing 50 e-% share. Cl and S concentration is highest in the target fuel as a direct result of increasing the proportion of SRF in the fuel mixture. Br, Zn and Pb showed the same trend. Meanwhile, the concentration of Na, K, Al and Si are highly dependent on the type of the SRF fired. The corrosion risk of the base and target fuels are analyzed using the composition of the fine aerosol frac…
Towards controlling PCDD/F production in a multi-fuel fired BFB boiler using two sulfur addition strategies. Part II: Thermodynamic analysis
Abstract A staged equilibrium process model was developed for a bubbling fluidized bed boiler firing SRF, bark and sludge. The model was used to study the influence of sulfur addition strategies (S-pellet additive and peat co-firing) on the behavior of copper, bromine, and alkalis. Aerosol samples collected from the backpass of the boiler were used to validate the chemistry predicted by the model. The model revealed that Cu existed as Cu 2 S (s3) in the reducing zone, and CuCl (g) (for all test cases) and CuO (s) (during peat co-firing) in the oxidation zones. CuBr 3(g) was also present after the introduction of tertiary air. However the model failed to predict the formation of CuSO 4 , an …
Towards controlling PCDD/F production in a multi-fuel fired BFB boiler using two sulfur addition strategies
Abstract PCDD/F abatement strategies – sulfur pellet addition and peat co-combustion – were tested for a BFB boiler facility utilizing SRF-bark-sludge as fuel. In this paper chemical and physical analyses of electrostatic precipitator (ESP) fly ashes were used to explain the differences in the performance of these strategies. These analyses revealed a difference between the coarse and fine fly ashes collected in the ESP. Chemical analysis of the fine fly ashes revealed high concentration of easily volatilized elements while the SEM micrographs showed that fine ash are composed of clusters of spherical particles, thereby leading to a conclusion that fine ashes were originally in a gas phase …
A model of biomass char gasification describing the change in catalytic activity of ash
A comprehensive description of catalytic effects during char gasification under various conditions relevant to biomass gasification was made. A three-parallel reaction model was proposed to describe the dynamic change in catalytic activity of ash during gasification of biomass char particles. Three different regimes of conversion were identified by analyzing char reactivity experiments conducted in a vertical TGA with nine biomasses under a wide range of operating conditions (temperature: 1023–1123 K, pressure: 0.1–3.0 MPa and gasification mixtures of CO2–CO–H2O–H2): (1) catalytic char gasification with deactivation of catalyst, (2) non-catalytic char gasification, and (3) catalytic char ga…
Modeling biomass char gasification kinetics for improving prediction of carbon conversion in a fluidized bed gasifier
Gasification of biomass in a fluidized bed (FB) was modeled based on kinetic data obtained from previously conducted thermo- gravimetic analysis. The thermogravimetric analysis experiments were designed to closely resemble conditions in a real FB gasifier by using high sample heating rates, in situ devolatilization and gas atmospheres of H 2 O / H 2 and CO 2 / CO mixtures. Several char kinetic models were evaluated based on their ability to predict char conversion based on the thermogravimetric data. A modified version of the random pore model was shown to provide good fitting of the char reactivity and suitability for use in a reactor model. An updated FB reactor model which incorporates t…
Modeling of the catalytic effects of potassium and calcium on spruce wood gasification in CO2
Abstract Using previously reported thermogravimetric analysis measurements, the effects of calcium and potassium on the char gasification rate of spruce wood were modeled. Spruce wood was leached of inorganic ash elements and doped with measured amounts of potassium and calcium. The wood was gasified in an isothermal thermogravimetric analysis device in CO 2 where the devolatilization of the wood, char formation and char gasification all occurred inside the preheated reactor. A new method for separating the effects of devolatilization and char gasification is presented. Kinetic models were evaluated for their ability to describe the observed catalytic effects of potassium and calcium on the…
Trace element behavior in the fluidized bed gasification of solid recovered fuels
Gasification of biomass and recycled fuels is of particular interest for the efficient production of power and heat. Trace elements present as impurities in the product gas should be removed very efficiently. The objective of this work has been to develop and test thermodynamic models for the reactions of trace elements with chlorine and sulfur in the gasification processes of recycled fuels. In particular, the chemical reactions of trace elements with main thermochemical conversion products, main ash components, and bed and sorbent material are implemented into the model. The possibilities of gas cleaning devices in condensing and removing the trace element compounds are studied by establi…
Catalytic effect of Ca and K on CO2 gasification of spruce wood char
Abstract Gasification is one route to produce chemicals and liquid fuels from biomass. The gasification of the char is catalyzed by alkali and alkaline earth metals in the biomass. In this work the catalytic effect of calcium (Ca) and potassium (K) on CO2 gasification of spruce wood was studied using a thermo gravimetric analyzer (TGA). The ash-forming elements were first removed from the wood using an acid leaching method. Then, various concentrations of K and Ca were absorbed to the wood by ion-exchange to carboxylic and phenolic groups, impregnation of K2CO3 or physically mixing of CaC2O4. The prepared spruce samples were placed in a mesh holder and gasified in the TGA at 850 °C in 100% …
Towards controlling PCDD/F production in a multi-fuel fired BFB boiler using two sulfur addition strategies. Part I: Experimental campaign and results
Abstract Levels of PCDD/F production in a 140 MW th bubbling fluidized bed boiler were measured. The boiler uses solid recovered fuel, bark and sludge. Homologue distribution patterns suggest the de novo mechanism is the main pathway for the generation of dioxin and furans in the post combustion zones of the boiler. Two modes of sulfur addition were tested to induce the deactivation of Cu which has been identified as the prime catalyst of this mechanism. First, S-pellet promoted Cu sulfation as supported by aerosol sampling data and resulted in a decrease in PCDD/F levels. The second approach was adding sulfur through peat; this resulted in an increase in PCDD/F concentration. Factors such …
Influence of torrefaction pretreatment on the pyrolysis of Eucalyptus clone: A study on kinetics, reaction mechanism and heat flow
Abstract The adverse nature of biomass requires specific pretreatment processes to better utilize it in bioenergy applications, and torrefaction is one of the most recognized thermal pretreatment methods. In this regard, we studied the effect of torrefaction pretreatment on kinetics, reaction mechanism and heat flow during the pyrolysis of biomass by making a comparative analysis between the pyrolysis of dried and torrefied Eucalyptus wood. Torrefied biomass was produced at three temperatures, namely 250, 275 and 300 °C. Pyrolysis was performed at 700 °C. The char yield during pyrolysis increased from 22.39 percent to 36.34 percent when the torrefaction temperature was increased from 250 to…
NO formation tendency characterization for solid fuels in fluidized beds
Abstract Usually the standard fuel analysis is not enough to allow for accurate NO emission predictions in large scale fluidized bed combustion. This paper presents NO formation tendency characterization results from novel laboratory measurements in a small-scale fluidized bed combustor. With the special two-stage oxidation method it is possible to eliminate the observed problems of unstable test conditions during rapid pyrolysis of high-volatile fuels in batch combustion. Experimental results of the conversion of fuel nitrogen to NO are presented for wide range of fuels, ranging from coal-type fuels to peat, biomasses and wastes. A NO formation tendency database is formed based on the resu…