Circulating Fluidized Bed: University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore

University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore
Circulating Fluidized Bed
M.Usman
(08-chem-02-B)
OLDEST POWER STATION UTILIZING CIRCULAR FLUIDIZED
BED TECHNOLOGY, IN L ÜNEN, GERMANY
Chemical Engineering Department, Uet Lahore
Chemical Engineering Department, Uet Lahore FLUIDIZED BED
 A fluidized bed is a bed of

solid particles which are
set into motion by blowing
a gas stream upward
through the bed at a
sufficient velocity to
suspend the particles.
Bed Appearance
The bed appears like a boiling liquid.

Fluidization???
The fluidization occurs when the drag
force on the particles in the bed due to the

upward flowing gas just equals the weight
of the bed.
History
 During the 70s and also in 80s,, it appeared that
conventional pulverized coal-fired power plants had
reached a plateau in terms of thermal efficiency. The
efficiency levels achieved were of the order of 40 percent
in the US and the UK.The corresponding figures for India,
however, were lower at 36 to 37 percent.
 An alternative technology, Fluidized Bed Combustion
(FBC), was developed to raise the efficiency levels. In this
technology, high pressure air is blown through finely
ground coal. The particles become entrained in the air
and form a floating or fluidized bed. This bed behaves like
a fluid in which the constituent particles move to and fro
and collide with one another.

Types
FBC
Bubbling
circulating
Types
Bubbling FB Circulating FB
Bubbling Beds have low Circulating Beds employ

Fluidization velocities to high velocities to actually
prevent solids from being
elutriated promote Elutriation.
The Bubbling Bed can The Circulating Bed can

achieve 70-90 % remove 90-95 % of the
removal. Sulphur content from the
coal

TYPES (FB BOILERS)
1. Bubbling fluidized bed 2. Circulating fluidized bed

(BFB) (CFB)
Quality of fluidization

Explanation
In a CFB combustion process,
crushed coal is mixed with
limestone and fired in a process
resembling a boiling fluid. The
limestone removes the sulfur
and converts it into an
environmentally-benign powder
that is removed with the ash.

Fluidized-bed combustion
Circulating Fluidized Bed Boiler

In a CFB boiler furnace the gas velocity is sufficiently high
to blow all the solids out of the furnace.

The majority of the solids leaving the furnace is captured
by a gas–solid separator, and is re-circulated back to the
base of the furnace.

The primary combustion air (usually sub-stoichiometric in
amount) is injected through the floor or grate of the
furnace

The secondary air is injected from the sides at a certain
height above the furnace floor.

Fuel is fed into the lower section of the furnace, where it
burns to generate heat.

A fraction of the combustion heat is absorbed by water- or
steam-cooled surfaces located in the furnace, and the rest
is absorbed in the convective section located further
downstream, known as the Back-pass.

Fluidized Bed Combustion Detail
http://envfor.nic.in/cpcb/newsletter/coal/ccombs.html
Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion
http://envfor.nic.in/cpcb/newsletter/coal/ccombs.html
Advantages
Fluidized bed can burn a variety of fuels-coal as well other
non-conventional fuels like biomass, petro-coke, coal cleaning
waste and wood. This bed contains only around 5 percent coal
or fuel. The rest of the bed is primarily an inert material such as
ash or sand.
Fluidized bed boilers are capable of burning a wide
range of fuels cleanly, including biomass fuels such as
wood waste.

Advantages
 The Temperature in FBC is around 800-900°C compared
with 1300-1500°C in pulverized coal combustion (PCC).

 Low Temperature helps minimize the production of NOx
(nitrogen oxides).
 With the addition of a sorbent into the bed (mostly
limestone), much of the so2 formed can be captured.
 The other advantages of FBC are
a) Compactness
b) Ability to burn low calorific values (as low as 1,800 kcal/kg)
c) Production of ash which is less erosive.
d) Moreover, in FBC, oil support is needed for 20-30 percent of
the load versus 40-60 percent in PCC.
e) FBC based plants also have lower capital costs compared to
PCC based plants. The capital costs could be 8-15 percent
lower.
CFBC Vs. PC Fired Boiler
Unlike conventional PC-fired boiler, the CFBC boiler is capable of burning fuel
with volatile content as low as 8 to 9 percent (e.g. anthracite coke, petroleum etc.
with minimal carbon loss).
Fuels with low ash-melting temperature such as wood, and bio-mass have been
proved to be feedstock's in CFBC due to the low operating temperature of 850-
900°C. CFBC boiler is not bound by the tight restrictions on ash content either.
It can effectively burn fuels with ash content up to 70 %.
CFBC can successfully burn agricultural wastes, urban waste, wood, bio-mass, etc
which are the low melting temperature as fuels.
The low furnace temperature precludes the production of "thermal NOX" which
appears above a temperature of 1200 to 1300° C. Besides, in a CFBC boiler, the
lower bed is operated at near sub-stoichiometric conditions to minimize the
oxidation of "fuel-bound nitrogen". The remainder of the combustion air is added
higher up in the furnace to complete the combustion. With the staged-combustion
about 90 percent of fuel-bound nitrogen is converted to elemental nitrogen ( N2) as
main product.

Applications of CFBC

The first CFBC power plant of 110 MW at Nuclu. Colorado, USA is
operating since 1990.

Several such CFBC power plants are operating in Germany, UK, Canada
and Japan using various kinds of coal and bio-mass fuels.

The largest CFBC power plant is the 250 MW unit in Gardane, France,
commissioned in 1996.

Presently, 350 MW units are being constructed in Canada and Japan.

CFBC is a mature Technology with more than 300 CFBC boilers in
operation world wide ranging from 5 MW to 250 MW.

With lime stone addition, 90 % of the sulfur emission can be retained.
With staged combustion and with relatively low combustion temperature
of 850 / 900° C, NO2 formation is about 300 to 400 mg/Nm3 only against
500 to 1000 mg/Nm3 in conventional PF fired boilers.

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University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore

Circulating Fluidized Bed

 A fluidized bed is a bed of

Chemical Engineering Department, Uet Lahore

force on the particles in the bed due to the

Chemical Engineering Department, Uet Lahore

Bubbling Beds have low Circulating Beds employ

The Bubbling Bed can The Circulating Bed can

Chemical Engineering Department, Uet Lahore

1. Bubbling fluidized bed 2. Circulating fluidized bed

Chemical Engineering Department, Uet Lahore

Chemical Engineering Department, Uet Lahore

Chemical Engineering Department, Uet Lahore

Chemical Engineering Department, Uet Lahore

with 1300-1500°C in pulverized coal combustion (PCC).

Chemical Engineering Department, Uet Lahore

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