A Novel Method of Pure Oxy-fuel Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion with Zero Recirculation Flue Gas – Experimental Validation

Abstract

Applying oxy-fuel combustion requires more advanced combustion control methods to avoid inadmissible high flam temperature. In fluidized beds and pulverized unites, enhanced heat transfer and recirculation flue gas are used. On other hand, higher oxygen concentration has pluses viz. better heat transfer, higher efficiency, compact setup and lower installation and operating costs. In pulverized power unites, pure oxy-fuel combustion is used with 100% O2 in the oxidant. In contrast, the highest experimental O2 % in oxy-fuel circulating fluidized bed (CFB) combustor is 70%. To the best of authors’ knowledge, there is no single CFB power plant operating under pure oxygen condition. In this work, we are aiming to use pure oxygen for oxy-CFB combustion, with new temperature controlling method for CFBs depending on combustion staging by fuel staging rather than using RFG. Fuel staging allows controlling combustion and varying SR. At the first stage, the used oxidant is 100% O2, and fuel is fed to achieve over SR (λ>1), where the excess oxidant absorbs heat and does not take a part in the reaction. The products of the first stage are reach of O2 and subsequently it is used as an oxidant for the second stage. For validation, a series of experiments are conducted using mini-CFB, and an oxidant of 100% O2 concentration is used with three SR ratios λ=1.25, 2.0, and 3.0. The resulted average temperatures along the riser for biomass are 1031°C, 950°C, and 798°C; and for coal 1129 °C, 1051 °C, and 961 °C respectively. The controlling of AFT with pure oxy-fuel combustion eliminates the recycled flue gas (RFG) in oxy-fuel CFB combustion and flue gas recirculation section; this simplifies the power plants’ design, fabrication and its installing-operating costs. Familiarising this concept can accelerate adapting oxy-fuel combustion in CFB power plant for Carbon Capturing and Sequestration (CCS). This contribution can commence and commercialise the third generation of oxy-fuel CFB combustion with zero recycled flue gas. Finally, the concept of controlling AFT by SR (λ) is validated experimentally.