AGGLOMERATION BEHAVIOR IN A BUBBLING FLUIDIZED BED AT HIGH TEMPERATURE

Abstract

Minimum fluidization velocity and agglomeration behavior were investigated at high temperature in an 80 × 30 mm two-dimensional quartz fluidized bed and in an 82 mm i.d. circular fluidized bed. Bed materials tested were two sizes of glass beads as well as three sizes of fluidized bed combustor (FBC) ash. The minimum fluidization velocity decreased with increasing bed temperature, whereas the minimum sintering fluidization velocity increased with the bed temperature. The sintering of glass beads belongs to visco plastic sintering, the first type. FBC ash agglomerate has higher amounts of SiO2, Al2O3, Na2O, K2O, and SiO2 than in the original ash, indicating that low melting eutectics were formed and that the liquid phase in a silicate system was formed. The agglomeration of FBC ash belongs to the second type, an excessive quantity of liquid being formed by melting or chemical reaction.