Ash characterisation formed under different oxy-fuel circulating fluidized bed conditions

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The CO2-intensive oil shale power industry accounts for more than 70% of the Estonian energy sector, producing large amounts of ash that are mainly landfilled. Adopting oxy-fuel technology in the Estonian energy sector, in conjunction with CO2 storage, can be a critical tool for reducing carbon footprint. Nevertheless, several differences in ash formation under oxy-fuel conditions can be expected, which can lead to additional ash handling/utilization and related environmental concerns. In this context, the composition of oil shale ash was obtained from a series of combustion experiments in a 60 kWth circulating fluidized bed (CFB) test unit under both air and oxy-fuel combustion regimes studied by means of physical, chemical analysis as quantitative X-ray diffraction and element analysis for ashes from different separation ports. During the experimental work, special attention was given to understanding the impacts of the boiler temperature, recycled flue gas (RFG), and elevated oxygen concentration. As a result, the primary goal of this research is to characterise the ash produced by oxy-fuel combustion of oil shale in order to gain a better understanding of its chemical and mineral compositions, including Ca-Mg silicates and clay minerals, as well as to investigate the behaviour of the formation of free lime and anhydrite, which are the major compounds influencing potential ash utilisation routes. The results show that although the decomposition of calcium carbonates was limited during oxy-fuel combustion because of the high CO2 partial pressure, the contents of secondary silicates and anhydrite were slightly higher. The increased particle temperature and the higher SO2 partial pressure (with RFG) can explain this. The particle size distributions (PSDs) were wider under oxy combustion, and the specific surface area (SSA) in Filter ashes were much higher under elevated inlet O2% atmosphere. Oxy-fuel combustion had no significant impact on the concentration of elements in the ash. Overall, the mineralogy of the ashes formed in air and oxy-fuel combustion environments is similar, yet slight differences exist in the formation of clay minerals in the case of increased oxygen concentrations and with the application of RFG as a result of the increased residence time of the particles.