Co-firing of coal and biomass under pressurized oxy-fuel combustion mode: Experimental test in a 10 kWth fluidized bed

Abstract

• Pressurized oxy-fuel combustion of coal/biomass in a fluidized bed is successful. • Stable, pressurized, oxy-fuel combustion mode using coal/biomass can be realized. • Increased pressure leads to higher combustion efficiency and CO 2 enrichment. • Increased pressure has the advantages of reducing CO, NO x , and SO 2 emissions. • Increased pressure makes the fly ash particles finer with surface more cracked. Pressurized oxy-fuel combustion (POFC) of solid fuels in fluidized beds possess the potential for CO 2 capture at low cost. However, the practical experience of oxy-coal combustion in pressurized fluidized beds (PFB) is still very limited, and there is a lack of attempts on the co-firing of coal and other fuels. In this study, the co-firing of coal and biomass in a POFC mode at a 10 kW th PFB was tested. The dynamic behaviors of the start-up process and combustion mode switching were investigated. The effects of key operating parameters, including combustion pressure ( P ), biomass blending ratio ( M b ), and excess oxygen coefficient ( α ), on the temperature distributions, CO 2 enrichment and conversion, pollutant emissions (CO, NO X , SO 2 ), and solid residues were methodically studied. The results show that the stable, pressurized, and oxy-fuel combustion mode with coal and biomass mixtures as fuels can be successfully realized in a fluidized bed. Increasing P and M b not only conduces to better temperature distribution, more CO 2 enrichment in flue gas, and higher combustion efficiency but also has the advantage of reducing NO x and SO 2 emissions by over 30%. In the oxy-fuel PFB, the positive effect of α on the combustion performance is more significant than that under atmospheric conditions. As P increases, the fly ash surface is more cracked, and the particle size distribution of fly ash decreases, while the bottom slag surface is smoother. Besides, the increase in P results in a decreased specific surface area and cumulative pore volume but an increased average pore diameter in fly ash.