Time-Dependent Crack Layer Formation in Quartz Bed Particles during Fluidized Bed Combustion of Woody Biomass

Abstract

Bed agglomeration during combustion and gasification of woody biomass fuels in quartz beds has been frequently studied, and chemical mechanisms responsible for bed agglomeration have been suggested. However, few studies have focused on the bed material deposition on walls, in cyclones, and return legs in fluidized bed combustion. Part of these bed material depositions originates from sticky fragments of alkali-rich silicates formed after crack formation in older quartz bed particles. The crack layer formation in quartz bed particles in fluidized bed combustion of woody biomass was therefore investigated by collecting bed material samples of different ages from full-scale bubbling and circulating fluidized bed facilities. Scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive spectroscopy was used to analyze the crack morphology and composition of the layer surrounding the cracks. For quartz bed particles with an age of some days, a crack in the quartz bed particle was observed in connection to the irregular inter...