Waste combustion for power production is associated with many problems due to the composition and inhomogeneity of the fuel stream. A reduction of alkaline and chlorine products in the superheater region should ease these problems significantly. Ashes and deposits from different combustion tests in a commercial 20 MWth bubbling fluidised bed (BFB) boiler were characterised by XRD and SEM-EDX. The fuel combusted was a mix of sorted municipal solid waste (MSW) and industrial waste, often referred to as RDF (refuse derived duel). These waste fuels often contain more alkali and chlorine than does biomass and are therefore considered risky fuels prone to causing bed agglomeration, deposit formation, and corrosion. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a lowered bed temperature could change alkali and chlorine distribution in the boiler to reduce corrosion and deposit formation. The boiler used was designed for a bed temperature in the range of 850–900 °C, which in this investigation was decreased by approximately 150 °C. Data were collected through deposit measurements and solid sampling. The lowered bed temperature resulted in reduced demand for fresh sand, decreased agglomeration, and reduced rates of deposit formation.

Co-combustion of animal waste, in waste-to-energy boilers, is considered a method to produce both heat and power and to dispose of possibly infected animal wastes. This research conducted full-scale combustion tests to identify the impact of changed fuel composition on a fluidized-bed boiler. The impact was characterized by analyzing the deposit formation rate, deposit composition, ash composition, and emissions. Two combustion tests, denoted the reference case and animal waste case, were performed based on different fuel mixes. In the reference case, a normal solid waste fuel mix was combusted in the boiler, containing sorted industry and household waste. In the animal waste case, 20 wt% animal waste was added to the reference fuel mix. The collected samples, comprising sampling probe deposits, fuel mixes, bed ash, return sand, boiler ash, cyclone ash and filter ash, were analyzed using chemical fractionation, SEM-EDX and XRD. The results indicate decreased deposit formation due to animal waste co-combustion. SEM-EDX and chemical fractionation identified higher concentrations of P, Ca, S, and Cl in the bed materials in the animal waste case. Moreover, the risk of bed agglomeration was lower in the animal waste case and also a decreased rate of NOx and SO2 emissions were observed.

ABSTRACT: Full-scale waste combustion tests showed that adding animal waste (AW) to municipal solid waste (MSW) prevented bed agglomeration, and the reason for this fi nding was not fully understood. This study uses thermodynamic modeling to investigate the composition of equilibrium products for two combustion scenarios: monocombustion of MSW (the reference case) and cocombustion of AW with MSW (the AW case). The modeling was performed using FactSage, and experimental data obtained during the full-scale combustion tests were used as input data for the calculations. The results of equilibrium modeling, together with information extracted from ternary phase diagrams, suggest higher bed temperature as the primary cause for formation of bed agglomerates in the reference case. In addition, melt-induced agglomeration is suggested as the bed agglomeration mechanism in this case. In the AW case, however, reduced bed temperature, as well as enriched calcium phosphate and sulfate in the bottom ashes are considered to signi fi cantly decrease the slagging tendency.

A thermodynamic equilibrium model, combined with an advanced fuel analysis, was applied to predict the fouling tendency in a commercial bubbling fluidized-bed (BFB) boiler, combusting a mixture of solid waste. In order to enhance the performance of the model, further modifications were made, considering the combustion pattern in the fluidized-bed system and also the temperature profile in the combustion zone. The modeling was performed using Factsage, and experimental data obtained during the full-scale measurements were used as input for the model, simulating the deposit formation in the real boiler. The simulation results were then compared with the results obtained during the full-scale combustion tests to estimate the accuracy and validity of the applied model. The thermodynamic equilibrium modeling proved to be a reliable tool for predicting the fouling in the BFB boiler, thus determining the fraction of the melt in the deposited salts formed on the heat transfer surfaces during the flue gas condensation. The calculations showed that the ratio of the SO2 to alkali chloride concentration in the flue gas was the decisive factor that affected the rate of the deposit formation in the boiler. Both the simulation and the experimental results indicated that lower bed temperatures and cocombustion of P-rich fuels decrease the deposition buildup in the boiler. © 2015 American Chemical Society.