Simulation of gas-solid flow characteristics of the circulating fluidized bed boiler under pure-oxygen combustion conditions

Under the pressure of carbon neutrality,many carbon capture,utilization and storage technologies have witnessed rapid development in the recent years,including oxy-fuel combustion(OFC)technology.However,the conventional OFC technology usually depends on the flue gas recirculation system,which faces significant investment,high energy consumption,and potential low-temperature corrosion problem.Considering these deficiencies,the direct utilization of pure oxygen to achieve particle fluidization and fuel combustion may reduce the overall energy consumption and CO_(2)-capture costs.In this paper,the fundamental structure of a self-designed 130 t·h^(-1) pure-oxygen combustion circulating fluidized bed(CFB)boiler was provided,and the computational particle fluid dynamics method was used to analyze the gas-solid flow characteristics of this new-concept boiler under different working conditions.The results indicate that through the careful selection of design or operational parameters,such as average bed-material size and fluidization velocity,the pure-oxygen combustion CFB system can maintain the ideal fluidization state,namely significant internal and external particle circulation.Besides,the contraction section of the boiler leads to the particle backflow in the lower furnace,resulting in the particle suspension concentration near the wall region being higher than that in the center region.Conversely,the upper furnace still retains the classic core-annulus flow structure.In addition to increasing solid circulation rate by reducing the average bed-material size,altering primary gas ratio and bed inventory can also exert varying degrees of influence on the gas-solid flow characteristics of the pure-oxygen combustion CFB boiler.

Experimental study on secondary air mixing along the bed height in a circulating fluidized bed with a multitracer-gas method

A multitracer-gas method was proposed to study the secondary air(SA)mixing along the bed height in a circulating fluidized bed(CFB)using carbon monoxide(CO),oxygen(O_(2)),and carbon dioxide(CO_(2))as tracer gases.Experiments were carried out on a cold CFB test rig with a cross-section of 0.42 m×0.73 m and a height of 5.50 m.The effects of superficial velocity,SA ratio,bed inventory,and particle diameter on the SA mixing were investigated.The results indicate that there are some differences in the measurement results obtained using different tracer gases,wherein the deviation between CO and CO_(2) ranges from 42%to 66%and that between O_(2) and CO_(2) ranges from 45%to 71%in the lower part of the fluidized bed.However,these differences became less pronounced as the bed height increased.Besides,the high solid concentration and fine particle diameter in the CFB may weaken the difference.The measurement results of different tracer gases show the same trends under the variation of operating parameters.Increasing superficial velocity and SA ratio and decreasing particle diameter result in better mixing of the SA.The effect of bed inventory on SA mixing is not monotonic.

Particle residence time distribution and axial dispersion coefficient in a pressurized circulating fluidized bed by using multiphase particle-in-cell simulation

The particle residence time distribution(RTD)and axial dispersion coefficient are key parameters for the design and operation of a pressurized circulating fluidized bed(PCFB).In this study,the effects of pressure(0.1-0.6 MPa),fluidizing gas velocity(2-7 m·s^(-1)),and solid circulation rate(10-90 kg·m^(-2)·s^(-1))on particle RTD and axial dispersion coefficient in a PCFB are numerically investigated based on the multiphase particle-in-cell(MP-PIC)method.The details of the gas-solid flow behaviors of PCFB are revealed.Based on the gas-solid flow pattern,the particles tend to move more orderly under elevated pressures.With an increase in either fluidizing gas velocity or solid circulation rate,the mean residence time of particles decreases while the axial dispersion coefficient increases.With an increase in pressure,the core-annulus flow is strengthened,which leads to a wider shape of the particle RTD curve and a larger mean particle residence time.The back-mixing of particles increases with increasing pressure,resulting in an increase in the axial dispersion coefficient.

Effects of particle type on the particle fluidization and distribution in a liquid–solid circulating fluidized bed boiler

A liquid-solid circulating fluidized bed boiler is designed and built for visualization research by applying the fluidized bed heat transfer and fouling prevention technology to the water side of the boiler. Four types of engineering plastic particles with different physical properties are selected as the solid working media. The effect of particle types on the fluidization and distribution of particles in the boiler is investigated under different feedwater flow rates and amount of added particles by using the charge couple device image measurement and acquisition system. The results show that all kinds of particles can't be normally fluidized and accumulate in the drum at low amount of added particles and feedwater flow rate. The particles with great density and low sphericity are more likely to accumulate. The average solid holdup in the riser tubes increases with the increase in feedwater flow rate and the amount of added particles. The non-uniform degree of particle distribution in the riser tubes generally decreases with the increase in feedwater flow rate and the amount of added particles. The particles with small density and settling velocity have high average solid holdup in the riser tubes under close sphericity. In generally,the smaller the density and settling velocity, the more uniform the particle distribution in the riser tubes.Three-dimensional diagrams of the non-uniform degree of particle distribution in the riser tubes of the boiler are established.

Recovery of alumina from circulating fluidized bed combustion Al-rich fly ash using mild hydrochemical process

To utilize CFBC Al-rich fly ash, a mild hydrochemical extraction process was investigated for recovery of alumina. An alumina extraction efficiency of 92.31%was attained using a 45%NaOH solution, an original caustic ratio （molar ratio of Na2O to Al2O3 in the sodium aluminate solution） of 25, a molar ratio of CaO to SiO2 in the fly ash of 1.1, a liquid volume to solid mass ratio of 9, a reaction temperature of 280 ℃, and a residence time of 1 h when treating fly ash with an alumina to silica mass ratio （A/S） of 0.78 and an alumina content of 32.43%. Additionally, the alumina leaching mechanism was explored via structural and chemical analysis, which revealed that after alkaline digestion, the main solid phase containing silica was NaCaHSiO4 with a theoretical A/S of zero.

SO_2 emission characteristics from co-firing of petroleum coke and coal in circulating fluidized bed

Combustion and sulfur retention experiments of mixed fuel of petroleum cokeand coal were conducted on a pilot-scale circulating fluidized bed (CFB) combustor with the thermalinput of 0. 6 MW. The effects of several parameters, such as the primary air percentage, excess aircoefficient, bed temperature, Ca/S molar ratio and mass ratio of petroleum coke to coal on SO_2emission were verified. Experimental results show that when the ratio of petroleum coke to coal inthe mixed fuel increases, the SO_2emission increases. The maximum SO_2 emission appears when purecoke burns. The SO_2 concentration in flue gas reduces with the increase in the primary airpercentage, excess air coefficient and Ca/S molar ratio for all kinds of fuel mixtures. Therangebetween 830 t and 850 t is the optimal temperature for sulfur retention during co-firing ofpetroleum coke and coal with the mass ratio R of 1 and 3 in CFB.

I MWth Test Facilities for Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion

This paper presents the technical parameters and features of 1 MWth test facilities for circulating fluidized bed combustion (CFBC) at Thermal Power Research Institute (TPRI) of State Power Corporation (SP), introduces the test items that can be proceeded and trial combustion projects completed. The development status of CFBC technologies abroad and the level of China in this field are also introduced in the paper.

Emissions of SO_2, NO and N_2O in a circulating fluidized bed combustor during co-firing coal and biomass

This paper presents the experimental investigations of the emissions of SO2, NO and N20 in a bench scale circulating fluidized bed combustor for coal combustion and co-firing coal and biomass. The thermal capacity of the combustor is 30 kW. The setup is electrically heated during startup. The infuence of the excess air, the degree of the air staging, the biomass share and the feeding position of the fuels on the emissions of SO2, NO and N2O were studied. The results showed that an increase in the biomass shares resulted in an increase of the CO concentration in the flue gas, probably due to the high volatile content of the biomass. In co-firing, the emission of SO2 increased with increasing biomass share slightly, however, non-linear increase relationship between SO2 emission and fuel sulfur content was observed. Air staging significantly decreased the NO emission without raising the SO2 level. Although the change of the fuel feeding position from riser to downer resulted in a decrease in the NO emission level, no obvious change was observed for the SO2 level. Taking the coal feeding position R as a reference, the relative NO emission could significantly decrease during co-firing coal and biomass when feeding fuel at position D and keeping the first stage stoichiometry greater than 0.95. The possible mechanisms of the sulfur and nitrogen chemistry at these conditions were discussed and the ways of simultaneous reduction of SO2, NO and N2O were proposed.

Strength and thermal behavior of low weight foam geopolymer using circulating fluidized bed combustion fly ash

A comparative study of the influence of elevated temperature on foam geopolymer using circulating fluidized bed combustion fly ash（CFA） was reported. Foam geopoymers were prepared with different amounts of foam agent and different Si O2/Al2O3 molar ratios of 3.1, 3.4, and 3.8. The mechanical, thermo-physical properties and microstructure of the foam geopolymers before and after exposure to elevated temperature of 800, 1000, and 1200 ℃ were investigated. The specimen with Si O2/Al2O3 molar ratio of 3.8 exhibits the highest compressive strength, better microstructure and dimension stability before and after firing. Carnegeite, nepheline, and zeolite crystalline phases appearing after exposure may contribute to the good post-exposure strength. Low weight foam geopolymer using CFA can increase strength and maintain higher stability as high as 1000 ℃.

Mechanical,expansion and rheological properties of circulating fluidized bed fly ash based ecological cement:A critical review

Circulating fluidized bed fly ash(CFBFA)is a solid waste product from circulating fluidized bed(CFB)boilers in power plants,and the storage of CFBFA is increasingly become an environmental problem.Previous scholars have made contributions to improve the resource utilization of CFBFA.Especially,ecological cement is prepared by CFBFA,which is more conducive to its large-scale utilization.In recent years,a lot of effort has been paid to improve the properties of ecological cement containing CFBFA.In this work,the physicochemical properties of CFBFA are introduced,and recent research progress on the mechanical,expansion,and rheological properties of CFBFA based ecological cement(CEC)is extensively reviewed.The problem of over-expansion of f-CaO is summarized,which limits the scale application of CFBFA in ecological cement.Hence,the challenge for f-CaO in CFBFA to compensate for cement volume shrinkage is proposed,which is beneficial to the utilization of CFBFA in ecological cement,and the reduction of CO_(2) emissions from the cement industry.In addition,the environmental performance,durability,and economy of CEC should be valued in future research,especially the environmental performance,because the CFBFA contains heavy metals,such as Cr,As,which may pollute groundwater.

Properties of Concrete Incorporating Bed Ash from Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion and Ground Granulates Blast-furnace Slag

The properties of concrete incorporating circulating fluidized bed combustion （CFBC） bed ash and ground granulates blast-furnace slag （GGBS） were studied.Compressive strength,drying shrinkage,mercury intrusion porosimetry （MIP）,scanning electronic microscopy （SEM）,and X-ray diffraction （XRD） of concrete samples containing CFBC bed ash and GGBS were used.This work used initial surface absorption test （ISAT） and rapid chloride penetration test （RCPT） on concrete to measure the absorption and the ability of concrete to resist chloride ion characteristics for different concrete samples containing CFBC bed ash and GGBS.Open circuit potential （OCP）,direct current polarization resistance were obtained to evaluate rebar corrosion.The CFBC bed ash was X-ray amorphous and consist of SiO2,Al2O3 and CaO compounds.As the replacement of CFBC for sand increases,the rate of initial surface absorption （ISA） increases but compressive strength decreases.When the content of CFBC bed ash replacement for sand maintains constant,the replacement of GGBS for cement increases,compressive strength increases but the rate of ISA decreases.Chloride and corrosion resistance of rebar significantly improve by utilizing a proper amount of CFBC bed ash and GGBS in concrete.

Experimental Study on Gas-Solid Mass Transfer in Circulating Fluidized Beds

This study is devoted to gas-solid mass transfer behavior inheterogeneous two-phase flow. Experiments were carried out in a coldcirculating fluidized bed of 3.0 m in height and 72 mm in diameterwith naphthalene particles. Axial and radial distributions ofsublimated naphthalene concentration in air were measured with an on-line concentration monitoring system HP GC-MS. Mass transfercoefficients were obtained under various operating conditions,showing that heterogeneous flow structure strongly influences theaxial and radial profiles of mass transfer coefficients.

Heat Transfer in a Liquid-Solid Circulating Fluidized Bed Reactor with Low Surface Tension Media

Heat transfer characteristics between the immersed heater and the bed content were studied in the riser of a liquid-solid circulating fluidized bed, whose diameter and height were 0.102 m (ID) and 2.5 m, respectively. Effects of liquid velocity, particle size, surface tension of liquid phase and solid circulation rate on the overall heat transfer coefficient were examined. The heat transfer coefficient increased with increasing particle size or solid circulation rate due to the higher potential of particles to contact with the heater surface and promote turbulence near the heater surface. The value of heat transfer coefficient increased gradually with increase in the surface tension of liquid phase, due to the slight increase of solid holdup. The heat transfer coefficient increased with the liquid velocity even in the higher range, due to the solid circulation prevented the decrease in solid holdup, in contrast to that in the conventional liquid-solid fluidized beds. The values of heat transfer coefficient were well correlated in terms of dimensionless groups as well as operating variables.

Hydrothermal synthesis of zeolitic material from circulating fluidized bed combustion fly ash for the highly efficient removal of lead from aqueous solution

The utilization of coal fly ash derived from circulating fluidized bed combustion(CFBFA)still faces great challenges because of its unique characteristics.In this study,a zeolitic material with Na-P1 zeolite as the main phase was successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal method by using CFBFA as the raw material.The effects of hydrothermal temperature,time,and added CTAB amount on the characterizations of synthesized materials were investigated by XRD,SEM,and XPS.The properties of the optimal zeolitic material and its adsorption performance for Pb^(2+)in aqueous solution were evaluated.The influences of pH,initial concentration,dosage,and temperature on Pb^(2+)adsorption were also examined.Results revealed the following optimal parameters for the synthesis of zeolitic material:NaOH concentration of 2 mol·L^(-1),solid-to-liquid ratio of 1:10 g·ml^(-1),hydrothermal temperature of 110℃,hydrothermal time of 9 h,and CTAB amount of 1 g(per 100 ml solution).The adsorption capacities of the zeolitic material reached 329.67,424.69,and 542.22 mg·g^(-1) when the pH values of aqueous solution were 5,6,and 7,respectively.The Pb^(2+)removal efficiency can reach more than 99%in aqueous solution with the initial concentrations of 100-300 mg·L^(-1) under pH 6 and suitable adsorbent dosage.The adsorption and kinetics of Pb^(2+)on the zeolitic material can be described by Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models,respectively.The ion exchange between Pb^(2+)and Na^(+)and chemisorption are the main adsorption mechanism.All these findings imply that the synthesis of low-cost adsorbent for Pb^(2+)removal from weak acid and neutral aqueous solution provides a highly effective method to utilize CFBFA.

Optimization of the Internal Circulating Fluidized Bed Using Computational Fluid Dynamics Technology

The computational fluid dynamics(CFD)technology is analyzed and calculated utilizing the turbulence model and multiphase flow model to explore the performance of internal circulating fluidized beds(ICFB)based on CFD.The three-dimensional simulation method can study the hydrodynamic properties of the ICFB,and the performance of the fluidized bed is optimized.The fluidization performance of the ICFB is improved through the experimental study of the cross-shaped baffle.Then,through the cross-shaped baffle and funnel-shaped baffle placement,the fluidized bed reaches a coupled optimization.The results show that CFD simulation technology can effectively improve the mass transfer efficiency and performance of sewage treatment.The base gap crossshaped baffle can improve the hydraulic conditions of the fluidized bed and reduce the system energy consumption.The cross-shaped baffle and funnel-shaped baffle can perfect the performance of the reactor and effectively strengthen the treatment in the intense aerobic process of industrial sewage.

Developments in the understanding of gas–solid contact efficiency in the circulating fluidized bed riser reactor:A review

In the last several decades, circulating fluidized bed reactors have been studied in many aspects including hydrodynamics, heat and mass transfer and gas–solid two phase contacting. However, despite the abundance of review papers on hydrodynamics, there is no summary paper on gas–solid contact efficiency to date, especially on high density circulating fluidized beds(CFBs). This paper gives an introduction to, and a review of the measurement of contact efficiency in circulating fluidized bed riser. Firstly, the popular testing method of contact efficiency including the method of heating transfer experiment and hot model reaction are discussed, then previous published papers are reviewed based on the discussed methods. Some key results of the experimental work are described and discussed. Gas–solid contact efficiency is affected by the operating conditions as well as the particle size distribution. The result of the contact efficiency shows that the CFB riser is far away from an ideal plug flow reactor due to the characteristics of hydrodynamics in the riser. Lacunae in the available literature have been delineated and recommendations have been made for further work.

Synthesis gas production using oxygen storage materials as oxygen carrier over circulating fluidized bed

A novel process for synthesis gas production over Circulating Fluidized Bed （CFB） using oxygen storage materials as oxygen carder was reported. First, oxygen in the air was chemically fixed and converted to lattice oxygen of oxygen storage materials over regenerator, and then methane was selectively oxidized to synthesis gas with lattice oxygen of oxygen storage materials over riser reactor. The results from simulation reaction of CFB by sequential redox reaction on a fixed bed reactor using lanthanum-based perovskite LaFeO3 and La0.8Sr0.2Fe0.9CO0.1O3 oxides prepared by sol-gel, suggested that the depleted oxygen species could be regenerated, and methane could be oxidized to synthesis gas by lattice oxygen with high selectivity. The partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas over CFB using lattice oxygen of the oxygen storage materials instead of gaseous oxygen should be possibly applicable.

An analysis approach of mass and energy balance in a dual-reactor circulating fluidized bed system

An analysis approach considering gas-solids hydrodynamics,reaction kinetics and reacting species nonuniformity together in a dual-reactor system is presented for better understanding its mass and energy balance.It was achieved by a 3-dimensional comprehensive hydrodynamics and reaction model for the dual-reactor system,which was developed from the successfully verified 3-dimensional comprehensive combustion model for one circulating fluidized bed(CFB)system(Xu and Cheng,2019).The developed model and analysis approach was successfully used on a 1 MW circulating fluidized bed–bubbling fluidized bed(CFB-BFB)dual-reactor system.Results showed the sensible and chemical energy between two reactors as well as the energy distributions in each reactor were balanced and they agreed well with the experimental measurements.The analysis approach indicated energy balance had a close relationship with the mass transfer in the CFB-BFB dual-reactor system.It may be applied in a design and operation optimization for a dual-reactor system.

Lateral Solids Mixing in the Dense Zone of a Circulating Fluidized Bed

Lateral solid mixing was investigated experimentally in the dense zone of a 900mm×100mm×5.2m rectangular circulating fluidized bed riser.Using heated tracer injection,the lateral solid dispersion was determined by measuring the temperature response at different lateral positions. Furthermore, a one-dimensional dispersion model,which describes the solid mixing in the dense zone,is presented.The experimental results were used to determine the lateral particle dispersion coefficient under various operating conditions. A correlation of dispersion coefficient with bed height, gas velocity,and particle size is also proposed.

Numerical simulations and comparative analysis of two- and three-dimensional circulating fluidized bed reactors for CO2 capture

Carbon dioxide(CO2),the main gas emitted from fossil burning,is the primary contributor to global warming.Circulating fluidized bed reactor(CFBR)is proved as an energy-efficient method for post-combustion CO2 capture.The numerical simulation by computational fluid dynamics(CFD)is believed as a promising tool to study CO2 adsorption process in CFBR.Although three-dimensional(3D)simulations were proved to have better predicting performance with the experimental results,two-dimensional(2D)simulations have been widely reported for qualitative and quantitative studies on gas-solid behavior in CFBR for its higher computational efficiency recently.However,the discrepancies between 2D and 3D simulations have rarely been evaluated by detailed study.Considering that the differences between the 2D and 3D simulations will vary substantially with the changes of independent operating conditions,it is beneficial to lower computational costs to clarify the effects of dimensionality on the numerical CO2 adsorption runs under various operating conditions.In this work,the comparative analysis for CO2 adsorption in 2D and 3D simulations was conducted to enlighten the effects of dimensionality on the hydrodynamics and reaction behaviors,in which the separation rate,species distribution and hydrodynamic characteristics were comparatively studied for both model frames.With both accuracy and computational costs considered,the viable suggestions were provided in selecting appropriate model frame for the studies on optimization of operating conditions,which directly affect the capture and energy efficiencies of cyclic CO2 capture process in CFBR.