Fluidized Bed Combustion

Fluidized Bed Combustion (FBC) is one of the most promising energy conversion options available today. FBC combines high efficiency combustion of low-grade fuels with reduced emissions of sulphur and nitrogen oxides (SO_x and NO_x). CETC's test facilities are available to assist in the development of systems to burn low-grade fuels in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner.

CETC's Research Services

CETC's research services are playing a leading role in developing potential applications of fluidized-bed combustion. CETC offers these specialized services to assist utilities and other industrial agencies in:

• planning and running of a full-fledged demonstration program or in specific areas of testing such as combustion product analysis;
• developing mathematical models to pilot-scale combustion tests with specific feedstocks;
• generating data about the combustion performance of high-sulphur coals from eastern Canada, high moisture plains coals, high ash rejects from western Canadian coal washeries, coke from oil sands upgraders and pitch residues from hydrocracking; and
• assessing the feasibility of applying fluidized bed combustion technology to specific industrial sites.

CETC conducts pilot-scale tests in a recently commissioned rotary kiln as an option in alternative waste combustion technology. Tighter environmental controls on the disposal of wastes have resulted in increased market demands to evaluate the combustion of waste products, including paper sludge, using FBC technology.

FBC's major potential applications in Canada are in:

• the utilization of eastern Canadian, high-sulphur coals for electricity generation;
• the utilization of high-sulphur pitch and coke residues from heavy oil/oil sands upgrading;
• the utilization of coal washery rejects;
• co-firing of wood waste and coal in the forest products industry;
• incineration of contaminated solid and liquid wastes; and
• co-firing of pulp and paper wastes or municipal solid waste, with coal or other fuels for energy recovery and disposal of wastes.

FBC technology is well suited for burning these low-grade fuels and wastes, because it offers long combustion residence times, lower temperatures to control NO_x formation, and the flexibility to accept a wide range of fuel forms and sorbents in sand or limestone beds.

R&D Facilities

CETC's laboratory has an extensive inventory of the specialized equipment necessary for FBC research:

• a pilot-scale circulating fluidized-bed combustor with a bed area of about 0.12 m²;
• equipped to fire solid and liquid fuels (with and without sorbents for capturing sulphur compounds)
• thoroughly instrumented to monitor pollutant formation, combustion performance, heat transfer characteristics, and metal wastage of heat transfer surfaces by corrosion/erosion mechanisms
• a bench-scale, batch-fed, 10 cm diameter, for ranking the reactivity of solid biomass and fossil fuels and for studying fundamental combustion mechanisms;
• a bench-scale facility for determining sulphur capture characteristics of sorbents; and
• a pilot-scale (0.78 m² ) bubbling bed combustor to study corrosion, erosion and the fate of trace metals in feedstocks.

Collaborative Accomplishments

A variety of arrangements are available to assist industry in the application of this technology.

In cooperation with a maritime power-generating utility and the Department of National Defence, CETC has set up two demonstration-scale FBC units:

• 22-MWt circulating FBC plant at Chatham, New Brunswick; and
• 15-MWt bubbling FBC plant at Sommerside, P.E.I.
• Relative to conventional coal-fired systems, emissions of SO₂ have been reduced by 90% and those of NO_x by 45% in each of these two demonstration plants.

Development of Residue Disposal Protocols

CETC helped a major chemical company acquire expertise in disposing of ash generated from FBC. Specifically, the expertise focused on the development of residue disposal protocols and the identification of such potential applications for FBC residue as in road construction, the treatment of acidic wastes and the manufacture of concrete and mortars.

Your Invitation to Work with Us

At CETC, development of fluidized bed combustion technology is supported by in-house pilot-scale research, by contract research at both fundamental and pilot-scale levels, and by technical support of major demonstration projects.

For further information, please contact:

CANMET Energy Technology Centre
Natural Resources Canada
1 Haanel Drive
Nepean, Ontario
Canada K1A 1M1

E.J. (Ben) Anthony, PhD
Research Scientist
Tel: (613) 996-2868
Fax: (613) 992-9335
E-Mail: banthony@nrcan.gc.ca