Development of fuidized bed conversion of solid fuels--history and future

A summary is given on the development of fluidized bed conversion (combustion and gasification) of solid fuels. First, gasification is mentioned, following the line of development from the Winkler gasifier to recent designs. The combustors were initially bubbling beds, which were found unsuitable for combustion of coal because of various drawbacks. They proved more useful for biomass where these drawbacks were absent. Instead, circulating fluidized bed boilers became the most important coal converters, whose design now is quite mature, and the increments in size and efficiency are the presently most important tasks. The new developments of these conversion devices are related to CO2 capture. Proposed methods with this purpose involving fluidized bed are oxy-fuel combustion, and various dual-reactor systems, including also indirect biomass gasifiers