Flexibility of CFB Combustion: An Investigation of Co-Combustion with Biomass and RDF at Part Load in Pilot Scale

Co-combustion of biomass and solid fuels from wastes in existing highly efficient power plants is a low-cost solution that can be applied quickly and with low effort to mitigate climate change. Circulating fluidized bed combustion has several advantages when it comes to co-combustion, such as high fuel flexibility. The operational flexibility of circulating fluidized bed (CFB) co-combustion is investigated in a 1 MWth pilot plant. Straw pellets and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) are co-combusted with lignite at full load and part loads. This study focusses on the impact on the hydrodynamic conditions in the fluidized bed, on the heat transfer to the water/steam side of the boiler, and on the flue gas composition. The study demonstrates the flexibility of CFB combustion for three low-rank fuels that differ greatly in their properties. The co-combustion of RDF and straw does not have a negative effect on hydrodynamic stability. How the hydrodynamic conditions determine the temperature and pressure development along the furnace height is shown. The heat transfer in the furnace linearly depends on the thermal load. It increases slightly with an increasing share of straw and the influence of the hydrodynamic conditions on the heat transfer was low