The Low temperature CFB gasifier: Latest 50 kW test results and new 500 kW test plant

The Low Temperature Circulating Fluidised Bed (LT-CFB) gasification process aims at avoiding problems due to ash deposition and agglomeration when using difficult fuels such as agricultural biomass and many waste materials. This, as well as very simple gas cleaning, is achieved by pyrolysing the fuel at around 650?C in a CFB reaction chamber and subsequently gasifying the char at around 730oC in a slowly fluidised bubbling bed chamber located in the CFB particle recirculation path. In this paper the novel LT-CFB concept is further described together with the latest test results from the 50 kW LT-CFB test plant located at the Technical University of Denmark. In the latest 10-hour experiment the fuel was wheat straw containing 1,3-1,6% potassium, 0,6% chlorine and 12,2% ash (dry basis), and the bed material was ordinary silica sand without additives. The bed material was reused from 45 hours of previous test runs thereby causing the initial content of potassium in the bed material to be around 4 to 4,5%. Besides avoiding deposition and agglomeration problems, the main result was a reduction in char loss to approx. 1,5 mass% of the supplied amount of straw as well as very effective (97%) particle separation by the hot secondary cyclone. The next LT-CFB experiment, currently under preparation, is expected to be on either municipal/industrial waste or animal manure. Eventually a 500 kW LT-CFB test plant scheduled for commission during summer 2003, and the anticipated primary LT-CFB applications and future project plans are also mentioned.