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Biomass Ash Fluidised-Bed Agglomeration: Hydrodynamic Investigations

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Abstract

Agglomeration and defluidisation processes in fluidised-bed reactors due to ash melting are a real difficulty encountered when gasifying feedstock with high ash content. This work aims to investigate the influence of agglomeration on the hydrodynamic behaviour of a bubbling fluidised-bed reactor. The identification of the main parameters involved in agglomeration and defluidisation and the study of their influence on these processes are carried out inside both a laboratory fluidised-bed operating at high temperature (700–1000 °C) and a cold-flow fluidised-bed at ambient temperature. Results are then compared to a gasification test performed in a pilot-scale facility (800 °C). Results show that hydrodynamic disturbances and defluidisation are the result of agglomerates segregation. Once formed, the agglomerates tend to segregate at the bottom of the bed causing the formation and the build-up of a fixed bed crossed by multiple channels. In addition, the hydrodynamic behaviour is highly sensitive to the in-bed liquid amount. Complete defluidisation was seen to occur for very low liquid amount (few vol%). Based on these results, a simplified modelling approach is given in order to predict the operating time before the complete defluidisation of the reactor.

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Acknowledgements

This PhD work was funded by the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and ENGIE. The work was performed as part of the GAYA project (partially funded by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME)). Wheat straw feedstock comes from the AMAZON project and the INVERTO project (both partially funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR)).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, LITEN, Laboratoire Thermo-Conversion Bio-ressources, 17 rue des Martyrs, 3800, Grenoble, France

    M. Balland, K. Froment, G. Ratel, S. Valin & J. Roussely

  2. CNRS, CEMHTI UPR3079, Univ. Orléans, 45071, Orléans, France

    R. Michel & J. Poirier

  3. ENGIE, CRIGEN, 361 avenue du Président Wilson BP33, 93211, Saint-Denis La Plaine Cedex, France

    Y. Kara & A. Galnares

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  1. M. Balland
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  2. K. Froment
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  4. S. Valin
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Correspondence to K. Froment.

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Balland, M., Froment, K., Ratel, G. et al. Biomass Ash Fluidised-Bed Agglomeration: Hydrodynamic Investigations. Waste Biomass Valor 8, 2823–2841 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-017-9853-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-017-9853-9

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