fluidized-bed combustion

fluidized-bed combustion [¦flü·ə‚dīzd ¦bed kəm′bəs·chən]

(mechanical engineering)

A method of burning particulate fuel, such as coal, in which the amount of air required for combustion far exceeds that found in conventional burners; the fuel particles are continually fed into a bed of mineral ash in the proportions of 1 part fuel to 200 parts ash, while a flow of air passes up through the bed, causing it to act like a turbulent fluid.

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Fluidized-bed combustion

A method of burning fuel in which the fuel is continually fed into a bed of reactive or inert material while a flow of air passes up through the bed, causing it to act like a turbulent fluid. Fluidized beds have long been used for the combustion of low-quality, difficult fuels and have become a rapidly developing technology for the clean burning of coal. See Fluidization

A fluidized-bed combustor is a furnace chamber whose floor is slotted, perforated, or fitted with nozzles. Air is forced through the floor and upward through the chamber. The chamber is partially filled with particles of either reactive or inert material, which will fluidize at an appropriate air flow rate. When fluidization takes place, the bed of material expands (bulk density decreases) and exhibits the properties of a liquid. As air velocity increases, the particles mix more violently, and the surface of the bed takes on the appearance of a boiling liquid. If air velocity were increased further, the bed material would be blown away.

Once the bed is fluidized, its temperature can be increased with ignitors until a combustible material can be injected to burn within the bed. Proper selection of air velocity, operating temperature, and bed material will cause the bed to act as a chemical reactor. The three broad areas of application of fluidized-bed combustion are incineration, gasification, and steam generation. See Coal gasification, Combustion, Gas turbine, Steam-generating unit