Advanced Utility CFB Technology for Challenging New Solid Biomass Fuels
(Room G109, Auditorium Centre, First Floor)
09 Jun 15
2:00 PM
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3:30 PM
Tracks:
Theme: Coal's Cleaner Future, Theme: Renewable Energy Strategy, Business & Integration
New boundaries for power plant operation are being set in the European energy production markets. Several factors, such as biomass subsidies, have increased the price of biomass in Europe thus influencing also to increase of commercially feasible size of biomass fired power plants. To be able to further increase and ensure the profitability of such plant, investors and plant operators have widened their fuel portfolios to include low cost biomass, such as invader bush and agro-pellets imported from Europe, South America, Africa and USA.
This trend has resulted to increased pressure for developing also utility power plant technology that is capable of both flexible and highly efficient operation with higher steam parameters, while firing these challenging solid biomass fuels. European utility sized power plants now have new requirements and expectations for their operational capability; to fire challenging new types of biomass constantly introduced to the market in highly efficient large scale power plants while maintaining high plant availability.
Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) combustion technology is increasingly becoming the market-leading technology used in the large scale utility power sector firing solid biomass fuels. Circulating Fluidized Bed boilers are capable to fire a broad variety of challenging new types of solid biomass fuels in large utility power plants. However, firing challenging biomass requires specific boiler design features, and consequently, if the fuel is switched, also the boiler design and operation need to be reviewed accordingly to maintain high plant availability.
After introducing the market drivers and technical challenges of firing new types of solid biomass and residues in utility boilers, this paper presents the key technical features needed in CFB boilers in challenging biomass firing, to overcome challenges to plant availability. The paper also reviews relevant boiler references in commercial operation.