Biomass combustion technologies for power generation
- Appel Consultants, Inc., Stevenson Ranch, CA (United States)
- Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA (United States)
Technology in power production from biomass has been advancing rapidly. Industry has responded to government incentives such as the PURPA legislation in the US and has recognized that there are environmental advantages to using waste biomass as fuel. During the 1980s many new biomass power plants were built. The relatively mature stoker boiler technology was improved by the introduction of water-cooled grates, staged combustion air, larger boiler sizes up to 60 MW, higher steam conditions, and advanced sootblowing systems. Circulating fluidized-bed (CFB) technology achieved full commercial status, and now is the leading process for most utility-scale power applications, with more complete combustion, lower emissions, and better fuel flexibility than stoker technology. Bubbling fluidized-bed (BFB) technology has an important market niche as the best process for difficult fuels such as agricultural wastes, typically in smaller plants. Other biomass power generation technologies are being developed for possible commercial introduction in the 1990s. Key components of Whole Tree Energy{trademark} technology have been tested, conceptual design studies have been completed with favorable results, and plans are being made for the first integrated process demonstration. Fluidized-bed gasification processes have advanced from pilot to demonstration status, and the world`s first integrated wood gasification/combined cycle utility power plant is starting operation in Sweden in early 1993. Several European vendors offer biomass gasification processes commercially. US electric utilities are evaluating the cofiring of biomass with fossil fuels in both existing and new plants. Retrofitting existing coal-fired plants gives better overall cost and performance results than any biomass technologies;but retrofit cofiring is {open_quotes}fuel-switching{close_quotes} that provides no new capacity and is attractive only with economic incentives.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 140309
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/CP-200-5768-Vol.1; CONF-9308106-Vol.1; ON: DE93010050; TRN: 93:003926-0040
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 1. biomass conference of the Americas: energy, environment, agriculture, and industry, Burlington, VT (United States), 30 Aug - 2 Sep 1993; Other Information: PBD: [1993]; Related Information: Is Part Of First Biomass Conference of the Americas: Energy, environment, agriculture, and industry; Proceedings, Volume 1; PB: 796 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
BIOMASS
STAGED COMBUSTION
GASIFICATION
FLUIDIZED-BED COMBUSTION
COCOMBUSTION
POWER GENERATION
LEGISLATION
ECONOMICS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
FLEXIBILITY
COST
AGRICULTURAL WASTES
WOOD FUELS
SWEDEN
ELECTRIC UTILITIES
RETROFITTING
FUEL SUPPLIES
DEMONSTRATION PLANTS
FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
DUAL-PURPOSE POWER PLANTS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
RENEWABLE RESOURCES