Laboratory measurements of alkali metal containing vapors released during biomass combustion
Book
·
OSTI ID:305663
- National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States). Industrial Technologies Div.
Alkali metals, in particular potassium, have been implicated as key ingredients for enhancing fouling and slagging of heat transfer surfaces in power generating facilities that convert biomass to electricity. When biomass is used as a fuel in boilers, the deposits formed reduce efficiency, and in the worst case lead to unscheduled plant downtime. Blending biomass with other fuels is often used as a strategy to control fouling and slagging problems. Depending on the combustor, sorbents can be added to the fuel mixture to sequester alkali metals. Another possibility is to develop methods of hot gas cleanup that reduce the amount of alkali vapor to acceptable levels. These solutions to fouling and slagging, however, would greatly benefit from a detailed understanding of the mechanisms of alkali release during biomass combustion. Identifying these alkali vapor species and understanding how these vapors enhance deposit formation would also be beneficial. The approach is to directly sample the hot gases liberated from the combustion of small biomass samples in a variable-temperature quartz-tube reactor employing a molecular beam mass spectrometer (MBMS) system. The authors have successfully used this experimental technique to identify alkali species released during the combustion of selected biomass feedstocks used in larger scale combustion facilities. Fuels investigated include lodgepole pine, eucalyptus, poplar, corn stover, switchgrass, wheat straw, rice straw, pistachio shells, almond shells and hulls, wood wastes, waste paper, alfalfa stems, and willow tops.
- Research Organization:
- Engineering Foundation, New York, NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 305663
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9507274--PROC.; ISBN 0-306-45376-2
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Mechanisms of alkali metal release during biomass combustion
Direct sampling of inorganic vapors released during biomass combustion
CID studies of inorganic species released during biomass combustion
Conference
·
Sat Dec 30 23:00:00 EST 1995
·
OSTI ID:214754
Direct sampling of inorganic vapors released during biomass combustion
Conference
·
Tue Feb 28 23:00:00 EST 1995
·
OSTI ID:110847
CID studies of inorganic species released during biomass combustion
Conference
·
Sat Dec 30 23:00:00 EST 1995
·
OSTI ID:210621