Making the case for direct combustion

Conference · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:478683

Cruikshank, K; Davis, B J; Tillman, D ^[1]

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1. Foster Wheeler Environmental Corp., Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

The use of biofuels in electricity generation at existing power plants may be employed in repowering or retrofit applications. Numerous technologies have been proposed for such applications including direct combustion and gasification. Direct combustion applications in existing boilers, as retrofits, can involve low or moderate percentage cofiring in pulverized coal or cyclone boiler applications; and the alternative is the use of a gasifier as a fuel preparation process. Repowering applications of direct biomass combustion may involve using high percentages of biofuel in fluidized bed boilers or other combustion systems; the alternative is using gasification to prepare the fuel and firing the gas in the existing steam generator or in a new steam generator. This paper compares the two approaches, emphasizing complexity and cost of installations. It is based upon studies of retrofitting the Warren Generation Station of Penelec to fire hot biogas in an existing boiler, repowering the Watts Bar Fossil Plant of TVA with a circulating fluidized bed, experience with repowering the Tacoma Steam Plant No. 2 with bubbling fluidized bed boilers, and related engineering studies. Specific considerations include system complexity, efficiency, capital cost, and operational concerns. The focus of the evaluation is in the use of technology to address institutional barriers and to develop means for overcoming those barriers.

• OSTI ID: 478683
• Report Number(s): CONF-960958--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
BIOMASS
COCOMBUSTION
COMBUSTION
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
GASIFICATION