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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Investigation of fluid-bed combustion of municipal solid waste

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5757656

Air classified Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) was fired in an Atmospheric Fluidized Bed Combustor at low excess air to simulate boiler conditions. The 7 sq ft combustor at Combustion Power Company's energy laboratory in Menlo Park, California, incorporates water tubes for heat extraction and recycles elutriated particles to the bed. System operation was stable while firing processed MSW for the duration of a 300-hour test. Low excess air, low exhaust gas emissions, and constant bed temperature demonstrated feasibility of steam generation from fluidized bed combustion of MSW. During the 300-hour test combustion efficiency averaged 99%. Excess air was typically 44% while an average bed temperature of 1400 F and an average superficial gas velocity of 4.6 ft/sec were maintained. Typical exhaust emission levels were 30 ppM SO/sub 2/, 160 ppM NO/sub x/, 200 ppM CO, and 25 ppM hydrocarbons. No agglomeration of bed material or detrimental change in fluidization properties was experienced. A conceptual design study of a full-scale plant to be located at Stanford University was based on process conditions from the 300-hour test. The plant would produce 250,000 lb/hr steam at the maximum firing rate of 1000 tons per day (TPD) processed MSW. The average 800 TPD firing rate would utilize approximately 1200 TPD raw MSW from surrounding communities. The Stanford Solid Waste Energy Program study was aimed at development of an MSW-fired fluidized bed boiler and cogeneration plant to supply most of the energy needs of Standford University.

Research Organization:
Stanford Univ., CA (USA); Combustion Power Co., Inc., Menlo Park, CA (USA)
OSTI ID:
5757656
Report Number(s):
NP-2901482; ON: DE82901482
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English