Potential of PFB- and AFB-packaged industrial boilers

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:6856763

Fox, E C; Graves, R L; Kahl, W K; Thomas, J F

Industry is the largest energy consuming sector of our economy. It is the largest user of natural gas and a large consumer of oil. The fact that oil and gas account for over four times the contribution of coal in annual energy consumed by industrial boilers suggests that a genuine opportunity exists to displace these fuels in quantity. Steam production, in particular, is one application where technology exists to burn coal, but a sustained conversion to coal is not taking place. To make coal combustion more acceptable and less expensive to industry, the development of packaged coal-fired systems should be of high priority. Fluidized bed coal combustion (FBC) can perhaps satisfy this need, chiefly because its improved heat transfer characteristics effectively shrink the furnace volume. Furthermore, if the bed is operated under pressure, then another size reduction is realized. A preliminary study of the feasibility of packaging coal-fired fluidized bed boilers for industry was performed. The study focused on and compared atmospheric fluidized beds (AFB) and pressurized fluidized beds (PFB). The PFB boiler module appears to have potential for packaging, while the AFB boiler was found to have some inherent characteristics that may jeopardize its potential as a packaged system in the same size range. A conceptual cost estimate is presented with an economic assessment that brings into perspective the impact that development of large coal-fired packaged-boilers could have on the use of oil and gas in industry.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 6856763
• Report Number(s): CONF-821060-1; ON: DE83001964
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
014000 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Combustion
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320303* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Industrial & Agricultural Processes-- Equipment & Processes
42 ENGINEERING
421000 -- Engineering-- Combustion Systems
BOILERS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COAL
COMBUSTION
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COST
DESIGN
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
ENERGY SOURCES
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
FLUIDIZED-BED COMBUSTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
MATERIALS
OXIDATION
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES