Time-Dependent Crack Layer Formation in Quartz Bed Particles during Fluidized Bed Combustion of Woody Biomass

摘要

Bed agglomeration during combustion and gasification of woody biomass fuels in quartz beds has been frequently studied, and chemical mechanisms responsible for bed agglomeration have been suggested: However, few studies have focused on the bed material deposition on walls, in cyclones, and return legs in fluidized bed combustion. Part of these bed material depositions originates from sticky fragments of alkali-rich silicates formed after crack formation in older quartz bed particles. The crack layer formation in quartz bed particles in fluidized bed combustion of woody biomass was therefore investigated by collecting bed material samples of different ages from full-scale bubbling and circulating fluidized bed facilities. Scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive spectroscopy was used to analyze the crack morphology and composition of the layer surrounding the cracks. For quartz bed particles with an age of some days, a crack in the quartz bed particle was observed in connection to the irregular interface between the inner layer and the core of the bed particle. The crack layer composition is similar for quartz particles with different ages and for samples taken from different fluidized bed techniques. Their composition is dominated by Si, K, Ca, and Na (except O). These crack layers become deeper, wider, and more common as bed particle age increases. The crack layers eventually connect with each other, and the whole quartz particle is transformed into smaller quartz cores surrounded by crack layers, which were observed in particles older than 1 week. From the characterization work, a crack formation process including three phases is proposed on the basis of the presumption that the initial crack layer formation resulted from the presence of induced cracks in the inner quartz bed particle layer. Fragmentation after the third phase is likely responsible for the formation of sticky alkali silicate deposit formation, and a weekly complete exchange of the bed is therefore recommended to avoid problematic deposits in combustion of woody-type biomass in fluidized bed combustion.