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The in-bed behavior of ash-forming elements in fluidized bed combustion (FBC) of different biomass fuels was examined by SEM/EDS analysis of samples collected during controlled agglomeration test runs. Eight fuels were chosen for the test. To cover the variations in biomass characteristics and to represent as many combinations of ash-forming elements in biomass fuels as possible, the selection was based on a principal-component analysis of some 300 biomass fuels, with respect to ash-forming elements. The fuels were then combusted in a bench-scale fluidized bed reactor (5 kW), and their specific agglomeration temperatures were determined. Bed samples were collected throughout the tests, and coatings and necks formed were characterized by SEM/EDS analyses. On the basis of their compositions, the corresponding melting behaviors were determined, using data extracted from phase diagrams. The bench-scale reactor bed samples were finally compared with bed samples collected from biomass-fired full-scale fluidized bed boilers. In all the analyzed samples, the bed particles were coated with a relatively homogeneous ash layer. The compositions of these coatings were most commonly constricted to the ternary system K2O−CaO−SiO2. Sulfur and chlorine were further found not to “participate” in the agglomeration mechanism. The estimated melting behavior of the bed coating generally correlated well with the measured agglomeration temperature, determined in the 5 kW bench-scale fluidized bed reactor. Thus, the results indicate that partial melting of the coating of the bed particles would be directly responsible for the agglomeration.

This paper presents the results of standard fuel analyses of 112 different fuels, along with the results from chemical fractionation through selective leaching. The samples, obtained from boilers during the period 1995−2010, represent the following fuel classes: coal, peat, wood-derived fuels, agricultural wastes, and sewage sludge. The leaching results show that coal consists mainly of insoluble ash forming matter, dominated by different silicates. The ash-forming matter in wood-derived fuels is mainly soluble and is dominated by potassium, calcium, and phosphorus; the insoluble ash-forming matter originates from soil contamination. The ash-forming matter in peat has the characteristics of both wood-derived fuels and coal. In agricultural waste, the ash-forming matter is mainly soluble, even though it may contain some silicon, and is dominated by potassium, chlorine, and phosphorus. The ash-forming matter in sludge is mainly acid-soluble or insoluble. It is also important to note that the aluminum silicates present in sludge may capture volatile potassium during combustion, thereby reducing the risk of deposit and corrosion. The ash-forming matter in sludge is often dominated by phosphorus precipitating agents such as iron sulfate and aluminum sulfate. The study demonstrates the value of chemical fractionation through selective leaching as a tool for explaining ash behavior in FBC.

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