System and method for combusting high-moisture fuel to generate steam
AssigneeAir Products and Chemicals, Inc.
InventorMark Daniel D'Agostini
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for combusting a high-moisture fuel to generate steam in which the high-moisture solid fuel is first dried by contacting with an oxygen-depleted gas stream while being heated by indirect heat exchange with a recirculating thermal fluid. The dried fuel is then combusted with a combustion air stream to produce a combustion products stream whose heat first is used to generate steam, and then to preheat the combustion air stream by indirect heat exchange in which a portion of the combustion air stream and/or a portion of the combustion products stream bypasses the heat exchanger. The combustion products stream also provides heat to dry the solid fuel via the recirculating thermal fluid.
Claims5
A process for combusting a high-moisture biomass fuel to generate steam, the process comprising:
- contacting a high-moisture solid biomass fuel with an oxygen-depleted gas stream while heating the high-moisture solid biomass fuel by indirect heat exchange with a recirculating thermal fluid to produce a dried solid fuel and a moist oxygen-depleted gas stream;
- combusting the dried solid fuel on a grate with a combustion air stream to produce a combustion products stream having an amount of heat;
- transferring a first portion of the amount of heat to generate steam by indirect heat exchange with the combustion products stream;
- transferring a second portion of the amount of heat to preheat the combustion air by indirect heat exchange with the combustion products stream;
- transferring a third portion of the amount of heat to the recirculating thermal fluid by indirect heat exchange with the combustion products stream;
- bypassing a portion of the combustion air stream to form a combustion air bypass stream;
- and
- transferring the combustion air bypass stream to a boiler;
- wherein at least a portion of the combustion air stream travels through the grate to combust the dried solid fuel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.