Development Progress on the Atmospheric Fluidized Bed Coal Combustor for Cogeneration Gas Turbine System for Industrial Cogeneration Plants

The Atmospheric Fluidized Bed Coal Combustor Program will develop the technology for a fluidized bed coal combustion system to provide a source of high temperature air for process heating and power generation with gas turbines in industrial plants. The gas turbine has the advantages of a higher ratio of electric power output to exhaust heat load and a higher exhaust temperature than do steam turbines in cogeneration applications. The program is directed toward systems in the size range of 5 to 50 MW(e) and is sponsored by the Department of Energy. A study of industrial energy use has been completed that indicates a large potential market for gas turbine cogeneration systems. Conceptual design studies have been done for typical industrial’ installations, and some of these results are presented. The conceptual design of a 300 kW(e) test unit has been completed. A number of furnace design firms have been invited to submit their own designs for a 1500 kW(t) (5 × 10⁶ Btu/hr) combustor, from which a final selection will be made. The design of the balance of the test system will proceed in parallel with the combustor design. An engineering design study has been completed by AiResearch Division of Garrett Corporation in which the modifications required to adapt an existing AiResearch 831-200 gas turbine to this cycle for both open and closed cycle operation were determined. Development and testing have been conducted in the areas of fluidization, heat transfer, tube corrosion and coal feeding. Results from heat transfer, tube corrosion, and coal feeding tests are presented.