Fluidized Bed Combustion Research in Turkey

Abstract

Abstract At present 20% of the total energy consumption in Turkey is met by combustion of lignites. The amount of lignite utilization in the total energy consumption in the year 2000 is expected to double compared to the present. The prevalent characteristics of Turkish lignites are high volatile matter, moisture, ash, and sulfur contents and low calorific value. Also, there are combustion difficulties in conventional combustors associated with the low ash sintering temperatures. For these reasons, there is a major air pollution problem in the main cities of Turkey during winter months. Assessment of the nature of Turkish lignites necessitates fluidized bed combustion technology as one of the most important solutions for clean and economic utilization of these fuels. Although fluidized bed combustion has been widely studied and the technology has already reached industrial-scale applications, there still are some problems that need to be studied further. In the case of low-grade lignites, the stability of...