A US-based biomass boiler combustion system specialist reveals how it successfully
converted a fossil fuel power station to burn biomass
Replacing coal with biomass
M innesota Power of a mix of purchased wood before entering a long (TAH) section, economiser, operates the Hibbard wastes, railroad cross-ties, flow generating bank (GB). primary TAH section, and Renewable Energy and short fibre residue. Downstream of the GB, the mechanical dust collector Center in Duluth, Flue gases leaving the gas stream flows into an ash (MDC), before entering the Minnesota, US. At Hibbard, furnace pass over two long collection hopper, followed by induced draft (ID) fan and the superheated steam for power flow superheater sections a secondary tubular air heater electrostatic precipitator (EP). generation is supplied by two Historically, the boilers identical boilers. The units, had not been able to reliably originally supplied in the 1950s achieve the designed biomass to burn pulverised coal, were firing rates; increased biomass converted in 1985 to each firing (and reducing coal firing) generate 136,100kg/hr of led to excessive carryover of superheated steam by firing unburned char and fly ash, high a mixture of wood and stoker flue gas exit temperatures and coal (in a 60:40 heat input limited ID fan operating margin. split) on a travelling grate. Looking to increase the biomass During the 1985 conversion, firing rates and eventually overfire air (OFA) systems eliminate coal firing without (typical of that period), increasing air emissions, comprising numerous small Minnesota Power contracted circular ports arranged in Jansen Combustion and Boiler multiple levels on the rear Technologies to meet its goals and front wall, were installed through a phased programme (see Figure1). The boilers of evaluation, engineering currently fire Powder River and equipment supply. Basin (PRB) stoker coal and The first step in meeting biomass fuel which consists Figure 1: A sectional side view of the boilers following the 1985 conversion the project objectives was to
Bioenergy Insight May/June 2014 • 61
Bioenergy boilers gather reliable information on clear out ash deposits with numerous smaller ports ash. The upgraded combustion the boiler operations. Jansen • An upgrade of the provided insufficient jet system arrangement predicted engineers made first-hand existing economiser with momentum for the OFA to a significant reduction in observations and collected data a significantly larger one penetrate very far into the carryover of in-flight char from the boilers while being to improve heat capture, furnace. In comparison, the particles and volatile gases. operated at high steaming increase boiler thermal upgraded system provided Improved burnout of volatiles rates with -57% of the heat efficiency and lower significantly deeper jet and in-flight fuel particles in input being supplied by biomass flue gas flow rates penetration and generated the lower furnace led to hotter and the rest by coal. The • The replacement of the intense mixing and turbulence. lower furnace temperatures approach and methodology existing TAH with a larger As shown in Figure 4, and cooler furnace exit for this work is described in unit to improve heat capture improved air and fuel delivery temperatures. A hotter lower Reference 1. The following and to reduce erosion rates. improved the burnout of the furnace aids the fuel drying operational deficiencies were All of these recommended in-flight fuel particles. The process and helps prevent identified from this evaluation: upgrades have now been plots show particle traces of fuel piling on the grate. • Non-uniform fuel delivery implemented on the boilers the in-flight fuel particles and The evaluation and CFD and an ineffective except an upgrade of are coloured by the particles’ modelling effort concluded that OFA penetration and the fuel distributors. stage in the combustion the unit’s furnace volume and mixing caused high char process. The green particle grate surface were adequately and ash carryover Combustion system traces represent drying, yellow sized to achieve 100% biomass • High flue gas velocities in modelling and design represents volatiles burning, firing and helped define the the GB outlet ash hopper red represents char burning, upgrade design of the OFA resulted in poor ash Computational Fluid and teal represents residual fly and fuel delivery systems. collection and increased Dynamics (CFD) modelling the ash loadings to was implemented to quantify downstream equipment flue gas flow patterns, oxygen • High flue gas velocities and (O2) and carbon monoxide low heat transfer surface (CO) levels, turbulence and area of the economiser temperatures for different OFA and TAHs contributed to delivery strategies; and fuel increased erosion, high delivery patterns to illustrate flue gas exit temperatures the advantage of an upgraded (~260°C), and low boiler combustion system over the thermal efficiency existing configuration. • The high gas exit Jansen has used CFD temperature also increased modelling to evaluate over the flue gas volumetric 150 industrial boilers burning flow, which limited a variety of solid and liquid the ID fan capacity. fuels. These models have been To overcome these limitations, used to identify combustion the following upgrades were improvements and other recommended to sustain operating problems while increased biomass firing firing biomass, coal, sludges, rates, while achieving lower refuse-derived fuels and Figure 2: The new OFA nozzle arrangement on the boiler sidewall ash loadings in the back spent chemical liquors. passes without exceeding Jansen’s approach was the capacities of the MDC, to install eight ‘dual range’ the ID fan and the EP: OFA nozzles on the furnace • A combustion system sidewalls in an interlaced upgrade that improves the pattern that supply 35-50% of burnout of in-flight char the total combustion air. The and volatile gases. This nozzles’ dual range design included upgrading the OFA achieves optimal flow and jet system and replacing the penetration over a range of existing fuel distributors flow demands. In addition, with modern, more the nozzles’ low pressure effective fuel distributors drop design allows OFA feed • A redesigned GB outlet pressures of less than 38cm ash hopper for improved wg (water gauge). In this ash collection to lower case, the low feed pressure fly ash loading in the requirement allowed the boilers’ back passes. The system to be implemented ash hopper was designed without an upgrade of the with improved access to existing OFA booster fan. Figure 3: Modelling plots of the jet penetration profiles of the original and upgraded combustion the hopper internals to The original OFA system systems, where regions of the furnace with velocities higher than 18m/s are shown
62 • May/June 2014 Bioenergy Insight
boilers Bioenergy on 100% biomass increasing biomass fuel firing. • Even with increased biomass Adequacy of the heat firing, adequate capacity transfer surface areas margins on the FD and should also be evaluated to ID fans were achieved identify opportunities for • The flue gas exit temperature increased heat recovery was reduced by -65°C (similar to the economiser • Lowering the flue gas exit upgrade at Hibbard). temperature reduced the Evaluations of the flue gas volumetric flow combustion air and ID fans, at the ID fan by 21% and pollution control devices Figure 4: Improvement in the burnout in the in-flight fuel particles by improved • Lower flue gas exit should be included to ensure air and fuel delivery temperatures, and that these auxiliaries have reduction in unburned sufficient capability to support fuel losses, increased the the higher air and flue gas boiler thermal efficiency flow rates associated with by 6 percentage points increased biomass firing. • These improvements have Optimising the fuel delivery resulted in a 10% increase patterns on the grate is one of in steam generation for the critical factors in ensuring the same fuel heat input. uniform grate combustion conditions. Upgrades to the Conclusions fuel distributors, changes to the fuel delivery elevation, or The replacement of fossil possible adjustments to fuel fuel with biomass fuel firing size distribution are some of requires a comprehensive the upgrades/modifications that evaluation of boiler operating can be implemented to improve parameters that starts from the grate fuel delivery patterns. fuel delivery into the furnace At the Hibbard plant, and continues through to the successful boiler upgrade flue gas exit from the stack. projects to increase biomass It is necessary to evaluate firing were accomplished by the OFA system performance first implementing a thorough to determine whether the review of the boilers’ operation Figure 5: The modified GB outlet ash collection hopper that was installed on the boilers system has adequate flow and their auxiliaries. Upgrades to reduce the flue gas velocities through the 180° turn and improve the drop out of capacity and jet penetration and modifications targeted to fly ash into the hopper to generate an intense mixing overcome existing limitations zone above the grate to burn were integrated successfully Upgrades to lower erosion Post-upgrade operation out the in-flight char and with the existing equipment. and improve heat capture volatiles that result from firing To make this possible, close Jansen provided support biomass. Experience has shown interaction between Minnesota The original economiser was to Minnesota Power for that an OFA system upgrade Power, Jansen and equipment replaced with a larger one the commissioning of the is often required to support vendors was required during with a surface area more upgraded equipment on the increased biomass fuel firing. every stage of the project, than 2.3 times larger than two boilers which included Typically, increases in including design concept the original. The secondary training and hands-on biomass fuel firing leads to development, engineering TAH was removed to make start-up assistance. Boiler increased fly ash loadings as and supply of deliverables, room for the upgraded GB operating data following the compared to stoker coal firing. boiler outage planning, and outlet ash collection hopper commissioning was evaluated Therefore, an evaluation subsequent start-up support. l and the new economiser. to estimate the improvements of the back end fly ash The primary TAH was in boiler operation due to collection systems is required. Reference: upgraded with larger tubes that the various upgrades. This Maximising the collection of 1. Verloop, Arie, Biomass Combustion increased the gas inlet cross- evaluation demonstrated fly ash at the GB outlet will Troubleshooting, Bioenergy Insight, June 2012, Issue 3, Volume 3, p. 56-58. sectional flow area by over 50%. the following benefits from lower erosion rates and put This area increase was designed the boiler upgrades: less ash load on the MDC. For more information: to significantly lower flue gas • The biomass fuel heat input Replacing coal with biomass This article was written by Samit velocities and control erosion. was successfully increased results in increased flue gas flow Pethe of Jansen Combustion and Boiler In addition, the TAH tube to account for 78% of the rates for the same steaming Technologies, and Robert Bastianelli, PE and Luke Schwartz, PE of Minnesota arrangement and length was total fuel heat input. If the rate. An increase in the flue Power. Visit: www.jansenboiler.com optimised such that the new recommended fuel distributor gas cross-sectional flow area Jansen would like to thank Luther TAH surface area was more than upgrades are made, the (similar to the TAH upgrade Kemp, Minnesota Power’s control specialist, and the Minnesota Power 50% higher than the original boilers are expected to be at Hibbard) may be required boiler operators for their assistance primary and secondary TAH. able to achieve operation to control erosion while and valuable editorial review.