Cho CH  Gil EJ  Lee UD  Lee YW  Kim SI  Yang W  Moon JW  Ahn SK  Jung SM  Jeong SH

Vol. 28,  No. 1, pp. 46-53, Mar.  2022
10.7464/ksct.2022.28.1.46

Agglomeration Co-firing Biomass Additives Fluidized bed

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The agglomeration characteristics of coal and silica sand were investigated under various conditions using mixed samples consisting of coal, silica sand, and potassium hydroxide, which is an agglomeration accelerator. The samples were prepared by either physically mixing or using aqueous solutions. The experiments using the physically mixed powder samples were performed with a two hour reaction time. The results showed that the number of aggregates generated increased as the reaction temperature and the total potassium content increased. The experiments using aqueous solutions were performed at 880 ℃, which is the operating temperature of a fluidized bed boiler, and at 980 ℃, which assumes a local hot spot. The amount of agglomeration generated as the reaction time increased and the total potassium content increased was identified. In the experiment performed at 880 ℃, the amount of aggregate generated clearly increased with the reaction time, and in the experiment performed at 980 ℃, assuming a local hot spot, a large amount of aggregate was generated in a relatively short time. The aggregates became harder as the potassium content increased. When the total potassium content was less than 1.37 wt.%, the aggregates were weak at both temperatures and collapsed even with a slight impact. Additionally, the surface characteristics of the silica sand and ash aggregates were observed by SEM-EDS analysis. The analysis revealed a large amount of potassium at the bonding sites. This result indicates that there is a high possibility of aggregation in the form of a eutectic compound when the alkali component is increased.