Three-dimensional simulation of temperature distributions in large-scale circulating fluidized bed combustors

Abstract

Circulating fluidized bed combustors (CFBC) of industrial scale have sometimes diameters of more than 10 m and heights exceeding 40 m. Depending on the intensity of the reactions and the location of the insertion of reactants into the bed, temperature effects can not be neglected. A simulation tool for the investigation of these large-scale systems including sub-models for fluid dynamics, dispersion, reactions, mass balances and an enthalpy balance has been implemented. The simulation results provide three-dimensional distributions of temperatures inside the combustion chamber. The simulation results have been validated with results of local measurements in a 235 MWe CFBC of Elektrownia Turow in Poland.