INTRODUCTION Prabir Bas Cnr or Energy Sues Techn Unies of Nove Sct ‘Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada” ki This section introduces the entire text. It discusses the content of and the Anterrelationship between the different chapters. A simplified approach to the design of a fluidized bed boiler is presented by highlighting the major consider- ations involved. The design of a fluidized bed boiler is a stepwise procedure followed by all manufacturers. The boiler purchaser provides the bidding manufacturers with a set of design criteria that forms the basis of the design. This design specification may include the following Pressure, temperature and flowrate of both primary and reheat stean. Feed water temperature. Complete analyses of coal and ash. Ambient and outlet gas temperature. Limits of gas emission (NOx/S0x) and particulate emission. Limestone characteristics. Combustion/boiler efficiency. Location of plant and space available. Local requirements such as fire and safety code. Sometimes items such as furnace configuration, fuel feed systems (over-bed or underbed feeding), boiler start-up technique, dust collection and carbon recovery systems, etc. are also specified by the purchaser. However, since the fluidized bed boiler ig less established than conventional boilers using pulverised fuel, the designers may enjoy a little more flexibility concerning the boiler design details of the boiler for the tine being. The designer sets out with a thermal calculation of the boiler, which is followed by the selection of individual components such as drum, air heater, pump, fan, fuel bins, dust collectors, ash handling equipments etc. The manufacturers base their bid'on these calculations. A more comprehensive calculation is carried out before boiler manufacture. During this final design stage the temperature and pressure of the gas are calculated at different sections of the boiler including bed surface, furnace exit, superheater, econoniser, air heater ete. Circulation of water in the boiler is also checked under different load conditions. The design procedure is very flexible, and depends largely on the design objectives land the designer's preference. However, the following major steps are involved in most designs of fluidized bed boilers. MASS BALANCE CALCULATIONS A fluidized bed boiler is similar to a conventional boiler except that coal burns while in contact with a large number of inert particles in a fluidized state. These particles could be ash, sand or sulphur absorbing agents such as limestone or dolomite, The combustion chamber is the site of three simultaneous processes; (a) combustion, (b) heat transfer, and (ce) absorption of suphur oxides.