The invention relates to a process and system for recycling fluidized boiler bed material in the context of a bed management cycle for a fluidized bed boiler, such as a circulating fluidized bed boiler or a bubbling fluidized bed boiler and a corresponding arrangement for carrying out fluidized bed combustion.

Fluidized bed combustion is a well-known technique, wherein the fuel is suspended in a hot fluidized bed of solid particu- late material, typically silica sand and/or fuel ash. Other bed materials are also possible. In this technique, a fluidiz- ing gas is passed with a specific fluidization velocity through a solid particulate bed material. The bed material serves as a mass and heat carrier to promote rapid mass and heat transfer. At very low gas velocities the bed remains static. Once the velocity of the fluidization gas rises above the minimum fluidization velocity, at which the force of the fluidization gas balances the gravity force acting on the particles, the solid bed material behaves in many ways similarly to a fluid and the bed is said to be fluidized. In bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) boilers, the fluidization gas is passed through the bed material to form bubbles in the bed, facilitating the transport of the gas through the bed material and allowing for a better control of the combustion conditions (better temperature and mixing control) when compared with grate combustion. In circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boilers the fluidization gas is passed through the bed material at a fluidization velocity where the majority of the particles are carried away by the fluidization gas stream. The particles are then separated from the gas stream, e.g., by means of a cy- clone, and recirculated back into the furnace, usually via a loop seal. Usually oxygen containing gas, typically air or a mixture of air and recirculated flue gas, is used as the flu- idizing gas (so called primary oxygen containing gas or primary air) and passed from below the bed, or from a lower part of the bed, through the bed material, thereby acting as a source of oxygen required for combustion. A fraction of the bed material fed to the combustor escapes from the boiler with the various ash streams leaving the boiler, in particular with the bottom ash. Removal of bottom ash, i.e. ash in the bed bottom, is generally a continuous process, which is carried out to remove alkali metals (Na, K) and coarse inorganic particles/lumps from the bed and any agglomerates formed during boiler operation, and to keep the differential pressure over the bed sufficient. In a typical bed management cycle, bed ma- terial lost with the various ash streams is replenished with fresh bed material .

From the prior art it is known to replace a fraction or all of the silica sand bed material with ilmenite particles in the CFB process (H. Thunman et al . , Fuel 113 (2013) 300-309) . Ilmenite is a naturally occurring mineral which consists mainly of iron titanium oxide (FeTi0 ₃ ) and can be repeatedly oxidized and reduced. Due to the reducing/oxidizing feature of ilmenite, the material can be used as oxygen carrier in fluidized bed combustion. The combustion process can be carried out at lower air-to-fuel ratios with the bed comprising ilmenite particles as compared with non-active bed materials, e.g., 100 wt.-% of silica sand or fuel ash particles. The problem underlying the invention is to provide an improved process and system as indicated above for ilmenite containing bed material .

The system according to the invention comprises the following elements : a. a bottom ash removal device for removing bed material from a fluidized bed boiler, b. a mechanical classifier comprising a mesh size from 200 to 1,000 urn designed to separate a coarse and a fine particle size fraction, c. a magnetic separator designed to magnetically classify the fine particle fraction from the mechanical classifier, d. a device for recirculating the magnetic particle

fraction into the boiler.

First, several terms are explained in the context of the invention.

Fluidized bed boiler is a term well known in the art. The invention can be used in particular for bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) boilers, and circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boilers.

The bottom ash removal device is known in the art and removes boiler bottom ash together with bed material. The bottom ash removal device in the sense of the invention may be part of an existing system for bottom ash recirculation. The purpose of the invention is to improve separation of reusable ilmenite bed material from the bottom ash so as to allow effective recirculation/recycling of removed ilmenite bed ma- terial back into the boiler.

The invention has recognized that ilmenite particles can be conveniently separated from the boiler ash and that even after extended use as bed material in a fluidized bed boiler ilmen- ite still shows very good oxygen-carrying properties and reactivity towards oxidizing carbon monoxide (CO) into carbon dioxide (C0 ₂ ) , so called "gas conversion" and good mechanical strength. In particular, the invention has recognized that the attrition rate of the ilmenite particles surprisingly decreas- es after an extended residence time in the boiler and that the mechanical strength is still very good after the ilmenite has been utilized as bed material for an extended period of time. This was surprising, since ilmenite particles, after having experienced an initial activation phase, undergo chemical ag- ing as they are subjected to repeated redox-conditions during combustion in fluidized bed boilers and the physical interactions with the boiler structures induce mechanical wear on the ilmenite particles. It was therefore expected that the oxygen- carrying capacity of ilmenite particles and their attrition resistance rapidly deteriorate during the combustion process in a fluidized bed boiler.

The invention has recognized that in light of the good attrition resistance the surprisingly good oxygen-carrying proper- ties of used ilmenite particles can be exploited by recirculating the separated ilmenite particles into the boiler bed. This reduces the need to feed fresh ilmenite to the boiler which in turn significantly reduces the overall consumption of the natural resource ilmenite and makes the combustion process more environmentally friendly and more economical. In addition, the separation of ilmenite from the ash and recirculation into the boiler allows for the control of the ilmenite concentration in the bed and eases operation. Furthermore, the inventive bed management cycle further increases the fuel flexibility by allowing to decouple the feeding rate of fresh ilmenite from the ash removal rate, in particular the bottom ash removal rate. Thus changes in the amount of ash within the fuel become less prominent since a higher bottom bed regeneration rate can be applied without the loss of ilmenite from the system.

The invention combines a first mechanical classification using a mesh size from 200 to 1,000 urn and a subsequent magnetic separation of the fine particle size fraction to retrieve ilmenite to be recirculated into the boiler.

The invention has found out that the majority of ilmenite in the bottom ash comprises a particle size of 500 urn or lower so that the mechanical classifier provides a fine particle size fraction having a more homogenous size distribution while still comprising the majority of the ilmenite particles. The magnetic separation in the second step can be carried out more efficiently.

The initial mechanical classification in particular serves three purposes. First, it contributes to protect the magnetic separator from large ferromagnetic objects such as nails which could otherwise damage the magnetic separator or its parts. Second, it reduces the load on the magnetic separator by reducing the mass flow. Third, it enables simpler operation of the magnetic separator as it generates a narrower particle size distribution.

Preferably the mechanical classifier comprises a mesh size from 300 to 800 urn, preferably 400 to 600 urn. A typical preferred mesh size is 500 urn. This is sufficient to remove the bulk of the coarse bottom ash species.

In a particularly preferred embodiment the mechanical classi- fier comprises a rotary sieve which has been found effective to pre-classify the bottom ash to remove coarse particles.

In one embodiment of the invention the mechanical classifier further comprises a primary sieve prior to the mechanical classifier having the mesh size as defined above (e.g. the rotary sieve) to separate coarse particles having a particle size of 2 cm or greater, e.g. coarse particle agglomerates of golf ball size. In another embodiment of the invention the system may comprise a primary classifier separating very fine particles and recirculating those fine particles into the boiler prior to the mechanical classifier of feature b. of the main claim and the magnetic separator. This primary classifier may comprise an air classifier to retrieve the very fine particle fraction.

The system may comprise a device for separating elongate ferromagnetic objects from the ash stream prior to the magnetic separator. The mechanical classifier can comprise a slot mesh to remove small pieces of thin metal wire or nails that tend to plug mesh holes and also affect the magnetic separation in the subsequent step. Preferably the magnetic separator comprises a field intensity of 2,000 Gauss or more, preferably 4,500 Gauss or more on the surface of the transport means of the bed material . This has been found effective to separate ilmenite from ash and other nonmagnetic particles in the particle stream.

It is also an independent embodiment of the invention to utilize the magnetic separator having the field intensity or field strength as indicated above without prior mechanical classification or mechanical sieving. While mechanical classification prior to the magnetic separation is advantageous the invention in another embodiment is a system comprising such a magnetic separator only. Another embodiment of the invention is a process comprising the step of magnetic separation with the indicated field intensity without prior mechanical classification or sieving.

Preferably the magnetic separator comprises a rare earth roll (RER) or rare earth drum (RED) magnet. Corresponding magnetic separators are known in the art per se and are e.g. available from Eriez Manufacturing Co. (www.eriez.com). Rare earth roll magnetic separators are high intensity, high gradient, permanent magnetic separators for the separation of magnetic and weakly magnetic iron particles from dry products. The bottom ash stream is transported on a belt which runs around a roll or drum comprising rare earth permanent magnets. While being transported around the roll ilmenite remains attracted to the belt whereas the nonmagnetic particle fracture falls off. Mechanical separator separates these two particle fractions.

In one embodiment of the invention the magnetic field is axial, i.e. parallel to the rotational axis of the drum or roll. An axial magnetic field with the magnets having a fixed direc- tion causes strongly magnetic material to tumble as it passes from north to south poles, releasing any entrapped nonmagnetic or paramagnetic materials . In another embodiment of the invention the magnetic field is radial, i.e. comprising radial orientation relative to the rotational axis . Generally a radial orientation has the advantage of providing a higher recovery rate of all weakly magnetic material which can come at the cost of less purity due to entrapped nonmagnetic material.

It is also possible to use a two stage magnetic separation with a first step using axial orientation thereby helping to release entrapped nonmagnetic material and the second step us- ing radial orientation to increase the recovery rate.

Preferably the separation efficiency of the system for ilmen- ite bed material is at least 0.5 by mass, preferably at least 0.7 by mass. That means that at least 50 or 70 wt.% of ilmen- ite comprised in the bottom ash stream can be separated from the bottom ash and recirculated into the boiler.

The recirculation capacity and separation efficiency is also affected by the ash flow temperature where there is a trade- off between the separation efficiency and the ash flow temperature. A higher temperature will decrease the efficiency of the magnetic separation and leads to the use of more expensive heat resistant materials in the system. By adopting measures for cooling the ash flow the negative effects on the separa- tion efficiency and material requirements of high temperatures can be negated. The system can also be equipped with temperature sensors and ash flow splitters that will allow the flow to be redirected and bypassing the separation system in case of temporary high temperatures.

In a second aspect the invention relates to a process for re- cycling fluidized bed boiler bed material comprising ilmenite, the process comprising the steps of: a. removing bed material from a fluidized bed boiler, b. mechanically classifying the bed material using a mesh size from 200 to 1,000 urn to separate a coarse and a fine particle size fraction, c . magnetically classifying the fine particle fraction from the mechanical classifier, d. recirculating the magnetic particle fraction into the boiler. Subsequent to step a. and prior to step b. may be a step of recirculating part of the removed bed material into the boiler prior to mechanical classification and magnetic separation. For example a very fine particle fraction from the removed bed material may be air classified and immediately returned to the boiler.

Preferably the separation efficiency of step c. is at least 0.5 by mass, preferably at least 0.7 by mass for ilmenite as explained above in the context of the system.

According to one aspect of the invention, the average residence time of ilmenite in the boiler is 20 h or more, preferably 30 h or more, preferably 40 h or more, preferably 100 h or more, preferably 200 h or more, further preferred 300 h or more .

The invention has recognized that the surprisingly good oxy- gen-carrying capacity and attrition resistance of ilmenite particles that have been exposed to boiler conditions for an extended period of time allow for average residence times of the ilmenite particles in the boiler which are at least a factor of 2.5 higher than typical residence times of bed material in conventional fluidized bed boilers. The invention has found that even after extended operation in a fluidized bed boiler, ilmenite particles still show very good oxygen-carrying properties, gas conversion and mechanical strength. In the context of the invention, the average residence time of the ilmenite particles in the boiler (<T _Re s,iimenite>) is defined as the ratio of the total mass of ilmenite in the bed inventory (Milmenite ) to the product of the feeding rate of fresh ilmenite (Rfeed, ilmenite) with the production rate of the boiler (Rproduc- tion) :

TRes , ilmenite ⁼ Milmenite/ ( Rfeed, ilmenite X Rproduction)

By way of example, if the total mass of ilmenite in the boiler is 25 tons, the feeding rate of fresh ilmenite is 3 kg/MWh and the production rate is 75 MW, this gives the average residence time T _Res , ilmenite = 25/(3 x 75/1000) h = 111 h. Recirculation of separated ilmenite particles is a convenient way of extending the average residence time of the ilmenite particles in the boiler since the feeding rate for fresh ilmenite can be reduced. In the operation of the boiler, the fraction of ilmenite in the bed material can be kept at 25 wt.% or more, preferably 30 wt.% or more. In another embodiment of the invention, preferred ilmenite concentrations in the bed are between 10 wt.% and 95 wt%, more preferably between 50 wt.-% and 95 wt.%, more preferably between 75 wt.-% and 95 wt.-%.

Embodiments of the invention are now shown by way of example with reference to the figures.

It is shown in:

Figure 1: a schematic illustration of a system according to the invention in cooperation with a boiler,

Figure 2: a schematic illustration of magneticdrum separator,

Figure 3: a schematic illustration to show the mass streams in an embodiment of the process according to the invention.

Example 1

In this example the composition and particle size distribution of bottom ash is analyzed. The bottom ash was taken from a 75MW municipal solid waste fired boiler operating with the bed material comprising silica sand and 16 wt.% ilmenite.

The bottom ash was sieved through a 500 um mesh which removed the particle fraction coarser than 500 um (about 50 wt.% of the original sample) .

The bottom ash sample, excluding particulates coarser than 500 um, of 8.3 kg was analyzed for ranges of material content of bed materials (ilmenite, silica oxide, calcium oxide, aluminum oxide) and particle size distribution.

Material composition (ranges, wt.%):

Ilmenite : 10 - 20%

Silica oxide: 40 - 60%

Calcium oxide: 5 - 10%

Aluminum oxide: 5 - 10%

Particle size distribution (wt.%):

355 - 500 urn: -7%

250 - 355 urn -17%

125 - 250 urn: -69%

<125 urn: -7%

This analysis shows typical percentages of ilmenite in the bottom ash which can be retrieved according to the invention and also shows that the particle size distribution of the bottom ash does allow an initial mechanical classification to remove coarse particles with e.g. a mesh size of 500 urn.

Example 2

In this example the effectiveness of magnetic separation processes is tested. The following test equipment was used:

Eriez® 305mm dia. x 305mm wide model FA (Ferrite Axial) mag- netic drum. Field strength ca. 2000 Gauss (drum #1) .

Eriez® 305mm dia. x 305mm wide model RA (Rare Earth Axial) magnetic drum. Field strength ca. 4500 Gauss (drum #2) . Eriez® 305mm dia. x 305mm wide model RR (Rare Earth Radial) magnetic drum. Field strength ca. 4000 Gauss (drum #3) . Fig. 2 shows an arrangement of two magnetic separation drums or rolls in sequential order.

Material is fed through a feed 3 on a magnetic drum 1 rotating into the direction indicated by the arrow (counterclockwise) . Magnetic particles tend to adhere to the drum longer than nonmagnetic particles which is indicated by the arrows nonmagnet- ics 1 and magnetics 1 in the drawing. A mechanical separator blade 4 helps to separate the magnetic and nonmagnetic particle fractions.

When using a two-stage process, the nonmagnetic particle fraction from the first drum 1 can be fed to a second drum 2 for a second magnetic separation step. Three tests were carried out, the first test using a two-step separation process and the second and third test using single step separation processes. The tests were carried out with bottom ash as analyzed in example 1. Test 1

A 2.5 kg bottom ash sample was passed over a ferrite magnetic drum (drum #1) with an axial magnet arrangement. This causes the strongly magnetic material to tumble as it passes from north to south poles, releasing any entrapped nonmagnetic or paramagnetic materials, thus providing a cleaner magnetic fraction. The nonmagnetic fraction from this first separation step was then passed over a second drum (drum #2), with a stronger Rare Earth axial magnetic field. Test 2

A 1.25 kg bottom ash sample was passed over a drum (drum #2), with a strong Rare Earth axial magnetic field. Test 3

A 1.25 kg bottom ash sample was passed over a drum (drum #3), with a strong Rare Earth radial magnetic field. Both tests 2 and 3 utilized single step magnetic separation.

The test results are shown in the following table. The table also indicates the splitter position in terms of the distances A and B of the leading edge of the mechanical splitter from the rotational axis of the drum (see Fig. 2) and the drum speed in terms of min ^-1 and surface speed in m/min. The table also indicates the results of the magnetic separation.

Feed rum Speed % Of

Test Drum Splitter Position D Sample Weight

Rate Description Food No. Type

(t/hr) A B RPM M/Min. No. (9)

Weight

1 FA 1.5 125 mm 140 mm ~63 60 Feed 100 2498

Magnetics 1 101 716 28.7

Non Magnetics 1 102 1782 71.3

RA 1.5 70 mm 160 mm ~63 60 Magnetics 2 103 236 16.8

Non Magnetics 2 104 764 54.5

2 A 1.5 70 mm 160 mm -63 60 Feed 1248

Magnetics 1 201 593 47.5

Non Magnetics 1 202 655 52.5

3 RR 1.5 115 mm 170 mm -63 60 Feed 1247

Magnetics 1 301 736 59.0

Non Magnetics 1 302 511 41.0

Example 3 Fig. 1 shows schematically an embodiment of the system of the invention connected to a boiler.

A boiler 6 is fed with fuel (waste) at 7 and ilmenite bed material at 8.

Bottom ash is retrieved via 9 and fed to a rotary sieve 10 having a mesh size of 500 urn. The coarse fraction comprising mostly ash and some lost ilmenite material is discarded at 11. The fine particle size fraction is fed to a magnetic separator 12 comprising a rare earth roll magnet (as shown above) . The nonmagnetic fraction from the magnetic separator 12 is discarded at 13. The magnetic fraction is recirculated as bed material (ilmenite) to the boiler at 14. Example 4

This example serves to illustrate material stream calculations in a further embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 3.

The system of Fig. 3 corresponds to that of Fig. 1 but additionally comprises a classifier 15 wherein the finer particles from the bottom ash are entrained by an airflow and carried back to the boiler.

A bottom ash mass balance, taking into account coarse ash, fine ash, and ilmenite was constructed for the system shown in Fig. 3. Coarse ash components (A) include large particles that are easily separated by the existing recirculation system and are not accumulated, fine ash components (As) include inert sand and small agglomerates of ash that can be accumulated by the existing recirculation system, the ilmenite (I) can also, of course, be accumulated by the existing recirculation system.

For the purposes of this example, the boiler is a 75MW municipal solid waste fired boiler with a classifier that operates at 95% separation efficiency for ilmenite and fine ash. The material streams of interest are denoted in Figure 3. Another material stream, not included in the model, consists of the very fine particles that are carried out of the furnace by the flue gas and separated as fly ash in the flue gas treatment plant, e.g. a bag-house filter or an electrostatic precipita- tor. This material stream consists of very fine particles from the fuel, very fine particles of fresh bed material and very fine bed material particles formed by attrition in the furnace . C denotes the classifier 15, B the boiler 6, R the rotary- sieve 10, and M the magnetic separator 12. The indexes e and r denotes exiting and returning respectively. The separation ef- ficiencies of the classifier and rotary sieve are assumed to be equal for ilmenite and fine ash while the magnetic separator is described using two different efficiencies for ilmenite and fine ash (optimally 0% for ash) . The separation efficiency is varying in relation to the inflow for all separators of the system: classifier, mechanical and magnet.

The mass balances for ilmenite and fine ash are similar and therefore only that of ilmenite is described as follows, m± notes the mass of ilmenite inside the boiler.

η _τ = 0- 0.9 η _ΜιΙ = 0-0.9 η _ΜιΑ5 = 0-0.1 m _tot = 25ton -r ^{= I} i+lc,r + I _M ,r-lB,e ⁽ D

,e = (Λ* + k + ASi + I _c + I _M>r + As _Cir + As _MiT ) * ( 2 )

Upon deriving a matching set of equations for the fine ash (As) , the system is calculated to yield the fraction of ilmenite in the boiler and the average time that the ilmenite spends inside the system. For the base case (comparative example not according to the invention) , the efficiencies of the rotary sieve and magnet are set to 0% while the case describing the system according to the invention uses efficiencies of 0.8, 0.8, and 0 for the rotary sieve, magnet on ilmenite and magnet on fine ash respectively.

The calculated data describe the fraction of ilmenite in the boiler, the average residence time of ilmenite within the system (including the effects of recirculation) , and the possible reduction in the amount of introduced ilmenite that maintains the ilmenite fraction of the base case. The deduced data is presented in Table 2.

Table 2: derived data for the base case and for operation with the proposed system.

Case Fraction of Average resiPossible reilmenite in dence time of duction in ilthe bed [%] ilmenite in menite feed the system [h] [kg/h] (new

flow)

Base case 15.8 17.5 -

Inventive sys34.2 38.0 140 (85)

tem