Determination and solution of power plant furnace problems with pilot-scale studies

VTT has three pilot-scale combustors in Jyväskylä: a 20 kW reactor to simulate bubbling bed combustion, a 50 kW reactor to simulate circulating fluidised bed combustion and a 100 kW reactor to simulate grate combustion. Good scaling up of results to power plant level is based on realistic temperature vs. residence time history in the furnace, realistic ways to bring combustion air in at several stages and inert wall materials (due to high wall area to inner volume ratio compared to power plant furnaces). However, reactors alone would be insufficient to research. In addition, versatile sampling and analysis systems are necessary. VTT has unique probes to gas analysers and to devised for aerosolic fly ash and condensed vapour. These are important to find out and solve corrosion relative problems in power plants. VTT has participated to product development and combustion problem solution work with numerous companies, in EU funded and domestic network projects with these reactors.