Abstract: A device for optimizing a modeled fluidized bed combustion power plant (10) includes a model (112) of a fluidized bed combustion system and an optimizer (114). The model (112) of the fluidized bed combustion system provides at least one simulated output parameter of the fluidized bed combustion power plant (10) in response to a user selected parameter of the fluidized bed combustion power plant (10). The optimizer (114) provides at least one optimized simulated output parameter of the fluidized bed combustion power plant (10) in response to at least one user selected optimization setting (126) and the at least one simulated output parameter.

Abstract: A combustion system having a combustor that includes tubing for carrying boiler water, a cyclone to recover solids from exhaust of the combustor and an external heat exchanger to recover heat from the solids, includes: a bypass for providing boiler water from the combustor to tube bundles of the external heat exchanger and a boiler water return for providing boiler water from the tube bundles to waterwall tubing of the combustor. A method and an external heat exchanger are also provided.

Abstract: Apparatus for cooling ash exiting from circulating fluidized bed equipment includes an enclosure having a floor, a plurality of walls disposed around the floor and a ceiling. The enclosure also has an inlet and an outlet. The outlet is disposed in one of the walls near to the floor and the apparatus also includes tubing disposed within the enclosure for heat exchange relationship with ash entering the inlet of the ash cooler. In some forms of the invention the floor is planar and is disposed in oblique relationship to a horizontal plane. The outlet may be disposed proximate to the floor at the lowest elevational part thereof. The enclosure may be generally rectangular and may have first and second opposed sides and opposed third and fourth sides. The first and second sides are longer than the third and fourth sides. In some cases the ratio of the length of each of the first and second sides to the length of the third and fourth sides is two or three to one.

Abstract: The fuel is fed into a circulating fluidized bed steam generator using a feed system involving an air swept chute using secondary combustion air to suspend and carry the fuel into the fluidized bed combustor. The fuel is fed to the air swept chute through a gravity feed chute at a steep angle. The air swept chute is lined with an abrasion resistant material.

Abstract: A circulating fluidized bed combustion process which uses a sorbent to react with sulfur oxides employs a process for fracturing the sorbent particles to expose unreacted sorbent in the core of the particles to increase the sorbent utilization. The particles within the circulating bed are fractured by injecting water either as a liquid or as steam.