Fluidized bed combustion

Claim 1

A fluidized bed combustor including a horizontally elongate cylindrical body adapted to contain a fluidized bed of particulate material, a gas permeable support on which in use the bed is supported within the body, a plenum defined between the support and the base of the body, the plenum being divided into at least two parts, an exhaust outlet means at one end of the body, and a hollow elongate baffle extending within the body longitudinally thereof, the interior of the baffle communicating with the exhaust outlet means, a deflector located at a relatively upper part of the baffle and spaced from the defining wall of the body to provide passage means for the flow in use of gas and entrained bed particles from one side of the baffle to the other side thereof, an inlet means provided in the baffle at said relatively upper part adjacent a trailing portion of the deflector, the baffle being disposed within the body such that in use at least a lower part thereof extends into the bed of particulate material thereby to define at least two regions therein corresponding to the at least two parts of the plenum and the upper part thereof extends into the freeboard above the bed.

Claim 6

A method of operating a fluidized bed combustor comprising the steps of establishing a bed of particulate material in at least two regions of a hollow elongate baffle at least a lower part of which extends into the bed and an upper part thereof extends into the freeboard above the bed, fluidizing the regions of the bed at different rates, causing gases and entrained bed particles to pass in the freeboard from one region of the bed around the baffle through passage means defined between a deflector located at a relatively upper part of the baffle and the defining wall of the body to the other region thereof, the gases passing into the baffle through inlet means adjacent a trailing portion of the deflector, the gases exhausting through an exhaust outlet means located at one end of the body and communicating with the interior of the baffle, the entrained bed particles being deposited in the other region of the bed fluidized at a relatively lower rate, and causing circulation of bed material between the regions of the bed.

Claim 7

A method of operating a fluidized bed combustor comprising the steps of establishing a bed of particulate material in at least two regions of a hollow elongate baffle at least a lower part of which extends into the bed and an upper part thereof extends into the freeboard above the bed, fluidizing the regions of the bed at different rates, causing gases and entrained bed particles to pass in the freeboard from one region of the bed around the baffle through passage means defined between a deflector located at a relatively upper part of the baffle and the defining wall of the body to the other region thereof, the gases passing into the baffle through inlet means adjacent a trailing portion of the deflector, the gases exhausting through an exhaust outlet means located at one end of the body and communicating with the interior of the baffle, the entrained bed particles being deposited in the other region of the bed fluidized at a relatively lower rate, and causing circulation of bed material between the regions of the bed.