The mechanism of agglomeration of the refractory materials in a fluidized-bed reactor

Olivine is one of the refractory materials well-suited for fluidized-bed reactor technology. However, this material agglomerates at high temperatures due to the presence of sticky molten ash. The aim of this work is to investigate the mechanism of olivine agglomeration in fluidized-bed reactors and to determine the risk factors for agglomeration. A laboratory fluidized-bed reactor was designed to study the agglomeration effect between the ash and the refractory bed material. A systematic experiment was performed to determine the agglomeration ratio as a function of different parameters (operating time, bed materials, ash content, temperature, gas flow and additives). The mechanism of adhesion between the molten ash and the bed material is described, and the optimization of parameters to prevent this agglomeration is determined. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.